“descent for the sake of ascent”
More on “descent for the sake of ascent”:
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Nine red heifers were offered from the time that they were commanded to fulfill this mitzvah until the time when the Temple was destroyed a second time. The first was brought by Moses, our teacher. The second was brought by Ezra. Seven others were offered until the destruction of the Second Temple. And the tenth will be brought by the King Moshiach; may he speedily be revealed. Amen, so may it be G‑d’s will.
source: Moses Maimonides, Mishneh Torah, Laws of Parah Adumah 3:5
a) The ashes of the Red Heifer remove the most severe of all impurities; yet those involved in its preparation become ritually impure themselves.
b) The Red Heifer must be completely red (as few as two hairs of a different color disqualify it)a color which has connotations of sin and deficiency in Torah and Torah law; yet it must also be "perfect, without blemish."
c) The Torah commands that it be slaughtered outside the holy city of Jerusalem (in contrast with other korbanot, which must be slaughtered in the courtyard of the Holy Temple). On the other hand, it must be slaughtered within the sight of the Holy Temple and its blood is sprinkled "toward the Holy of Holies"; according to one opinion, it must be slaughtered by the Kohen Gadol (High Priest) himself, wearing the "white garments" reserved for the Yom Kippur service in the Holy of Holies.
d) The two components of the purifying mixture--ashes and spring water--represent two contradictory forces: fire, which represents the power of ascent, and water, which embodies the quality of "settling down" and saturation.
To alleviate rising fear and mounting tensions ("On The Edge"), the passengers are invited to be initiated as honorary Newfoundlanders at the local bar ("Heave Away / Screech In"). The "islanders" in Gander and the surrounding towns open up their homes to the "plane people", regardless of their guests' race, nationality or sexual orientation. The travelers are initially taken aback by their hosts' uncommon hospitality, but they slowly let their guards down and begin to bond with the quirky townsfolk.The gravity of the attacks nevertheless continues to set in as US airspace is eventually reopened. One pilot comments on how her once optimistic view of the world has suddenly changed ("Me and the Sky"), while the mother of a firefighter learns that her son lost his life during the rescue efforts in New York City. One pair of passengers starts to develop a romance ("Stop the World"), while another pair sees their long-term relationship fall apart under the stress of the event.As the passengers and crew fly away to their homes, they joyously exchange stories of the immense kindness and generosity that was shown to them by the Newfoundland strangers in their time of need ("Somewhere in the Middle of Nowhere"), but not before a Muslim traveler, faced with increasing prejudice from his fellow passengers, undergoes a humiliating strip search prior to boarding. The townsfolk return to normal life, but comment on how empty their town now seems and how different the world now feels ("Something's Missing").
It is with deep sorrow that I learned today of the death of Cuba’s longest serving President.Fidel Castro was a larger than life leader who served his people for almost half a century. A legendary revolutionary and orator, Mr. Castro made significant improvements to the education and healthcare of his island nation.While a controversial figure, both Mr. Castro’s supporters and detractors recognized his tremendous dedication and love for the Cuban people who had a deep and lasting affection for “el Comandante”.I know my father was very proud to call him a friend and I had the opportunity to meet Fidel when my father passed away. It was also a real honour to meet his three sons and his brother President Raúl Castro during my recent visit to Cuba.On behalf of all Canadians, Sophie and I offer our deepest condolences to the family, friends and many, many supporters of Mr. Castro. We join the people of Cuba today in mourning the loss of this remarkable leader.
The Jews did not strictly preserve “the heterosexual principle.” Intimate relations between men existed in Jewish communities and apparently were also common. Historian Yaron Ben-Naeh has shown in his research that despite the explicit biblical prohibition, in Jewish communities in the Ottoman Empire same-sex relations were rather common. This is indicated by dozens of sources. Moreover, until the modern era, grown men who had a need for the favors of youths did not have a negative image in Jewish society.
“During the visit, Kantor gave the Pope a picture, above. It is a special Jewish blessing surrounded by an illumination representing the world, a tree of life and two peacocks at its base, which represent the resurrection. The peacock tails fall down and around the Hebrew text wishing love, abundance and fertility. This Jewish custom called Ketubah is commonly given to wish protection over homes and marriages.”
source: Tradition In Action, Jewish magnate blesses Francis at the Vatican
“The ketubah is a non-biblical, rabbinic tradition. Like so many rabbinic traditions, it overturns biblical law allegedly for the purpose of 'repairing' God's alleged poor judgment. Jesus Christ vehemently opposed these traditions of the rabbis which make God's word of no effect, but today this hard fact is brushed aside with such fluffy slogans as, “Jesus was Jewish, and we appreciate his culture, where he came from.” In reality, the people who sign these ketubot form a covenant not with God but with the rabbis in their millenia-old struggle to overthrow God and His word and to put themselves in God's place and replace His word with Talmud, Kabbalah and the 'Noahide laws' of Babylon”
source: Maurice Pinay, 'Noahides' Embrace Rabbinic, Babylonian Wedding Tradition
“We wonder whether Kantor was referring to the marriage of the Conciliar Church and Judaism. It certainly corresponds perfectly with the Russian Jew's proposal to the Pope to work together in areas of education and family. He also suggested that the Vatican hold an exhibit of Jewish art that belongs to him.”
source: Tradition In Action, Jewish magnate blesses Francis at the Vatican
source for images: Servizio Fotografico - L’Osservatore Romano, Delegazione della European Jewish Congress, page 4, photos numbering — 00673_27012017 & 00674_27012017.