UKRAINE - SAME CORRUPTION NEW APPROACH

The biased mainstream media missed it.  BACK when Western leaders and media were all talking about Ukraine defeating Russia, I predicted that Russia's strategy was less obvious and going more than less as Putin planned.  We in the West were failing to recognize that Russia's military tactics were setting up a siege. I described the strategy Putin was executing in a blog I posted. Here's a link to a blog I wrote. 

Putin's Diabolic Plan 

Siege warfare is terribly cruel; in part because it ostensibly targets civilians with the weakest being the most vulnerable. A humanitarian crisis is the product of a siege. That is what we have now in Ukraine. 

The Russian invasion of Ukraine is becoming a battle between the will of the Ukrainians to survive and fight on, against the will of the Russian population to watch the merciless treatment of their neighbors whose ethnic blood is closely related to their own.  

Ironically, the more pain the seige causes in Ukraine the more shame the people in Russia will feel.

The American people poured billions of dollars in the terribly corrupt country of Ukraine to fight a war that EASILY could have been avoided. We know now that significant amounts of those dollars were laundered back tnto the USA to support Democrats during the mid-term elections.  

NEW PREDICTION:

The moment, literally the same week, the mid-term elections were over I could tell the tone and focus of the Western mainstream media coverage of the status of the Ukraine-Russian conflict was changing. It is has been increasingly so since. 

I PREDICT THAT THE CONSTANT HEADLINE FOR 2023 WILL BE:

HUMANITARIAN CRISIS IN UKRAINE!

I predict that the focus concerning the conflict in Ukraine will shift from military support to humanitarian support. Again, a significant amount of the Federal money directed to Ukraine will be laundered back into the USA to support Democrats. Only this time those funds will aid them in the 2024 Presidential election.

In 2023, I predict a major push by President Biden and his Administration for humanitarian aid for Ukraine. Heaven knows they need it, the Russian seige will prove to be terribly effective, just as I said it would be. 

The need for aid will be undeniable!  The American people are the most charitable on the planet. So scenes of the devastation and suffering in Ukraine will tug at American emotions. What a brilliant political strategy Ukraine has been for Democrats, globalists, the EU, NATO and the Military Industrial Complex!  Expect the U.N. to be leading the charge and call for aid and they will get their take!

Don't expect good accounting or serious accountabilty for where the billions are spent. The accusations and reports about money being lost always come out years after its too late and then seem to be forgotten. 

The only question I have is this. How much of the American aid will actually reach the citizens of Ukraine AND how much will be funneled back to the DNC and Democrat PAC'S? 

There is one thing for sure about that the ENTIRE diplomatic failure in Ukraine. It has NOT put the American people first.

WAKE UP AMERICA!

"GOOD LUCK" FOR THANKSGIVING

 

The Ancient Hebrew Zodiac

מַגִּ֤יד מֵֽרֵאשִׁית֙ אַחֲרִ֔ית וּמִקֶּ֖דֶם אֲשֶׁ֣ר לֹא־נַֽעֲשׂ֑וּ אֹמֵר֙ עֲצָתִ֣י תָק֔וּם וְכׇל־חֶפְצִ֖י אֶעֱשֶֽׂה׃

I foretell the end from the beginning, And from the start, things that had not occurred.  Isaiah 46.10

When a person finishes a chapter in their life and they are starting a new one (call this a milestone), it is customary for us to say "congratulations" and to wish them "good luck." 

Maybe you have heard the common Hebrew Jewish expression "Mazel Tov" (Hebrew/Yiddish: מזל טוב‎). Mazal מַזָל is luck or fortune. Tov טוב‎ is good.  So Mazel Tov can be translated as either good luck or good fortune. However, when Jews say the expression we mean "congratulations." In fact, the Hebrew for congratulations is also Mazel Tov. 

So in effect, mazel (or mazal) is addressing both the past and the future.  This is a curiuos concept, so you might wonder about the origin of the word Mazel or Mazal. 

They come from the Hebrew word Mazzaroth or Mazzārōṯ מַזָּרוֹת. This Biblical Hebrew word's literal translation is "constellations."

Can you lead out Mazzaroth (a constellation) in its season, Conduct the Bear with her sons? Job 38:31

The similar word mazalot (מַּזָּלוֹת) appears in 2 Kings 23:3–5. 

In pre-modern Hebrew, astrology was known as hokmat ha-mazalot (חוכמת המזלות), "the science of the constellations." The Hebrew name for the Zodiac is the Mazzaroth. In Kabbalistic (mystical Judaism) astrology is called mazal or mazalot and the Zodiac (destiny) is a system of astrology.

What could be more timeless than the heavens. They stretch back to the beginning of time and forward to the end of time. In a sense, all of time is in the Mazzaroth. 

When I think of it this way, it makes sense that the expression "Mazel Tov" means both congratulations and good luck. 

Let's look at an example of the timeless brilliance of the mazzaroth. 

In Daniel 2:48 it says: "Then the king made Daniel a great man, and gave him many great gifts, and made him ruler over the whole province of Babylon, and chief of the governors over all the wise men of Babylon." 

In effect, the Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar elevated God's servant Daniel to the ranks of "The Great" in Babylon. He made Daniel a ruler, an official of great power over his kingdom. This promotion made Daniel the chief or lord over all the other wise men (Chakkiym in Aramaic) of Babylon. The wise men would come to be known as the "Magi" in the Christian bible. 

There is so much more that could be said about the Magi. With no distinction between astrology and astronomy at the time, the Magi used early observations of the heavens to calculate positions of celestial bodies. Their uncanny ability to predict the movement of stars and planets across the sky, using the zodiac as their map, gave them credibility and elite status, and even the ability to interpret prophecy. 

The identification of the Magi is linked to prophecies in the Hebrew Bible that describe the Messiah being worshipped by kings in Isaiah 60:3, Psalm 68:29, and Psalm 72:10, which reads, "Yea, all kings shall fall down before him: all nations serve him."

As we finish Thanksgiving and start to look ahead to Christmas and Hanukkah, I'd like to say Mazel Tov to us all. 

Judaica (Jewish Art) Hamsa

Here is another popular Jewish expression, "Kaynahora."  The three Hebrew words Kein Ayin Hara literally translate as “no evil eye.” The origin of the phrase is the ancient superstition that talking about one’s good fortune attracts the attention of the evil eye and spoil our plans. Think of this as the Jewish version of “knock on wood.”

When the patriarch Jacob blessed his grandchildren Ephraim and Menashe, part of his blessing was that “they should multiply like fish within the land” (Genesis 48:16). In the bible "multiplying" is synonymous with "blessing." The Jewish Sages tell us that Jacob wanted them to emulate fish when it came to multiplying because fish do so underwater where they believed one is shielded from view of the evil eye. 

The concept of the evil eye is an ancient widespread belief around the world, and is thought to be associated with a human propensity towards envy. The destructive power of envy has lost none of it's relevance in our modern world. 

Gratitude, giving thanks, serves us well for the past, present and future! Thanksgiving is the best protection against the evil eye of envy.  

May we all learn to be thankful for what we have, happy for others, and be protected from the evil eye of envy.

THANKSGIVING 2022 

Epilogue:

With Christmas coming up, and thoughts of the birth of Salvation (Yeshua), this video is intriguing. 

WE ARE OFF TO THE PRESIDENTIAL RACES! (Groundhog Day)

Donald J Trump declaring he is running for President a 3rd time

Today feels a bit like "Ground Hog Day." Only instead of the movie we are watching the 2024 Presidential Campaign. 

In the movie Groundhog Day, Phil Connors played by Bill Murray, was trapped in a time-loop. The time-loop symbolizes the closed-mindedness of how people go through life. We make the same decisions and mistakes again and again - albeit not as obvious as in the movie. To escape Groundhog Day, Phil Connors had to truly changed something about his attitude to life and the people around him. 

For the next two years we will watch Joe Biden implode. 

For the next two years we will watch attendance exploding at Trump rallies. 

For the next two years we will watch the DNC/FBI/DOJ plotting more wild ways to go after Trump while refusing to address the obvious partisanship and corruption in their own ranks. Don't put anything past the kabal (the Swamp Washington establishment and media) out to get Trump. 

For the next two years will watch TDS divide our nation. 

WHAT HAS TO CHANGE TO ESCAPE GROUNDHOG DAY?  

The answer is our attitude about what we are watching.  Whether we are Republican or Democrat we need to see and understand what is happening in other ways. We need to see things in ways that help us to solve problems and most all stop the hate. 

People who harbor TDS are waking up to have powerful emotions triggered again. The emotional symptoms of TDS is exceptionally high levels of hatred, partly fear based, which generates loathing and anger every time they see or hear Trump. The most acute haters will wish the man dead. 

This hateful attitude of disgust and contempt for Trump is released on anyone associated with Trump. Sadly and tragically, this can result in fights, assaults, nasty unsocial behaviors and the destruction of relationships.  

Is their a similar problem with Republicans?  The hatred of Hillary, Obama and Pelosi mirrors the hate that Democrats have for Trump. The net result of what political leaders, Democrats and Republicans and the media are all doing is "Groundhog Day." 

The media has to accept responsibility for promoting and feeding many of the attitudes that divide our nation. They bring their own biases and hatred into the studio and broadcast it out to us. 

Democrats and Republicans who love America must try to temper, rather than fan hate. We must demand and promote new understanding and attitudes. We must expect better of our government and elect individuals who do the same. Otherwise our nation will sink to a dark place none of us should want it to go. 

OUR NATION FACES AN EXISTENTIAL THREAT FROM ALL THE HATE WHICH DIVIDES US.  

The Bible teaches us not to hate. It also warns us what to do in a crisis. At the end of his life, Moses warned the Israelites in the last chapters of Deuteronomy what we would face in the Promise Land hundreds of years into the future. 

Similarly, after leading the Patriots to victory in establishing this covenant American nation, George Washington warned us in his farewell letter, “Friends and Citizens,” for just such a time as we are in.  

I urge you to read both farewell addresses and take the blessings & curses they each spoke of seriously. I'd also encourage you to read George Washington's first Inauguration Address. It speaks about what it takes to make a great nation.

In the July 2018 issue of the Philadelphia Trumpet there was an article titled "A Warning to America From Our Past Presidents." The author speaks to the inspiring example of Washington and Lincoln and the key to our National survival in crisis times when our nation is torn. 

🙏 for calm. 🙏 for Brotherly love. 🙏 for peace.

GOD HELP US!

Epilogue: 

Here are some useful reference sites about Washington’s Farewell Address:

1. Histoty Channel 
2. Mount Vernon Site 
3. National Constitution Center

It is hard to tell the difference between Lincoln and Trump. What? Seriously? You might be surprised. 

BUYING AND SELLING

The Federal Reserve and European Central Banks, including the United Kingdom are getting closer to releasing crypto killing competition -- programable Central Bank Digital Currency (CDBC). 

Central Banks don't want others in the business of issuing currency. They are hell bent on destroying private crypto, and ultimately replacing paper money. Programmable CDBC is Digital but it is the opposite of private or anonymous.

With the crowning of King Charles III and the (s)election of Rishi Sunak as Prime Minister of the U.K., both of whom are full-fledged World Economic Forum (WEF) actors, we will see the accelerated decline of crypto. The powerful elite have set the stage for a major announcement in 2023 regarding currencies, debt restructuring and monetary policy. 

Restructuring unsustainable sovereign debt while simultaneously providing governments with the massive liquidity they need to spend tens of trillions of dollars on infrastructure to address climate change, will require a new approach to monetary policy. It is being called "Modern Monetary Theory."

Programmable CDBC coupled with social scoring will ensure that the new money goes where the New World Order, controlled by the WEF elites want it to go. In 2017, Klaus Schwab openly bragged about his organization's ability to infiltrate governments across the globe.

I believe the mandate of the Federal Reserve will be expanded in 2023 to include promoting climate sustainability. Central Banks will have a new obligation to use the capabilities of programmable CBDC to manipulate the consumption and investment behavior of citizens and businesses.  

Bankers, and by extension, the Central government, will know what every dollar is used for and by whom it is used. Anonymity and privacy is completely eliminated.  And the vastly increased force of IRS agents will be standing ready with guns to help enforce cheating. 

Nobody ever said the "New World Order" would be friendly. Totalitarian YES. Friendly NO! 

"It also forced all people, great and small, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hands or on their foreheads, so that they could not buy or sell unless they had the mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of its name." Revelation 13.16-17

BUT GOD.

EVERY BREATH WE TAKE A MIRACLE HAPPENS

Haemoglobin Molecule

With every breath we take our blood delivers life preserving oxygen to around 37.2 trillion cells in the human body. 

Haemoglobin molecules inside red blood cells pick up and carry the oxygen our lungs extract from the air. The blood also carries the carbon dioxide that is emitted from our cells back to the lungs to be expelled by our lungs. 

Approximately 25 trillion red blood cells circulate in our bloodstream. Each single red blood cell is packed with ~270 million haemoglobin molecules. To reach some cells, our red blood cells squeeze through narrow capillaries in single file.

As amazing as these facts are, they are also a huge oversimplification of the entire process of maintaining the cells in our body that make up our flesh & bones, organs and brain. Plus, all of that can't begin to explain consciousness and awareness. 

Our life is in the blood. To "spill blood" is to take life.  It is no wonder that ritual sacrifice involved the blood. Every breath we take our blood performs a miracle that only God could design. 

The One Who Causes the Wind to Blow and the Rain Descend

Masheev Ha’ruach u’moreed Hagashem -- The One Who Causes the Wind to Blow and the Rain Descend 

At a time when energy supplies are increasingly strained, the droughts we are experiencing in Europe, the USA and elsewhere are particularly troublesome. If there is not relief from drought, we are going to see greater challenges in 2023. 

This recent article in Newsweek highlights the seriousness of droughts the world is experiencing. 

In addition to the loss of hydropower, there are water supply battles between the needs of different interests such as agriculture versus households and different geographies (states, countries, etc.) that depend on the same river. 

Right after Rosh Hoshana and Yom Kippur is the Jewish Holiday of Sukkot which Jews just celebrated in October. Those are immediately followed by a less well-known holiday called Shemini Atzeret ("Eighth Day of Assembly") when we rejoice in/with the Torah (Simchas Torah). This celebrates and marks the conclusion of the annual cycle of public Torah readings, and the beginning of a new cycle. Shemini Atzeret also marks the start of the rainy season in Israel. There is a lot going on in the Jewish month of Tishrei! 

Before Israel became the world's leader in desalination and invented drip irrigation, agricultural life and life itself depended heavily on the weather. Even the tiny bit of dew falling in the morning was crucial to a successful harvest.

Israel's prayer for rain, the tefilat geshem, refers to events involving water in the lives of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, Aaron, and the Twelve Tribes. Here it is:

Our God and God of our ancestors: 

Remember Abraham who flowed to You like water.

You blessed him like a tree planted by streams of water.

You rescued him from fire and water.

He passed Your test by planting good deeds by every source of water.

For Abraham’s sake, do not keep back water.

Remember Isaac, whose birth was foretold when Abraham offered the angels a little water.

You asked his father to spill his blood like water.

In modern times there is an enormous disconnect between mankind and God. People still follow traditions to some extent, but we have fallen away from worshipping or the belief that our lives and things like the weather are in God's hands.

If you believe in God, do you think God is more interested in traditions or worship? Is it more important that we hallow God and praise him or that we celebrate our personal identity? 

The concept of God being in control of anything seems removed from modernity. The idea of praying for rain is perceived as primitive. The world is making God irrelevant.  

What if there is a God? What are his ways? If there is a God then he is the God of our ancestors; therefore we know his ways! 

"For I the LORD do not change; therefore you, O children of Jacob, are not consumed. “I am the LORD, and I do not change. That is why you descendants of Jacob are not already destroyed."

Malachi 3:6 

LOOKING FOR ANSWERS FROM THE OTHER SIDE

 

Looking for answers?  So was the late Leonard Cohen (z"l), the song writer famous for "Hallelujah." From the makes of his last song, "You Want It Darker," Cohen was off in search of answers. Unfortunately, if L.C. finds them he won't be able to share them with us. 

Great rabbis are always searching too. The famous Rabbi Lord Sacks (z"l), who was the United Kingdom's "Chief Rabbi," has a message for us all. If you aren't familiar with the song by the late Leonard Cohen, "You Want It Darker," I encourage you to listen to it first so you know what Rabbi and I am talking about.  

Rabbi Sacks interprets Leonard Cohen's FINAL song -- "You Want It Darker." Rabbi arrives at a hopeful conclusion, but in doing so Rabbi dismisses Cohen's references to Yeshua as any implication of Cohen's beliefs.  But they jump off the page in this verse from the first stanza:

"Vilified, crucified

In the human frame" 

Cohen's allusions to Yeshua are amplified in the second stanza.

"There's a lover in the story

But the story's still the same

There's a lullaby for suffering

And a paradox to blame

But it's written in the scriptures

And it's not some idol claim"

For my Christian friends, I understand that it is hard for you to understand how Jews such as Rabbi Sacks are unwilling to accept John 3.16 being foretold in the bible story of the binding of Isaac in Genesis. Rabbi Sacks's take on L.C.'s song is a sharp illustration of the "blindness" Jews have for Yeshua which Christian's speak of. 

Rabbi Sacks makes the assumption that L.C. didn't accept Yeshua and retained his Jewish identity. Maybe so. I truly can't tell what Leonard Cohen believed. But I think it is hard not to recognize that Leonard is acknowledging the role Jews played that in this verse:

"We kill the flame." Cohen speaks first person as a Jew. 

What I draw from the song is that Leonard Cohen struggled to the end of his life with how a God "who so loved the world" could have allowed the Holocaust. A lot of Jews struggle with that. Jews in every century since the "sin of the spies" have struggled!  We have the 17th of Tammuz and the 9th of Av to remind us. 

The lyrics of "You Want It Darker" read to me like a man handing down a indictment against God. 

"They're lining up to prisoners

And the guards are taking aim

I struggle with some demons

They were middle class and tame

I didn't know I had permission

To murder and to maim

You want it darker"

One thing that is clear to me is that when Leonard, the "Kohen" wrote You Want It Darker" he was ready to face the Creator. When he says Hineni, Cohen is saying "Here I am," take me  -- L.C. was ready to meet the LORD.  Cohen has had it with the darkness in the world. And, as Cohen says repeatedly "We kill the flame." 

Cohen repeats the opening stanzas to end the song. This is a strong literally statement. Notice the difference in the first verse of this stanza from the beginning of the song. Cohen wants to go. And he did. 

"If you are the dealer, let me out of the game

If you are the healer, I'm broken and lame

If thine is the glory, mine must be the shame

You want it darker" 

Then Leonard Cohen z"l closes with both a figurative and literal expression:

"Hineni, hineni

Hineni, hineni

I'm ready, my Lord"

Leonard was looking for answers from the other side. I have to wonder if he found them.  Rest in peace L.C.!  Your name and songs are for a blessing.  

Epilogue:

Another song by Leonard Cohen is more direct. Suzanne.  Another Jewish song write and poet, Bob Dylan, got it write when he said "Gotta Serve Somebody."

OUR BODY HAS THE MAKINGS OF A LIGHT SHOW

Our body is assembled from the elements listed on the Periodic table. Some elements are much more common than others. The human body is approximately 99% comprised of just six elements: Oxygen, hydrogen, nitrogen, carbon, calcium, and phosphorus.

The elements that make up our body are used to make the colors in fireworks in the sky. The vivid colors and bright hues that result from these chemical elements that are also essential for life.

Calcium is the most plentiful mineral in the human body and is needed to make orange fireworks. It’s crucial for a range of bodily functions including bone and teeth maintenance, muscle contraction, hormone secretion, blood clotting and heartbeat regulation.

Potassium, which helps create purple fireworks, also plays a role in managing heart rhythm. In addition, it balances water and mineral content in the body, helps to build muscle, and controls blood pressure.

Copper, found in bright blue fireworks, is the sidekick that some proteins need to do their jobs. For example, the protein that makes the body’s energy-carrying ATP molecules requires copper to function. Copper is also necessary to form collagen, the most abundant protein in humans and the main component of connective tissue.

Iron, used to make gold fireworks, is vital to immune function, energy production and oxygen transport in the body. Hemoglobin, the protein that gives blood its red color, needs iron to carry oxygen from the lungs to the rest of the body.

Lithium helps produce red fireworks and is thought to affect the release of the chemical messenger serotonin. Lithium has been used for decades to treat mood disorders

Phosphorus is the second most common element found in our body after calcium. The mineral Phosphorus is contained in each cell in our body. Most phosphorus is in the bones and teeth, and some is in our genes. 

The heat generated by friction when a match is struck causes a minute amount of red phosphorus to be converted to white phosphorus, which ignites spontaneously in air. 

The word phosphorus is derived from the Greek word 'phosphoros', meaning bringer of light.

Our body needs phosphorus to make energy. Phosphorus is needed for the growth, maintenance, and repair of all tissues and cells, and for the production of the genetic building blocks, DNA and RNA. 

Without Phosphorus, our light goes out!  Then it is DUST TO DUST.  

DUST TO DUST

Prologue: Last night, Nov. 2nd was my birthday. I had tumultuous dreams.  When my mind is racing I find writing helps me refocus. The post below is the produce of last night's thoughts.  First I wrote in my private journal during the early morning before getting out of bed. Then I got sad news about a friend and colleague who passed away in the night. So I decided to put it on my blog and clean it up. 

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DUST TO DUST:

Our bodies contain the elements of stars. "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth." Genesis 1.1. The Hebrew for earth (ground) is pronounced adam-ah. 

The fireworks we watch in the sky have many of the elements we are made of.  Our body has the makings of a light show. 

Our body is assembled from the elements listed on the Periodic table. Some elements are much more common than others. The human body is approximately 99% comprised of just six elements: Oxygen, hydrogen, nitrogen, carbon, calcium, and phosphorus. Another five elements make up about 0.85% of the remaining mass: sulfur, potassium, sodium, chlorine, and magnesium. All of these 11 elements are essential elements. The remaining 0.15% of the human body is comprised of trace elements.  

"You turn people back to dust, saying, “Return to dust, you mortals.”" Psalm 90.3

WE ARE MORE THAN DUST . . . 

There is a thread that runs through our life and connects us to our past and our future. This runs backward and forward in time much further than we can even know. Its called our genealogy and it is based on genetics. We share DNA with our ancestors from the beginning to the end of time -- From the birth of mankind to the death of mankind. 

DNA is possibly the most amazing thing in the universe.  If you unraveled the DNA strand in a single cell it is nearly two (2) meters long. Conversely, that 2 meter strand fits into 0.09 micrometer of space within a cell!  ONE micrometer is one-millionth of a meter, so .09 is 1/25,400th of an inch. If we unraveled the entire DNA in a human, it would stretch 10 billion miles. That is equivalent to a trip to Pluto AND back! 

The structure of DNA is comprised of pairs of nitrogen-containing bases or nucleotides. These nitrogen-containing bases are cytosine, adenine, guanine, and thymine. The 3 million combinations of these pairs form the human genome that make us "humans."

DNA is found in all living things. 40-50% of our DNA is identical with a cabbage. We share 50% of our DNA with bananas. 99.9% of the DNA in all humans is identical. It is the tiny difference that allows us to be individuals. 

8% of human DNA today is made up of ancient viruses that used to make us ill. Our body's DNA builds our immune system with the memory of how to kill those ancient viruses. The DNA in every human cell gets damaged over 100 times a day!  But our body's DNA provides our bodies with systems to repair us. Our body exists because DNA can replicate and duplicate. Without DNA the 37 trillion cells that are constantly dying wouldn't be replaced. Radiation destroys our DNA, thus we did as our cells die!  Get the picture? 

DNA doesn't return to dust as quickly as one might think. Researchers calculated that DNA has a half-life of 521 years. Which means that even if a bone was frozen at an ideal preservation temperature of −5 ºC, the oldest animal that could be cloned is roughly 1.5 million years. (Not long enough to replicate a dinosaur.)

DUST AND DNA ARE NOT ENOUGH . . .  

Even with our DNA and dust, we still need the breath to animate our life. "Then the Lord God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being. Genesis 2.7"  

Our birthday marks the day that the breath of life comes into our body and our yahrzeit marks the day we expel it and give up the ghost, as some say.  Then, "... for dust you are and to dust you will return." Genesis 3.19. 

COUNTING OUR DAYS . . .

In biblical prophecy interpretation there is the principle of a year-for-a-day, in which the word day in prophecy is considered to be symbolic of a year of actual time. In Numbers 14:34 the bible tells us The Israelites will wander for 40 years in the wilderness, one year for every day spent by the spies in Canaan.

Psalm 90.12 says "Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom."  

"Our days may come to seventy years, or eighty, if our strength endures;" 90.10.

On a birthday cake each year is marked with one candle. After we light birthday candles, we blow them out.  We don't know the number candles we are given and when our breath will leave us. That is the year we won't be on the earth to blow out any more candles. 

It is Jewish and Christian tradition for the living to light a single memorial candle to mark the entire life of a loved one.  Jews call that a yartziet candle. 

But when we light a yizkor/yahrzeit candle, unlike birthday candles, we don't blow it out. We let it burn. The breath, Hey (חַיִּים Ḥayyīm) the Spirit, doesn't die. 

Epilogue:  Steven Wasser (z"l), your name will be for a blessing. We missed you the moment you passed away. I shall forever share Nov 2nd with you. Rest in peace Steven. 

My previous post -- About This Day. 

Song: "On Nature" by Matisyahu

One of my favorite songs is by Matisyahu.  It is called One Day.  

ABOUT THIS DAY . . .

 

Me and Parnelli in my 50th year. 

My grandfather Phillip died on my 2nd birthday, November 2, 1961.  So my birthday marks his yartziet. 

Nov 2nd also happens to be "All Souls Day," a Catholic holiday for "remembering the dead." Tradition has it to light a candle. We can do that for Phillip and my birthday. 

Tradition for All Souls Day and a birthday has it to write a memorial in some way. Check. For every year since he died, Phillip's yartziet has been remembered in my Temple's calendar. And I'm sure to get one birthday card. 

Tradition also calls for a meal in rememberance. It so happens we have birthday dinner plans with our daughter Sarah and her family. 😉 

As it turns out, the customs for a yartziet seem to mirror those for a birthday.  How about that?

The coincidences don't stop there for me. 

My grandfather's name Philip (Greek spelling) means "horse-loving."  I love horses. So much so that my wife and children surprised me with a horse for my Jubilee (50th) birthday.  That's him and me in the photo. 

King Philip of Macedon was the father of Alexander the Great, who was friend of the Jews.  We named our son Alexander, who is great. Alex was born on Yom Kippur when Jews read the Book of Jonah. 

All Souls Day falls just after Halloween. The word "Halloween" comes from All Hallows' Eve, which is the evening before 'All Saints' (or All Hallows') Day. It initiates the season of Allhallowtide, which lasts three days and concludes with All Souls' Day. 

On Halloween this year, my family was at my daughter Sarah's house. While the family was all playing, I spent a good portion of the evening laying on the floor with her dog "Angel" who was dying. 

Angel lived 18 years, "double chai." In Judaism double chai signifies 'Life.'  The family described Angel as the devil because she killed so many animals including neighbor's chickens and cats. Angel, the devil, was always getting in trouble. This summer she went down into a storm sewer and we had to call for help to rescue her.  

So Angel, the devil, who lived double chai, died on All Hallows eve. And tonight I will light birthday candles with my Catholic wife, Mary Theresa, as we celebrate my birthday and I remember my grandfather Phillip, Angel and my horse.

There is one tradition for Old Souls Day that we can't do for my birthday yet. That is to visit my grave. 

They say "coincidence" isn't a kosher word. 

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Epilogue: This night I had tumultuous dreams. Before Day break I wrote another related blog post.  DUST TO DUST.