Yom Yerushalayim / Jerusalem Day – the Israeli government proclaimed the holiday of “Jerusalem Day” for the 28th of Iyar, corresponding to the date that the Israeli military liberated those parts of Jerusalem which had previously been in Arab possession.

In 1967 – 19 years after the establishment of the State in 1948 -
The Israelis captured Jerusalem in 1967.

On May 14, 1948, on the day in which the British Mandate over a Palestine expired, the Jewish People’s Council gathered at the Tel Aviv Museum, and approved the following proclamation, declaring the establishment of the State of Israel. The new state was recognized that night by the United States and three days later by the USSR.

For the first time in 2520 years she was independent.
That follows the destruction of the Jewish state 2520 years ago by the Babylonians in 606 BC followed by the destruction of Jerusalem and Solomon’s Temple on 9th of AV 587 BC exactly 19 years later. Jerusalem was never to be under Jewish rule until 1967.

“This will be a sign to the house of Israel. Lie also on your left side, and lay the iniquity of the house of Israel upon it. According to the number of the days that you lie on it, you shall bear their iniquity. For I have laid on you the years of their iniquity, according to the number of the days, three hundred and ninety days; so you shall bear the iniquity of the house of Israel. And when you have completed them, lie again on your right side; then you shall bear the iniquity of the house of Judah forty days. I have laid on you a day for each year” (Ezekiel 4:3-6).

Each day represents one biblical year. 430 years (390 years plus another 40 years). “And after all this, if you do not obey Me, then I will punish you seven times more for your sins” (Leviticus 26:18; see also Leviticus 26:21, 23-24,27-28). 430 years – first 70 years = 360 years x 7 = 2,520 biblical years x 360 day = 907,200 days

If we work backwards from May 14, 1948 and using this information the 907,200 days (2,520 years) prophecy, we arrive at 606 BC

Israel lost its independence in 606 B.C. but Jerusalem was left intact with the Second temple. The “desolations of Jerusalem” began with the annihilation of the city of Jerusalem and the Solomon’s Temple in 587 B.C. According to Jeremiah it was punishment for not yielding to the “Servitude of the Nation” which began in 606 B.C., with the first siege of Nebuchandnezzar – 19 years prior.

On the morning of Shavuot, June 15, 1967 — just six days after the liberation of the Old City of Jerusalem in the Six Day War — the Old City was officially opened to the Israeli public.

In total, 200,000 visited the Western Wall that day. It was the first pilgrimage, en masse, of Jews to Jewish-controlled Jerusalem on a Jewish festival in 2,000 years, since the pilgrimages for the festivals in Temple times Some wept, but most faces were wreathed in smiles. For 13 continuous hours, a colorful variety of all peoples trudged along in perfect order, stepping patiently when told to do so at each of six successive barriers set up by the police to regulate the flow

Enjoy the Day and ponder the fact that the generation that saw her restored would also see the end of the age.

I ponder the number 40 more so for it is a generation. Gods time piece in the end times is Israel and Jerusalem the “cup of trembling” handed the nations.

“Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of trembling unto all the people round about, when they shall be in the siege both against Judah and against Jerusalem. And in that day will I make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all people: all that burden themselves with it shall be cut in pieces, though all the people of the earth be gathered together against it… Zechariah 12:2-3

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L64q221HsKA

The story of the Marranos, the lost Jews from Spain, started in the 14th century when the Spanish Inquisition of the Roman Catholic Church persecuted the large Jewish community in Spain and Portugal. Many Jews preferred to die rather than to give up their faith and convert. Many other Jews were forced to become Christians. Despite this, the church called them by the disparaging name Marranos which means pigs. They secretly continued to observe their Jewish faith, laws, holidays and Shabbats. Over the generations they lost the knowledge that they were Jews but continued to keep some of the Jewish traditions and laws without knowing why they did so.

In 1233, the Papal Inquisition had began. It was first directed at the Albigensian sect in southern France. In Spain, the Papal Inquisition was applied against the Jewish people that were converted by force to Christianity. The secret Jews known as Conversos practiced Judaism secretly. In every colony of Spain, from Mexico to the Philippine Archipelago, the Spanish Inquisition came seeking for the New Christians (Conversos, Marranos, or Crypto-Jews) that practiced Judaism covertly. Those that had been found guilty were burned alive and their properties were confiscated. In 1469, Ferdinand of Aragon married Isabella of Castille. Their union had made it possible for the Papal Inquisition to reach Spain.

In the late 14th and 15th century, at the time of mass expulsions of Jews from Spain and Portugal, the Benei Anusim remained behind, where they continued to preserve their Jewish identity and to practice the Jewish faith covertly. As a result, this unique phenomenon is still evident even today, even though the Inquisition invested enormous efforts over the centuries to eradicate it.

It took a long time – 500 years – but at least some of the Marranos, victims of the Inquisition forced to convert to Catholicism, are returning to Judaism and renewing their connection with the Jewish people. This movement is all the more remarkable because the rabbinical establishment has done little or nothing to encourage this movement. The Marranos must have lifted a collective eye-brow when they heard the Pope lecturing Muslims about compulsion in religion.

There is a lot of questions that the Benei Anusim have today. The best advice that we can offer them is to come back despite of the possible rejection that the Rabbinical Establishment may impose upon your return. Start keeping Torah, the commandments of HaShem, get circumcise (if make), eat kosher, keep Shabbat. Soon enough through your prayers and your efforts HaShem will make a way.

Come back to your roots, come back to Judaism.

The videos below, some of them are done by Christians who speak about the inquisition through a historical perspective (only).

The Jews of India aren’t one singular community. Among themselves they are divided into different communities. Each community has its own different culture, background and origin. Each community claims its arrival in India in different ways and it is not always clear how they really came to India. The three main Jewish communities of India are: Bene Israel, Cochini and Baghdadi. Besides there were Ashkenazi Jews and a community in east India which claim Israeli origin and call themselves Bne Menashe. The first three communities had some social religious connections with each other but most of the social religious connections of each community were within their own community and they regarded the other as ‘outsiders’.

Cochin Jews, also called Malabar Jews (Malabar Yehudan) are the descendants of the ancient Jews in the former Kingdom of Cochin in South India, including the present day port city of Kochi.. But actually the first settlement of the Cochini Jews wasn’t in Cochin but a little north from Cochin in the town of Kudungallur (formly Cranganore).

Like the Bene Israels, the arrival time of the first Cochini Jews isn’t clear. But one fact is sure about the Cochini Jews, that they weren’t a single emigration. At different times Jews arrived and settled in south India at Kudungallur. According to one version the first forefathers of the Cochini Jews arrived in India during the King Solomon’s period. King Solomon had commercial business with a kingdom probably existing in the present state of Kerala in south India. Other version claims that the Cochini Jews are from the Lost Tribes. Another version claims that the Cochini Jews arrived in India after they were exiled from Land of Israel by Nebuchadnezzar. Later on in the history Jews from Spain, arrived in Cochin. The Spanish Jews lived separately from the veteran Jews and considered them as Indian proselytes to Judaism. The Keralans take pride in the fact that the kingdoms of Kerala were world famous and merchants from around the world frequently visited Kerala, since the times of King Solomon and later on Romans, Greeks, Arabs, Chinese and others. Among the merchants, also arrived in Kerala many Jewish merchants and some of them settled in Kerala. The main center of the Jewish community in Kerala was at Kudungallur (referred to in English as Cranganore). The existence of the Jewish community in south India was known to other Jewish communities outside India and some other Jewish merchants also arrived in India. The Jewish merchants were influential community in their state and outside their state and were main reason for the prosperity in their kingdom. As a gratitude for their contribution to the kingdom, the ruler Sri Parkaran Iravi Vanmar gave to the head of the Jewish community Joseph Rabban the village of Anjuvannam and pronounced him the Prince of this village. These Jewish rulers had all the rights preserved to the ruling families of the Indian kingdoms.

The Cochini Jews are divided in three groups. The biggest group is called ‘Meyuhassim’ (meaning ‘privileged’ in Hebrew) or Malabari Jews (Malabar is the name of the coast on which Kerala is situated). These Jews forefathers are considered to have arrived in India as merchants during the period of King Solomon. The second group is called ‘Pardesi’ (meaning ‘foreigner’ in some Indian languages). The Pardesi Jews are Jews who came to Kerala at different periods from different countries namely Egypt, Iraq, Syria, Iran, Spain and Germany. These two groups were merchants and had slaves who were converted to Judaism and later on released from their status as slaves and are called ‘Meshuhararim’ (meaning ‘released’ in Hebrew). These groups were sometimes referred to by colors. The ‘Privileged’ Jews were called ‘black’ Jews, the ‘Pardesi’ were called ‘white’ Jews.

The ‘Pardesi’ Jews looked at the ‘Privileged’ Jews as impure Jews and as Jewish proselyte. Both these communities claim that the ‘prince’ was from their community. The Jewish principality survived till the 16th century A. D. In 1524 the Jews were attacked by Moorish Arabs because of the monopoly Jewish merchants had in some commodities. The Jews who were a principality with no real army deserted their principality and asked for shelter from the king of Cochin. The king received them in his kingdom and so was established the Jewish community of Cochin. The area where they lived and did business is even today called ‘Jew Town’.

The Cochini Jews knew all of the Jewish traditions and preserved all Jewish traditions. They were particularly strict of Passover and didn’t even allow the non-Jews to touch the cooking utensils during this period. As stated before the Cochini Jews were very influential in their society. Numerically the Cochini Jews at their height were 3000 and that was in the 1940s. Of that the Pardesi were only 200. Today there are about 70 Jews in Cochin.

The largest Jewish community of Indian Jews is that of the Bene Israel. Earlier the Bene Israel lived in the villages of west Maharashtra in the Konkan coast. In the nineteenth century they started moving to the cities, mainly to Bombay (now called Mumbai) and to other cities among them Pune, Ahmadabad and Karachi which is now part of Pakistan. From 1950 onwards they started immigrating to Israel. The Bene Israel community was completely isolated from most of the other Jewish communities of the world. They are known as Bene Israel because that’s how they called themselves. The Bene Israel believe that their forefathers arrived in India before the destruction of the second temple. The accepted version is that their forefathers were sailing in a commercial ship from the Land of Israel to India. The ship wrecked near the coast of Konkan. From the ship survived 14 people, seven men and seven women. They swam towards the land and arrived at the village called Navgaon. All their belongings drowned in the sea. The dead bodies of the others from the ship were buried in the village. The survivors somehow managed to settle in the village and started working in agriculture and oil producing which later on became their main profession. As time passed the descendants of the survivors forgot Hebrew and their religious tradition. But they carried out some of the Israeli tradition.

The Bene Israels observed Sabbath (Saturday) and abstained on this day from any work. They circumcised their sons on the eighth day after birth. They didn’t eat fish which didn’t had fins and scales. They observed a few Israeli festivals and called them by Indian names, but until their association with other Jewish communities they weren’t aware of the Hanukkah festival and the ninth of Ab fast. These two traditions became part of Jewish tradition after the destruction of the second Temple and therefore the belief that the Bene Israels forefathers arrived in India before the destruction of the second temple. On each religious occasion such as marriage; circumcision or death the Bene Israelis used to recite the ‘Shema’ verse.

The Bene Israel community grew and they became a guild or an Indian caste with the profession of oil pressers. They left their first village, Navgaon, and dispersed to other villages and towns in the coast of Konkan becoming the oil producers and oil pressers of their respective villages. From the names of the villages and towns; like Roha, Pen, Pali or Ashtam; they derived their surnames like Rohekar; Penkar; Palkar; Ashtamkar and such others. The Bene Israels used to abstain from any work on Saturday (which wasn’t an acceptable feature in India) and were therefore called ‘Shenwar Teli’ meaning ‘Saturday oil pressers’.

According to Bene Israel tradition, somewhere between 1000 AD to 1400 AD a Jewish merchant, David Rahabi, arrived in west India. The Bene Israels believe that Rahabi was Moses Maimonides (a very respected Jewish scholar also called ‘Rambam’) brother. Rahabi was surprised to find this Bene Israel community which followed some Jewish traditions and festivals. He decided to enlighten them with all the Jewish traditions. He chose three men from the Bene Israel community and taught them Talmud and other Jewish books. These three people became to be known as ‘Kaji’ (meaning judge in Arabic) and were religious and social leaders of the Bene Israel community. And so, it is believed, began the revivification of the Bene Israel Jews towards Judaism. Later on in the eighteenth century Cochini Jews and other Jewish communities also began to associate religiously with the Bene Israel Jews.

A very important non-Jewish community that had an impact on the Bene Israel was the Christian missionaries. In the eighteenth century many Christian missionaries came to India. Some of them had anthropological interest in India. They began with their own theories about the origins of Bene Israel and other researchers including the Bene Israel themselves also began theorizing the origins of the Bene Israel. Different researchers came to different conclusions. Among the theories there were a few which came to conclusion that the Bene Israel’s forefathers arrived in India before the destruction of the second Temple and this is because the Bene Israel (meaning children of Israel) did not call themselves Jews (In the narrow sense the Jews are descendants only from the two of the twelve tribes of Children Of Israel, Yehuda and Benjamin) . For the same reason others concluded that the Indian Bene Israel are from the ‘Lost Tribes’ which are the ten tribes (of the twelve tribes of the Children Of Israel) whom the Assyrians exiled from the Land Of Israel in 800 BC and what happened of them is not known (and are therefore called Lost Tribes) . Others concluded that the Bene Israel originate from the tribes of Zvulun and Asher and that’s because the Bene Israel engaged in the profession of oil pressing which is believed to be the profession popular among the tribes of Zvulun and Asher. Other reasons that support the theory that the Bene Israel Jews are in India for over 2000 years is the fact that they weren’t aware of the main Jewish tradition which evolved in Judaism between 200 BC to 300 AD. Others concluded that the Bene Israel are Jews who came to India from Arab countries at a much later period, somewhere around the seventh century AD. And there are other theories, among them is that the Bene Israel aren’t at all of Israeli origin.

With the revival of Judaism among the Bene Israel by David Rahabi, he selected three men to be the religious leaders of the community and called them ‘Kaji’. These Kajis fulfilled all the religious jobs of the community. The Kaji’s profession was hereditary. From the eighteenth century the Bene Israel developed contact and communication with other Jewish communities especially with the ‘Cochini’ Jews who lived in the southern part of India the present state of Kerala and with Jews from Iraq and Yemen. The contacts and communication with the Yemen Jews started when Bene Israels, who were soldiers in the Indian-British army, were posted at Aden in Yemen. The Bene Israel in Aden had their prayer hall in Aden and later on brought Yemenite Jewish cantors to India and so adopting the Yemenite style of praying (Because of the Yemenite way of praying some researchers wrongly presume that the Bene Israel originate from Yemen). In the first synagogues of the Bene Israel Jews the cantors were mainly Yemenite or Iraqi or Cochini. After the cantors, the Bene Israel began to bring to India Jewish circumciser and butchers from Yemen and so the Kajis lost their traditional position as head of the community.

The beginnings of Jewish history in Iran date back to late Biblical times. The biblical books of Isaiah, Daniel, Ezra, Nehemiah, Chronicles, and Esther contain references to the life and experiences of Jews in Persia. In the book of Ezra, the Persian kings are credited with permitting and enabling the Jews to return to Jerusalem and rebuild their Temple; its reconstruction was carried out "according to the decree of Cyrus, and Darius, and Artaxerxes king of Persia" (Ezra 6:14). This great event in Jewish history took place in the late sixth century BCE, by which time there was a well-established and influential Jewish community in Persia.

Persian Jews have lived in the territories of today’s Iran for over 2,700 years, since the first Jewish diaspora when Shalmaneser V conquered the (Northern) Kingdom of Israel (722 BCE) and sent the Israelites (the Ten Lost Tribes) into captivity at Khorasan. In 586 BCE, the Babylonians expelled large populations of Jews from Judea to the Babylonian captivity. Jews who migrated to ancient Persia mostly lived in their own communities.

The Persian Jewish communities include the ancient (and until the mid-20th century still extant) communities not only of Iran, but of parts of what is now Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, northwestern India, Kirgizstan, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan.

Some of the communities were isolated from other Jewish communities, to the extent that their classification as "Persian Jews" is a matter of linguistic or geographical convenience rather than actual historical relationship with one another. During the peak of the Persian Empire, Jews are thought to have comprised as much as 20% of the population.

Today the term Iranian Jews is mostly used to refer to Jews from the country of Iran. In various scholarly and historical texts, the term is used to refer to Jews who speak various Iranian languages. Iranian immigrants in Israel (nearly all of whom are Jewish) are referred to as Parsim (Hebrew: פרסים‎ meaning "Persians"). In Iran, Jews and Jewish people in general are referred to by four common terms: Kalimi, which is considered the most proper term; Yahudi or Pejmani, which is less formal but correct; Israel the term by which the Jews refer to themselves; and Jood or Johood, a term having negative connotations and considered by many Jews as offensive.

La comunidad judía en españa no gozó de paz ni con cristianos ni con musulmanes, a penas breves periodos de calma, más por intereses políticos de unos y otros dominadores que por un deseo real de convivencia. Perseguidos y acosados por cristianos y musulmanes, finalmente los judíos españoles fueron forzados a tomar una decisión, convertirse, aceptar el exilio, o morir en las hogueras de la inquisición. Los descendientes de aquellos judíos forzados a la conversión son hoy los Benei Anusim. Y han comenzado a recuperar sus raíces y su identidad robada.

En la Península Ibérica, cuando todavía estaba dividida en varios reinos, cientos, miles de judíos fueron forzados a convertirse al cristianismo. La iglesia cristiana incitaba al odio y los reyes cristianos los abrumaban con impuestos "especiales" , hasta que todo culminaría con el decreto de expulsión, la conversión forzada o la muerte. Los judíos que se quedaron, tuvieron que sobrevivir, muchas veces en silencio, ocultándose a cada instante de las miradas inquisitoriales de sus vecinos, las denuncias y finalmente los tribunales del "santo oficio". Y todo en nombre de jesus.

Pero la iglesia no contaba con que el espiritu del pueblo de Israel, siempre sobrevive a sus enemigos. Después de 500 años de infamia, miles de descendientes de aquellos judíos forzados a convertirse al cristianismo han renacido de sus cenizas. Ni la iglesia, ni la inquisición, ha podido con ellos. Israel vive, y vivirá siempre.

La Sangre siempre llama.

http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLD80D5089CD4068CA

The Science of Homosexuality: “Well I was born this way – God created me this way – God made me a homosexual”

Due to the Fall of Mankind and sin entering the world it opened the door for physical degenerations, mutations, and physical and medical anomalies in the human genome as well as chemical imbalances and deficiencies in the brain. However, it’s not God’s fault, it’s ours. By our own free will to choose to sin, we made way for sin and corruption to enter and infest the world and thus we are living with the aftermath and repercussions. We are the ones who sinned and transgressed God’s commands and mandates and got ourselves into this mess. We are the one who opened Pandora’s Box and let the cat out of the bag. God was the one who was trying to protect us from all of this. So, because we live in an imperfect and sinful world some people are born with defects, cleft pallets and such, some are even born hermaphrodite, but surgery can take care of both of those conditions.

Spiritually, because of the Fall we are predisposed to sin, but we have the free will whether to give into it or not. It is now scientifically proven by certain genetic markers that some people are born predisposed to alcoholism, obesity, heart disease, diabetes, substance abuse, and yes, even homosexuality, violence and murder. So does this mean we let people self destruct with alcohol and drugs? Does that mean we allow people to be come like the HBO serial killer Dexter because he can help but kill and besides, he only kills bad guys, people that “deserve” to die!? Heck no! If substance abuse and murder is a sin and we will do whatever we can to save people from it, why not homosexuality? I clearly point out in my article “Homosexuality in the Buff” that homosexuality in God’s eyes is a divinely prohibited and an abominable sin. So in short God didn’t make you this way but allowed degeneration and sin to progress. We made the bed and we have to lie in it. But one day Moshiach will come and correct and restore all things and make things as they were before the Fall.

If substance abuse and murder is a sin and we will do whatever we can to save people from it, why not homosexuality? Because it is a, “lifestyle choice?” Or because someone claims they were born that way? Look, doing drugs is a lifestyle choice as well as an addiction but we try and help people who are addicted; that is if they want help. Before a sin becomes an addiction it begins as a choice (Yaacov – James 1:15). Granted, a choice perhaps due to influence whether cultural or genetically, but a controllable personal choice nonetheless. Corrupted genetics may have something to do with ones sexual preferences but does that excuse one from giving into, adopting, advocating, engaging in and living such a lifestyle? I think not. A test was done where a heroine addict’s brain was scanned as well as a guy who at the time was looking at pornography and the brain scans side by side were virtually identical. This shows that sex and even sexual preferences can become addictions.

Just as there is rehab for drug and alcohol abusers there is help for those caught in pornography and homosexuality. Do we force them to get help? No, you can lead a camel to water but you can not make him drink. Just as you cannot force a serial killer to get help, or a substance abuser to enter rehab, you cannot force a homosexual to get the help they need. If the person does not see the need for help and is forced to get help for themselves, no matter what the program might be for recovery, it will not work. Just as sin is a choice of ones free will, so is recovery.

Look, we all have our vices, for some it’s lying, stealing, anger, heterosexual pornography and alcoholism; and for some it just happens to be homosexuality. Yes, I know for those who have and are fighting homosexual tendencies, for those who are getting out of that lifestyle and wanting to walk by the Torah, it is not easy and a challenge to say the least. It is not to different from the path of a recovering drug addict or alcoholic. It’s all about the moment to moment, the day to day battle. And just because you struggle from time to time or even on a daily basis it does not mean it is an impossible fight or one that you are alone in.

If one is struggling with homosexuality and desires to be free from it, I suggest getting in contact with Exodus International: “The largest information and referral ministry in the world addressing homosexual issues.”

By Rabbi Yehudah ben Shomeyr

More: Offering New Alternatives to Homosexuality

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2972eZ_dAJ0

Yosef said to his brothers, "I am about to die and God will remember you (pakod yifkod) and bring you up from this land to the land which He swore about to Avraham, to Yitzchak, and to Ya’akov." (Bereishit 50:24)

The words "pakod yifkod" – God will remember you – were not only his parting words, but the very words that Moshe Rabbeinu later used to announce the redemption that Yosef had foretold. (Midrash HaGadol 50:24) This was a way of assuring that the Jewish people would know all that had happened in-between Yosef’s life and what would happen in the future redeemer’s life, were all part of the master plan, God’s master plan.

The whole story of Yosef is linked with an important concept regarding the Talmudic notion of Mashiach ben Yosef and Mashiach ben David. This notion of a Messiah having two special purposes, natures and serving at different times is a very common theme in Judaism. When we look back at Yosef’s earlier life up until he is honored in this week’s parasha, Yosef’s life is the emblem of the Mashiach ben Yosef, or the suffering Messiah. We see that in his earlier years he is spurned by his brothers. As Yosef is hated and betrayed by his brothers, so too was Yeshua our Rabbi, our teacher. Yosef has no favor with his brothers and is thrown into a pit – a grave – and sold for twenty pieces of silver. This is prophetic as we see also that Yeshua was sold for silver. Yosef’s tunic, his robe of honor, is stripped and the verdict of his day of "death" has come – his tunic is drenched in blood to be shown to his father that his life was taken. His rejection by his brothers and his ultimate "death" echoes into the future of what Yeshua our master would endure through his suffering and death and resurrection.

This suffering Yosef, like Yeshua our Mashiach, enters a dark or dormant time. He descends into Mitzrayim, a grave of sorts, and enters prison for twelve years after a false charge is rendered upon him. This false charge, mirrored in the charge brought upon Yeshua for claiming his authority, brings about his descent. He is torn from the known world and cast into a prison, or the bowels of the earth.

This corresponds with the Gemara when it talks about Mashiach ben Yosef dying in Tractate Sukkah. Talmud; tractate Sukkah 52a: “Messiah ben Yosef was slain as it is written: And they shall look upon me, because they have pierced him through, and they shall mourn for him as one mourns for his only son” (Zacharya 12:10).

Jewish tradition states that it is through descent into darkness that true light can be born. It is here in Yosef’s life, and Mashiach’s, that the light of salvation arrives and so begins the dawn of a new era.

It is within this time period that Yosef enters as Mashiach ben David: he is second only to Pharoah. This symbolism is very strong as we see the power of this anointed one, in goyish (gentile) garb, over the nations coming to Mitzrayim for sustenance.

But while Yosef is beginning his role of Mashiach ben David and those around him are benefiting from his shepherding, Yaacov and his family remain far away, starting to feel the effects of the famine.

Because the Mashiach of the generation wears goyish garb and has no family resemblance – all that they seek has been covered up. This mirrors not only the case in Yeshua’s history, but even today with how our people view Yeshua.

Mashiach wears a goyisha mask and is allowed to parade in a begged (garment) that is unrecognizable to many. For the sake of Heaven, just as in Yosef’s day, this is necessary so that someday our misphochah (family) will finally wander through the gates and find him. May our Mashiach continue to amass souls as grain, in whatever season, and place in them healing, consolation and restore them – just as Yosef did in his day.

Mashiach ben Yosef not only goes unrecognized, but Israel ridicules those who herald the truth of redemption and are fit to be Mashiach ben Yosef. If Israel only recognized him and his era, he would immediately begin complete redemption “in haste.”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rD29VJMa1sE

Every one who knows the problems of territory, religion, education, and simple racial hate and international involvement, knows that the greatest problem of all is related to the Bible. Jews have for the two thousand years of exile among the nations dreamed of returning to the land of their forefathers, the land of Israel, between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea.

People who believe that the Bible is the Word of God give this ancient document the authority of an international contract between God and mankind. The Bible is for those who believe it a living Word that not only tells the story of past ancient history, but also predicts the future and makes a road map for the rest of man s days on this Earth. Those who believe that the promises of the Bible are to be understood literally are called, Fundamentalist.

What is in the Bible that relates to the Land of Israel and causes Jews and those who believe the Bible as Fundamentalist to reject any compromise with the Arabs on the Land of promise?  Here are some Biblical facts on this issue:

1.God s promise to give the land of Israel to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and their seeds forever is repeated more times in the Bible than any other promise. In Genesis alone it is repeated close to twenty times.

2.The promise of God to give the Land of Israel (Canaan) to Israel is given to every one of the patriarchs, to Moses, to Joshua, and to the prophets of Israel.

3.Israel is the only nation that has been exiled for more than one hundred years that has returned home to the land of their forefathers. In fact Israel has returned to the land already three times. Our forefathers returned from Egypt to the Land of God s promise with Moses and Joshua.

After 70 years of exile in Babylon Ezra and Nehamiah returned with a large number of the Exiles back to Jerusalem and the Land of Israel. Modern Zionism is a third time that
God s promises of return to the Land and inheritance of His promises. We are actually living witnesses of this return and rebuilding and restoration of this land and all this is happening before our own eyes and the eyes of the whole world.

I believe that, although, the Biblical promises made by God seem unrealistic right now, they are the most realistic and since God has the power to change people and nations, we who believe Him and believe His Word, must hold on to God s promises and never stop hoping that He will keep His Word in the future as He has kept it in the past.  Who would have believed 150 years ago that there is going to be a Jewish State in the land of Israel and that it will have an army and Jewish farmers, and win wars against the whole and joint force of the Arab countries.

These promises of God to Israel bring a special rational to the people who believe that the Bible is God s Living Word and want to live according to what the Bible teaches. People stand on God’s Word and say to themselves the following:

How can we give this land that is promised to us by the Creator of the World as an inheritance forever to the Muslim/Arabs who have always opposed God and His Word. We read that the Arabs opposed the return of the Exiles from Babylon in the days of Nehemiah also just as they do today: "Now when Sanballat, Tobiah, the Arabs, the Ammonites and the Ashdodites heard that the repair of the walls of Jerusalem went on, and that the breaches began to be closed, they were very angry. 8 All of them conspired together to come and fight against Jerusalem and to cause a disturbance in it." (Nehemiah 4:7-8)

Our God is able and His Word is living and every one of His promises will be fulfilled. Our hope is in God and in His promises, and even if we at times misunderstand God s Word and misinterpret his promises, we know that not one word from God will fall empty.  What to us seems virtual and unreal for God is real and already accomplished.

By Joseph Shulam

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5MdsolNljD8

Weekly Sidra: Toledot (Generations)
Torah Portion: Bereshit / Genesis 25:19-28:9
Haftorah: Sh’muel Alef / I Samuel 20:18-20:42

Toledot, Toldot, or Tol’doth (תּוֹלְדֹת — Hebr "" for “line” or “Generations,” the second word and the first distinctive word in the parshah) is the sixth weekly Torah portion (parshah) in the annual Jewish cycle of Torah reading. It constitutes Genesis 25:19–28:9. Jews in the Diaspora read it the sixth Sabbath after Simchat Torah, generally in November or early December. It is so named because the Torah portion begins with the words “Now these are the records of the generations of Isaac” (Genesis 25:19). Toldot tells us the story of the birth of Jacob and Esau and their struggle for the birthright and blessing of their father, Isaac. We also learn about Isaac’s trials and difficulties in the land of Canaan. The portion concludes with Jacob’s deception of Isaac in order to procure the family blessing.

Last week’s parsha was Chaya Sarah, which contained the wedding of Avraham Avinu’s son Yitzchak to Rivkah.

1st Aliya: Yitzchak is 40 years old (2088) when he marries Rivkah. After 20 years, Esav and Yakov are born. She had a very difficult pregnancy and eventually gave birth to twin boys: a hairy reddish boy named Esav, and a second boy, holding onto the first one’s heel, named Yakov. The Parsha jumps from their birth to Yakov’s purchase of the 1st born rights from Esav at the age of 15. (2123 – the day Avraham died) Our sages say that this was the day Avraham passed away and the food Yakov was cooking was to feed the bereaved, his father Yitzchak.

2nd Aliya: The Parsha returns to the story of Yitzchak and Rivkah and the famine which forces them to settle among the Plishtim (Yitzchak was tempted to go down to Egypt where his father, Avraham, had gone in similar circumstances. But God told him not to leave the land of Israel because he was sanctified as an offering to God, by being brought to the akaida, and therefore not fit to leave the Holy Land of Israel). Yitzchak, like his father before him, has a moral confrontation with Avimelech, after which his fields are uniquely prolific and financially successful.

3rd Aliya: Yitzchak’s financial success leads to jealousy with his Plishtim neighbors. He re-digs Avraham’s wells, resulting in a confrontation with the Plishtim over water rights. He moves back to Beer Sheva.

4th Aliya: Hashem, in a dream, confirms for Yitzchak the future of his children. Avimelech, the King of the Plishtim, and his General, Phicol, approach Yitzchak to make a peace treaty.

5th Aliya: The treaty between Yitzchak and the Plishtim is celebrated. The Parsha returns to the story of Yakov and Esav. Esav’s marriage to two Canaanite women at the age of 40 (2148) brings disappointment to Yitzchak and Rivkah. In 2171, when Yakov and Esav are 63 and Yitzchak is 123, Yitzchak blesses Yakov and Esav. Yitzchak asks his son Esav, his first-born son, to fetch some meat and cook it nicely, and Yitzchak will bless him. But Rivkah hears all this and wants Yakov, her slightly younger son, to get the blessing, so she prepares some meat the way Yitzchak likes it, and gives it to Yakov to take in, and dresses Yakov in Esav’s clothes. The Parsha details the duplicity of Yakov and Rivkah in fooling Yitzchak.

6th Aliya: Yitzchak blesses Yakov with spiritual and material gain, after which Esav returns to discover Yakov’s plot. He receives his own blessing for material gain, and is determined to kill Yakov. Rivkah, fearful for Yakov’s life, convinces Yitzchak to send Yakov to her brother Lavan in search of a shiduch – a wife. Yitzchak confirms on Yakov the future of the Jewish nation before his departure to Lavan.

7th Aliya: Yakov departs for Padan Aram, and Esav marries the daughter of Yishmael. (his 1/2 1st cousin)

Wearing of a head covering (yarmulka, skullcaps, kippah [pl. kippot]) for men was only instituted in Talmudic times (approximately the second century CE). The first mention of it is in Tractate Shabbat, which discusses respect and fear of God. Some sources likened it to the High Priest who wore a hat (Mitznefet) to remind him something was always between him and God. Thus, wearing a kippah makes us all like the high priest and turns us into a "holy nation." The head covering is also a sign of humility for men, acknowledging what’s "above" us (God).

Many Ashkenazi rabbis acknowledge that wearing a head covering at all times was once considered an optional midat chasidut (pious act), but, today, full­time head covering is the norm except under extenuating circumstances. Sephardic communities generally did not have the custom of wearing a kippah all the time.

Some diaspora Jews leave off the kippah at school, work, or when testifying in court, because of real danger or uneasiness in appearing in the secular world with an obvious symbol of Jewishness.

In Israel wearing a kippah also has a social significance. While wearing a kippah shows that you are somewhat religious, not­wearing one is like stating, "I’m not religious." The style of kippah in Israel can also indicate political and religious affiliations. Classical orthodoxy uses a large, smooth, black one shaped like a bowl. Many Hasidim use large black felt or satin, and a "rebellious son" may wear a slightly smaller black kippah to show his independence while remaining in the Classicist camp. Another play on this rebellion is to wear a knitted black kippah. This is also usually used to confuse people as to where you stand.

In Bukhara and the Caucasian Mountains the use of a large brightly woven kippah is common. It is similar in shape to a cantor’s kippah without the peak. This custom can also be found in other Sephardic communities.

Knitted kippot typically signify that you are part of the Nationalist Zionist camp. A larger full headed knitted kippah would signify the Mercaz Harav branch of the movement that produces many of the leading rabbis within the Religious Zionist section, although many rabbis who teach at these institutions wear the traditional large black kippot.

Also read: Keep your Kippah!

Italy is located centrally in the Mediterranean sea and served as an important crossroad and an intersection between North and South, East and West, Sephardic and Ashkenazi culture. That’s why Italy has a very important role in Jewish history and genealogy.

Italy contains some of the oldest Jewish Communities in Europe. Jews arrived in South Italy after the distruction of the First Temple and latter thousands of Jews lived in Rome already before the Christian era. At Roman  time there were ten-fifteen synagogues in Roma (Rome).

In 160 B.C. Simon Maccabeus sent an embassy to Rome to strengthen the alliance with the Romans against the Syrians. The ambassadors received a cordial welcome from the Senate and form the Jews who were already established in town.

Besides Roma, other Jewish communities were in Genova, Milano, Bologna, Ravenna, Napoli, Pompei, Siracusa. Messina and in other in forty places. 

Under the rule of the Emperor Claudius, a census was taken, which estimated the Jewish population of the empire the 7 or 9 percent of the total population.

With the establishment of Christianity as the official religion of the Roman empire by Constantine I in 313, the position of Jews in Italy and throughout the empire declined rapidly. From that time the oppression grew considerably. Until the fall of the Roman empire periods of persecution were followed by periods of quiescence. During the first Dark Ages there were flourishing communities of Jews in Rome, Milan, Genoa, Palermo, Messina, Agrigentum, and in Sardinia. When Italy came into the possession of the Lombards Jews lived in peace in the territories under their rule. Even after the Lombards embraced Catholicism, Jews were not persecuted. Pope Gregory I treated them with much consideration. Under succeeding popes the condition of the Jews did not grow worse; and the same was the case in the several smaller states into which Italy was divided. There was an expulsion of Jews from Bologna in 1172; but they were soon allowed to return. Under Norman rule the Jews of southern Italy and of Sicily enjoyed a great freedom.

When Benjamin of Tudela visited the country between 1160 and 1165 he found large communities "old of centuries" on his route. First he visited Genoa, Pisa and Lucca.
From other sources we know that at that time  Jews lived also in other towns of the North (Aquileia, Ferrara, Mantua, Padua).

By the end of the Middle Ages, Italy had been divided into fifteen different states. Each state had different influence of the Catholic Church, administrative structure and different restrictive laws on the Jews. After wars and annexations the number of these states was reduced to ten.

The position of Jews in Italy worsened considerably under Pope Innocent III (1198-1216). This pope first ordered that every Jew must always wear a special badge. In 1235 Pope Gregory IX published the first bull against the ritual murder accusation. Other popes followed his example.

Large towns such as Venice, Florence, Genoa, and Pisa, realized that their commercial interests were of more importance than politics of the Church and accordingly the Jews found their condition better than ever before. Jews became bankers and merchants, and obtained permissions to establish banks and to engage in monetary transactions.

When in 1492 Jews were expelled from Spain a great number of them took refuge in Italy. In the same year Jews were expelled from from Sicily. The Spanish Jews arrived in Tuscany, Naples, Ferrara and in some other towns. In Rome and Genoa they experienced hunger, plague, and poverty and in many cases were forced to accept baptism in order to escape starvation.

The Jewish communities of Naples and of Rome received the greatest number of accessions and  in some few cases the immigrants exceeded in number the Jews already domiciled.

Arriving from Spain many Conversos returned to Judaism, thus fallig under the jurisdiction of the Inquisition. In 1516 the first Ghetto was estabilished in Venezia (Venice).  Later other ghettos were established. The Church, deeply involved into the fight against Reformation, began a fanatic hunt of forbidden books and in 1553 in the principal cities of Italy were burned all the found copies of the Talmud. In 1541 Jews were expelled from South Italy (Kingdom of Naples).

The Italian Jewish community, with its 2,000 years of history, was formed also by the merger of several Jewish groups that arrived in Italy since Middle Ages:
– 14th century from France and Germany;
– 15th centuries from Spain and Portugal because of the expulsion;
– 16th century because of internal migrations;
– 17th century from East Europe;

Pius V brought into force all the anti-Jewish bulls of his predecessors. He decided to banish the Jews from all his dominions and in in 1555 the Jews were expelled from all the Papal States excepting Rome and Ancona. In these two towns Ghettos were established.

Thus in three phases the Jews were forced to moved

1) from Sicily,
2) from South peninsular Italy,
3) from the State of the Church

An important exception to these restrictions and persecution was the freedom given to Jews who moved to Livorno (Leghorn).

Under the influence of the liberal religious policy of Napoleon the Jews of Italy were emancipated. The new political ideas broke the power of the Church. After the Revolution of 1848 begun a political movement that lead to the political Unification of Italy (1860-1870). Jewish volunteers died in the cause of Italian liberty and the ghettos were opened. After the Unification, in the Italian Kingdom Italian Jews had full civil and political rights.

Italian Jews adopted family names since the 11th century, usually, they either translated their Hebrew names or adopted the name of their place of origin: that’s why  family names are a good resource for genealogy.

The Beta Israel, the Lemba, Igbo Jews, and more…

After the fall of the Kingdom of Israel (Northern Kingdom) in 720 B.C. and the Kingdom of Judea (Southern Kingdom) sixth century B.C., there have been several groups who have either fled the land of Israel, or who were captured and removed as slaves, which in turn commenced a diaspora that formed out of ancient Israeli tribes.

We know of course that not all Jews live in Israel and that various groups from all over the globe have made numerous claims of affiliation. In this literary exploration, the claims of some black people to include the Beta Israel (Ethiopian Jews), the Lemba Tribe of South Africa and the the Igbo Jews of Nigeria.

The Beta Israel (Ethiopian Jews)

We begin with the Black Jews of Ethiopia who according to Professor and writer Gadi Ben-Ezer, are said to number around 120,000 in Israel itself and around 22,000 to 50,000 in Ethiopia. Many of these Ethiopians were allowed to emigrate to Israel under its Law of Return, which states that all Jews can settle there and obtain Israeli citizenship. In exploring the Hebrew Biblical record, one finds that there are several references to a person named Sheba who is said to have become involved in the genealogical record of the twelve tribes of Judah, and some of their geographical settling locations in Ethiopia. There are actually different schools of thought on this matter due to two their being two different references in the Hebrew Bible. Further references to the actual but unnamed Queen of the land of Sheba can be found in the Hebrew text and seem to point to a possible union between the Queen and King Solomon. It is from this union that the origin of so-called Lost Tribes, like the Beta Israel, are said to have come from.

The Lemba of South Africa

The claims of Jewish origin related to the Lemba seem to wind their way through time and geography through a unique oral and physical history that spans several centuries. Beginning in an ancient city called Sena (located in modern-day Yemen), and winding their way down the entire continent of Africa. According to this oral tradition the Lemba are said to have made stops and interacted in trade and commerce with local tribes of indigenous Africans (with very little inter-marrying), from Ethiopia, to Malawi, to Zimbabwe, through to South Africa. The Lemba’s claims mostly come from their story and their cultural and religious practices, which are said to be non-European in nature and specifically Jewish in origin. They also claim direct lineage from priestly clan known as the Bhuba clan, and these people are said to be directly related to ancient Jews Arron and his brother Moses.

The Igbo Jews of Nigeria

They claim descent variously from the tribes of Ephraim, Naphtali, Menasseh, Levi, Zebulun and Gad. The Igbo, the third largest ethnic group in Nigeria, believe that they are descendants of Jews who had migrated to western Africa over many centuries. There are currently several Jewish communities across Nigeria and the structure is getting stronger. There are 26 synagogues across the country and the community is estimated at around 40,000 individuals, in a country with a population of 140,000,000.

Religious Practices. Many Igbo practices pose striking similarities with Jewish customs mentioned in the Torah and even in the present day. Such customs include: circumcision 8 days after the birth of a male child, a ban on eating un-kosher animals, separating men from women during the female cycle of menstruation, donning of the Tallit and Kippah, and the celebration of holidays such as Yom Kippur and Rosh Hashanah. In recent times, the communities have adopted holidays such as Hannukah and Purim, holidays that only were beginning to be observed after many of the tribes of Israel had already dispersed. For example, the Ethiopian Jews and the Benei Menashe had no knowledge of such holidays.

There are other communities in Nigeria that are not of the Igbo tribe that are practicing Judaism, such as those in Yorubaland. Thus, Jewish practice is not restricted to one ethnic group or location.

Go here learn more go about the African Jewish people in Africa

Weekly Sidra: Shemini (Eight)
Shabbat: Parah Adumah (Red Heifer)
Torah Portion: Vayikra / Leviticus 9:1 – 11:47
Special Maftir: Bamidbar / Numbers 19:1-19:22
Haftorah: Yechezkel / Ezekiel 36:16 – 36:38

"This is the decree of the Torah, which HaShem has commanded, saying: Speak to the Children of Israel, and they shall take to you a completely red cow, which is without blemish, and upon which a yoke has not come." (Bamidbar 19:2)

This is an example of Law of the Torah which is considered completely above human comprehension. The paradox is that those who are involved in the preparation of the ashes of the cow become ritually impure, while the sprinkling of water with those ashes is used to remove contamination! It is an example of a Law which must be accepted on faith alone.

On the Shabbat after Purim, two Torah Scrolls are removed from the Ark. The Sidrah of the week is read from the first, and from the second, the chapter of Parah Adumah, the Red Cow (or Red Heifer), is read. It gives the procedure through which people can purify themselves from the contamination caused by a human corpse.

The reading of this chapter was instituted for this time of the year because Jews were required to purify themselves before coming to Jerusalem for the pilgrimage festival of Passover.

The Haftarah read on the Sabbath of Parashat Parah contains the verse, "And I shall sprinkle pure water upon you, that you be cleansed. From all your contamination and from all your filth I will cleanse you" (Ezekiel 36:25). There are other parallels in the Haftarah between the concepts of sin represented by contamination, and atonement represented by purity.

This idea is discussed in the commentary to the ArtScroll Ezekiel (pp.534-5), as follows: Freedom of will in moral matters is the first and irreplaceable condition for living one’s life on the higher plane demanded by the Torah. Belief in man’s freedom of action, however, is endangered by the fact that man cannot avoid death and that he is subject to the superficial limitations imposed by the forces of nature.

This belief is particularly shaken by the sight of a dead human being. If the whole human being has succumbed to death, been overpowered by physical forces – If man, like all other organic beings, cannot escape the spell of an overpowering force – then there is no room for the moral "you shall" next to the physical "you must." Moral freedom of will would then be an illusion, and the Divine law of morality with its demand for total free-willed devotion to the illuminating, purifying fire of its sanctuary would be incomprehensible. (R’Hirsch, Numbers 19:22)

Thus, sin is related not only to death, but also to contamination, which is closely associated with death. Because the sinner is shackled by his desires, he loses spiritual control of actions. He is swept along by the physical lusts that have overpowered his spiritual self. Thus, the most meaningful part of life, the spiritual, has been killed. For this reason, when God forgives man’s sin and grants him a new heart and a new spirit, He is imbuing him with purity, the state of mind in which man is the sole master of his actions.

A living (and therefore a pure) person uses his body as he wills; it is his tool to use as he sees fit. The regenerate sinner, upon returning to the state of purity, joins once more the state of the living – and the free. (Chazon HaMikra)

As with the other of the Four Parshiyot, a boy who is not yet of Bar-Mitzvah age should not be called to the Torah for Maftir on Shabbat Parshat Parah, nor should he read the Parshah for others.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gfnheQjsHhU

Although we are all familiar with the Rosh Hashanah, the "Head of the Year," which occurs in the Fall, there are actually four Rosh Hashanah’s which define, to an extent, the Hebrew calendar. They are as follows:

1. First of Nisan – This is the month about which Moshe was commanded in Egypt, "This month shall be considered by you as the First of the Months; it is the First for you of the months of the year." Historically, this was the month of the Exodus from Egypt, the beginning of Jewish national history.

It is considered the "first" for the purpose of counting the Festivals of the Hebrew Calendar, and reckoning of the years of reign of the Kings of Israel. Thus, the Festival occurring in Nisan, Passover, is considered the First Festival. With regard to the reign of kings, if a particular king began his reign in the month before Nisan, then in Nisan, he is considered to be in the second year of his reign.

2. First of Elul – Elul is considered the "first" of the months regarding the practice of "Maasrot," or tithing (the prescribed donations of one tenth of various totals) found in the Torah; this one, in particular, referring to cattle. The law is that cattle born before the first of Elul are considered separately from cattle born after the first of Elul, and the "tenth" for each year is determined on the basis of that year’s group alone.

Since this "tenth" of animals had the status of sacrifices in the Temple, in our time, since the Temple has not yet been rebuilt, this law has no practical application. Once the Temple is rebuilt in Yerushalayim, this Rosh Hashanah will regain its significance.

3. First of Tishrei – This is the Rosh Hashanah of the Fall, the one we are most familiar with. The reason we are most familiar with it is that it is on this day that Divine Justice is meted out to all individuals and to all nations. It is the date on which the cases of all of God’s creatures come up before the Heavenly Court for a ten-day "trial" beginning on Rosh Hashanah, which is the first day of the Ten Days of Repentance, and climaxing on the Tenth of Tishrei with the Day of Atonement, Yom Kippur, when the fate of each one is sealed.

This date also serves in determining the beginnings of two other innovations of the Hebrew Calendar: the Shemitah (Sabbatical) Year and the Yovel (Jubilee) Year.

4. Fifteenth of Shevat – "Tu B’Shevat"

First, as to the word "Tu," pronounced "too" in the name "Tu B’Shevat." "Tu" is constructed from the Hebrew letters "tet" and "vav." "Tet" is the ninth letter in the Hebrew alphabet; "vav" is the sixth. Nine + Six = Fifteen. Also, "tet" is a consonant, making the "te" sound; "vav" is a vowel, which when sounded with the "shoorook" vocalization, sounds like "oo."

This is the Rosh Hashanah for trees. Again, as mentioned above in connection with the "First of Elul" Rosh Hashanah, the significance is primarily in connection with "Maasrot," tithing, or taking tenths. The dates of ripening of different agricultural species, say wheat, on one hand, and apples and oranges representing the "fruit-of-the-tree" group, are different. Also, since one may not calculate the "tenth" for a given year using produce from a different year, it is important to know the calendar definitions of ripening which apply to the various species.

Our Sages have designated the 15th of Shevat as the boundary, for trees, between one year and another, since most of the rains of the previous year, in the Land of Israel, have already fallen. A certain percentage of the fruit has reached the stage of "begun to ripen." This is defined as from the time of blossoming until the fruit has reached one third of its full growth. Fruit which have reached this stage are attributed to the previous year. Any new blossoming of fruit after this day is a result of the blessings of the new year.

Special Note: The earliest-ripening fruit is the "shekadiah," the "almond," in honor of which the following famous song was composed:

"HaShekadiah Porachat,"
The Almond has blossomed
"VeShemesh Paz Zorachat"
And the Sun is Shining Brightly
"Tzipporim Me’Rosh kol Gag"
Birds from Every Roof-Top
"Mevasrot et Bo HaChag"
Welcome the Arrival of the Holiday

A Weekday Rosh Hashanah

Although the 15th of Shevat is called Rosh Hashanah, the designation applies only to the matter of tithes that are due from fruit of the trees. Work is not prohibited, and there are no required festive meals, and no special prayers added to the regular prayer services. Nevertheless, the day is invested with a festive sense. Tachanun is not said. Eulogies are not delivered for the dead, and if it falls on Shabbat, Av Harachamim is not said (since Av Harachamim recalls the souls of the dead.) It is customary to eat a new fruit from the Land of Israel of which one had not yet partaken the present year, so that the "bracha" or "blessing" of SheHecheyanu may be said.

The reason for the festive mood of the Rosh Hashanah of trees is that the 15th of Shevat recalls the praise of the Land of Israel, for on this day the strength of the soil of the land is renewed. With reference to the fruits of the trees and the produce of the soil, the Torah praises the Land of Israel: "A land of wheat and barley and vines and fig trees and pomegranates, a land of olive trees and honey" (Devarim 8).

Another reason for the special observance of the 15th of Shevat is that the time of Rosh Hashanah for the trees is also a time of prayer and judgment concerning the trees. Whenever any of His creatures begins to grow, God surveys its entire future. So it is proper, at such a time, to pray that the new creature or being might prosper.

The Torah has compared Man to a tree of the field; hence this day also recalls the Divine judgment upon man. This is the character of the people of Israel that they rejoice on a day of judgment. Whatever the decision is, let all see that "there is a law and that there is a Judge." The Torah is the law, and God is the Judge.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L-k2u6NBlYc