What.A.Year. Paging Judah Maccabee….
We’ve had several columns written about Hanukkah, possibly because I love the holiday. People of faith in both America and Israel have had threats to their ability to worship freely in both countries for as long as I’ve been doing columns.
http://zelmanpartisans.com/?s=Hanukkah
Chabad has a really good story of Hanukkah that gives more of the history leading up to the pivotal moment when Mattityahu killed the Hellenized Jew that was going to sacrifice a pig on the alter in his name. Then he went after the army that had come to enforce the decree. https://www.chabad.org/holidays/chanukah/article_cdo/aid/102978/jewish/The-Story-of-Chanukah.htm
While both Purim and Hanukkah celebrate the survival of the Jews against an enemy, there are differences. Purim, like the holocaust was an attempt to wipe the Jewish people from the face of the earth. The goal of the Syrians-Greeks was to make the Jewish people like everyone else on the face of the earth, meaning idol worshipers.
This year as we approach Hanukkah, I see my country in a place I could never have imagined growing up. I wonder if it was like that was for the Maccabees? Did they see the threat of the Greeks growing? Because initially when the Greeks gained control over Israel they were respectful. But as some of the Jews began to assimilate, the Greeks lost respect and began to treat them more cruelly. One might say, the mask came off.
As it is here.
I don’t think there is any doubt that there has been massive election fraud in the 2020 elections. And of those that would deny it, I would be curious to know how much they actually know about it. As the always brilliant Jack Englehardt writes in his column about censorship,
Turns out my neighbor up the road never heard about the Hunter/Joe Biden scandal that weeks ago was all the rage on the New York Post, and later Fox News.
That’s the one where Hunter allegedly served as bagman for himself and his dad off money scooped up from China, Ukraine and Russia.
“How come you didn’t know?” I asked this neighbor.
“Never heard of it,” he said proudly. “I don’t read the Post. I only read the Times, and I never watch Fox News.”
If he knew the story, would he still have voted for Biden?
“It would have been something to consider.”
Yes, it would…and I read somewhere that more than 60 percent who voted never heard of it, either
It seems people that lack information make really poor choices that cause everyone else to suffer. And suffering there will be.
In addition to censorship, there is just flat out lying by the MSM. The Nick Sandman category of lying, brings us the latest story involving the Papa John’s Pizza chain and accusations of racism. Except it never happened. Ex-FBI director clears Papa John’s founder of racial bias, slams ‘clearly inaccurate’ media Hope he sues the AP into oblivion. If the media will lie about something like a pizza chain, how could anyone ever doubt the lengths they would go to in the quest to manipulate voters The media made this story up out of whole cloth!
It seems daily more and more information comes out about ballots unloaded in the middle of the night, pulled out from underneath tables, or Timmy found them in the well. Then there are the ballots that got ran through multiple times, President Trump losing votes on a cnn scoreboard refresh, tractor trailers with ballots disappearing. There has been quite a lot of evidence. Unless you are Brian Kemp urging the Chinese to come to GA. Governor Brian Kemp on Video in Front of Communist Flag Asking Chinse Companies to Invest in Georgia
No need Governor, they’ve already invested in you and the GA Secretary of State Raffensperger who shows a stunning lack of awareness by using Dominion’s President Trump hating Eric Croomer to say there is nothing wrong with their systems. Perfectly safe. Georgia Attorneys and Secretary of State Defend Dominion Voting Systems Instead of Voters In Their State. Never mind the 2016 video in which Croomer was saying ” possible to bypass election systems software during the vote counting process.” Actually there are two videos of Croomer demonstrating how to use Dominion to switch votes. Or like Stzrok and Page, Croomer had his power trip moment:
Isn’t it interesting that in 2016, when Kemp was Secretary of State, there was a Dominion problem.
Georgia Secretary of State Says 10 Cyberattacks Traced to DHS – Calls for Investigation. Yep, that’s right kids, in 2016 Obama’s DHS (the ones that said in this election there was no sign of fraud, right?) attacked the Dominion voting machines in GA. The IP addresses were traced back to the DHS. And yet, GA keep the Dominion machines. Boggles the mind, doesn’t it? https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2016/12/georgia-secretary-state-says-10-cyberattacks-traced-dhs-calls-investigation/
Dominion had some help though, for example Mark Zuckerberg of Fakebook. We talk about how he censors posts and information, but he did a lot more than that. About 350 million more than that.
This year, left-leaning donors Mark Zuckerberg and wife Priscilla Chan gave $350 million to an allegedly “nonpartisan” nonprofit, the Center for Tech and Civic Life (CTCL), which in turn re-granted the funds to thousands of governmental election officials around the country to “help” them conduct the 2020 election.
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What these grants did was build structural bias into the 2020 election where structural bias matters most – in densely populated urban cores. It converted election offices in key jurisdictions with deep reservoirs of Biden votes into Formula One turnout machines. The hundreds of millions of dollars built systems, hired employees from activist groups, bought equipment and radio advertisements. It did everything that street activists could ever dream up to turn out Biden votes if only they had unlimited funding.
In 2020, they had unlimited funding because billionaires made cash payments to 501(c)(3) charities that in turn made cash payments to government election offices.
Massive numbers of people have come forward to testify under oath about things they’ve seen, or like some nursing home residents, things that have happened to them. Things people were told to do, things that have been recorded on video. Everyday citizens stepping up because they know what they are seeing is wrong, and evil. And those who should care, judges, secretaries of state, attorney generals at federal and state, multiple state actually, levels just don’t care. I’m very disappointed that SCOTUS wouldn’t hear the case Texas and other states brought against those corrupt states. It seems to me if the whole country is about to suffer under the tyranny of the harris/biden regime we should be heard. Some of these states that foolish choose not to be involved are going to be in for a big shock. Because once the socialist/communist party seizes control their autonomy is over. Has anyone ever seen much autonomy in a communist country? Thought not.
Remember the doofus known as Eric Swalwell who threatened to nuke American citizens who refused to be disarmed and then just claimed he was joking? I’m sure most people realized it’s not normal for elected officials to threaten citizens with nuclear weapons. Well, not communists, no, they wouldn’t see a problem with that. But normal people. So lately it’s become much more clear as to why that would even cross his mind. He was in bed with the communists, no wonder he thinks like them. Yes, literally in bed with them. A Chinese spy named Christine Feng who also implanted a few people into other political positions. Republicans have a problem with Rep. Swalwell being on the intelligence committee and sleeping around with Chinese communist spies.
Demoncratic/Communists do not. Pelosi Defends Swalwell’s Chinese Spy Scandal – Then Deflects by Saying QAnon is a Danger to Congress Poor old bat, she needs help.
How much voter fraud, illegal voting, ballot manufacturing etc has taken place? Who knows for sure, the FBI is out investigating garages and subways sandwich shops. But I would hazard a guess that if this level of corruption and a power grab of this magnitude is allowed to succeed, we’re pretty much all done but the shouting. There will never be a real election again, it worked. If it works once that’s all it needs to work because then the communist government has taken control. Things that are moral and honest have been shoved aside. And evil people have been allowed to break the law, lie, cheat, steal and bully and intimidate with no repercussions. Why wouldn’t they do it again?
The democrat/communist party knows the majority of Americans voted for President Trump, thereby rejecting their radical platform. It took a massive amount of vote fraud to overcome those votes cast by real Americans. And yet, the communist/democratic party is now willing to attempt to force their will on those citizens. Those who voted for biden because he was a “moderate” are going to be very shocked when they discover their trial subscription to living in a communist country compliments of Wuhan Flu controls becomes a permanent feature.
I heard a very interesting interview with Rabbi Yitzchok Dovid Smith from www.SaveOurFreedoms.org Rabbi Smith is also a lawyer, has studied molecular biology, virology and infectious diseases at the University of California at Berkeley. He maintains what is being done to the fearful American citizens is psychological warfare and he has some pretty good reasons for saying that.
And at a time of great challenge, the aspiring tyrants in power in NY and CA have forbidden people to attend worship services. And all over the US older Americans have been deprived of getting to see loved ones in their waning years, families are kept apart by fears of a virus with a greater than 99% recovery rate. NO ONE IS SAYING IT’S NOT REAL. We know, it’s real. And it’s also really being used to control people. So things that are normally a large source of strength and comfort to people, things that have helped hold the fabric of our society together in troubled times are the very things those aspiring to rule over us are denying us. Illegally I might add.
I have as much faith in vote tallies as I do Wuhan flu statistics. Sad, isn’t it?
After Supreme Court ruling, New Yorkers go back to synagogue
The decision resolved two cases at once: one brought by Agudath Israel of America, an organization representing Orthodox Jews, and one brought by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn.
“This is the first time in my memory that we have assumed the role of plaintiff before the high court,” Avi Shafran, Agudath Israel director of public affairs, told The Jerusalem Post. “What impelled us here was the singling out by New York’s governor of Orthodox neighborhoods as virus spreaders, repeatedly calling pointed attention to the residents’ religion, when other neighborhoods with even higher virus transmission rates were not given the same ‘red zone’ status. Our rabbinic leadership felt that we needed to speak up and defend our, and all Americans’, religious rights.
As in the times of the Maccabees of Hanukkah, cruel tyrants tried to forbid people from from the free worship of G-d. They have that in common with communism. Nothing is allowed to be more powerful or revered than the government. People of faith live by G-d’s laws, and love and revere G-d, not big government.
Democrat California Gov. Newsom Ignores SCOTUS, Doubles Down on Worship Restrictions
Yes, I think I’ve laid out enough information as to why these times are dark, with similarities to the times of the Macabees, and in fact some of the same circumstances. And some of those same circumstance are for the good as well. Namely, G-d is still in control
אין עוד מלבדו
There is none but him.
The festival of lights, Hanukkah, season of miracles. The miracles are many. That the Maccabean army was successful. From 1 Maccabees Chapter 3
10 Then Apollonius* gathered together the Gentiles, along with a large army from Samaria, to fight against Israel.
11 When Judas learned of it, he went out to meet him and struck and killed him. Many fell wounded, and the rest fled.
12 They took their spoils, and Judas took the sword of Apollonius and fought with it the rest of his life.
13 But Seron, commander of the Syrian army, heard that Judas had mustered an assembly of faithful men ready for war.
14 So he said, “I will make a name for myself and win honor in the kingdom. I will wage war against Judas and his followers, who have despised the king’s command.”
15 And again a large company of renegades advanced with him to help him take revenge on the Israelites.
16 When he reached the ascent of Beth-horon,* Judas went out to meet him with a few men.
17 But when they saw the army coming against them, they said to Judas: “How can we, few as we are, fight such a strong host as this? Besides, we are weak since we have not eaten today.”
18 But Judas said: “Many are easily hemmed in by a few; in the sight of Heaven there is no difference between deliverance by many or by few;
19 for victory in war does not depend upon the size of the army, but on strength that comes from Heaven.
20 With great presumption and lawlessness they come against us to destroy us and our wives and children and to despoil us;
21 but we are fighting for our lives and our laws.
22 He* will crush them before us; so do not fear them.”
23 When he finished speaking, he rushed suddenly upon Seron and his army, who were crushed before him.
24 He pursued Seron down the descent of Beth-horon into the plain. About eight hundred* of their men fell, and the rest fled to the land of the Philistines.
They reclaimed the Temple, they were able to replace the desecrated and stolen items and finally to find the one small cruse of oil. The oil that was only suppose to last for one day, but instead burned for eight. But that’s not the only miracle with the oil. The miracle is that they used the oil and lit the Menorah. The part that I’m apply starts about 5 minutes in. I promise, from minute 5 to the end is good medicine.
14And My people, upon whom My name is called, humble themselves and pray and seek My presence and repent of their evil ways, I shall hear from heaven and forgive their sin and heal their land. ~~II Chronicles Chapter 7:14
That’s the thing about Hanukkah, the Maccabees and the Jews that were remaining faithful to G-d were outnumbered, out gunned and didn’t even have NewsMax on their side. But they did have something better, they had G-d, who loved them. Yes, I think we could be facing an escalation in this fight we’ve been engaged in now for some time. But G-d is not a man who changes, he is the same and the things he wants from us and for us are the same.
I don’t know how this will turn out. I know we can’t rely on people or institutions to save us, almost every institution and so many politicians that campaigned that they would represent us have failed us. The corruption is in so many places, some not even known yet. No matter what, we can continue to seek G-d, and ask for his blessings on us, our families, homes, country and our way of life. We can try to be prepared and filled with resolve. And we can remember this is the season of miracles. As Rabbi Zev says, “Think good and it will be good”. I believe in miracles.
Chag Hanukkah Samach
חג חנוכה שמח
Happy Hanukkah or Merry Christmas (a bit early) to our TZP family
