BPR Mailing List Digest: 04/17/00

Philologos
BPR Mailing List Digest
April 17, 2000

Digest Home | 2000 | April, 2000

To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Poor World To Speak 'With One Voice' In WTO
From: bpr-list@philologos.org("Moza")
Date: Mon, 17 Apr 2000 08:52:03 -0400

Poor World To Speak 'With One Voice' In WTO

HAVANA, Apr 16, 2000 -- (Reuters) The Third World's Group of 77 countries
will speak with "one voice" in the World Trade Organization after a
presidential summit ended with the decision to give the bloc a new decision-
making body, the G77's chairman said on Saturday.

"One of the practical new things you will see is that the G77 will speak with
one voice, in a way in which it probably has not spoken before," Nigeria's
President, Olusegun Obasanjo, told a news conference here the day after
the conclusion of the G77 and China's first presidential summit.

Heads of state and senior ministers from the G77's 133 member countries -
which include developing nation heavyweights like Indonesia, China, Nigeria
and South Africa - decided that the G77 needed a political directorate to
ensure that the group's decisions translate into practical action.

The directorate, whose precise powers will be defined in the next three
months, will include high-profile leaders like Obasanjo, South Africa's
President, Thabo Mbeki, and Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad.
One of its major tasks will be ensuring a unified G77 voice in the World Trade
Organization (WTO), where the G77's numbers grant it considerable clout.

Full Story:
http://www.insidechina.com/news.php3?id=151760&text

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To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - 'Mossad' warns of attack on Vatican
From: bpr-list@philologos.org("Moza")
Date: Mon, 17 Apr 2000 09:04:51 -0400

April 17 2000

'Mossad' warns of attack on Vatican

            FROM RICHARD OWEN IN ROME
  AS the Pope led Palm Sunday ceremonies before
  100,000 people in St Peter's Square yesterday, police
  were on high alert after a warning to Italy and the Vatican
  that there could be an "Islamic terrorist attack" on him
  over the Easter period.

  The tip-off is said to have come from Mossad, the Israeli
  security service. The exchange of intelligence is said to be
  one of the first fruits of the warmer relationship between
  the Holy See and Israel after the Pope's trip to the Holy
  Land.

  As part of tightened security measures, all those entering
  St Peter's Square must now pass through one of 35 metal
  detectors placed between its magnificent 17th-century
  marble columns. Police said that the detectors would be
  used whenever the Pope was inside the basilica or in the
  square. Hidden video surveillance cameras have been
  installed and the number of plainclothes police in the
  square and on surrounding rooftops increased.

  Commander Roberto Scigliano, the former chief of police
  in Brindisi, Catania and Bari - all seen as crime "hot spots"
  - has been appointed to co-ordinate Italian and Vatican
  security services at St Peter's.

  The Pope, who is nearly 80, is to travel to the shrine of
  Fatima in Portugal next month to give thanks to the Virgin
  Mary for saving his life on May 13, 1981 - the feast day
  of Our Lady of Fatima - when he was wounded in an
  attempted assassination.

  Italian intelligence sources told Il Messaggero, the Rome
  daily, that terrorists were planning to "strike at the heart of
  the Catholic Church during the Holy Year". The target
  was "probably the Pope himself", although other targets
  were possible, since "what matters is the symbolism of an
  outrage . . . an attack in or around the Vatican would be
  enough". Diplomats said that it would be intended to
  disrupt the Middle East peace process and overshadow
  the Pope's triumph in the Holy Land, when he not only
  altered Jewish perceptions of the Church but also backed
  the moderate Palestinian leadership of Yassir Arafat and
  endorsed the Palestinian right to a homeland.

   The Vatican is facing embarrassment over the prospect
  of J=F6rg Haider, the Austrian far-Right leader, standing
  next to the Pope when the pontiff blesses a Christmas tree
  in St Peter's Square to be donated by the region of
  Carinthia, of which Herr Haider is governor. The square's
  tree is usually donated by one of the countries or regions
  of Europe with a sizeable Catholic population. Two years
  ago, Carinthia was selected for 2000.

http://www.the-times.co.uk/news/pages/tim/2000/04/17/timfgneur01001.html

See http://philologos.org/bpr for additional info.

========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Church 'will be dead in 40 years time'
From: bpr-list@philologos.org("Shophar_Sho_Good")
Date: Mon, 17 Apr 2000 12:41:55 -0500

I found the link to this article at
http://www.realworldnews.net/, They are doing a super job
distilling the world news to the items we are all watching...

[ModNote: I second that opinion. Their website is brand
new, so if you get the opportunity please check it out.
They not only offer daily news links, but also have links
to interesting archaeology and creation articles as well. -- ]

======

From the Editor of Real World News
http://www.realworldnews.net

I'm happy to announce that we've opened the door on the
official RWN web site! Follow the above link to take a
look. We'd really appreciate if you could help get the word
around about us. If you've been enjoying RWN and you have a
web site, please consider linking to us. I'm in the process
of putting a few banners together and should have them over
the next week or so.

Regards,

David Nevue Editor, Real World News

======

Church 'will be dead in 40 years time'

With attendances falling faster than ever, a new report
sees the future for Christianity in Britain as bleak

By Hazel Southam
16 April 2000

Holy Week has begun with an expert prediction that the
Christian church in this country will be dead and buried
within 40 years. It will vanish from the mainstream of
British life, with only 0.5 per cent of the population
attending the Sunday services of any denomination,
according to the country's leading church analyst.

Historic buildings will be left to crumble in neglect, as
congregations vanish and the church infrastructures
collapse without money from the parishes. All claims that
Britain is a Christian nation will finally have to be given
up, says the church attendance specialist, Peter Brierley.

"The basic doctrines of Christianity will be believed much
less and there will be many who actively do not believe
them," he says in a new book to be published this week.

The dwindling band of worshippers has grown used to gloomy
predictions, but these are the worst yet. Church attendance
will be "at an all-time low" in 40 years' time, says Steps
to the Future, published by the Scripture Union. Around 40
per cent of the population will have some kind of belief,
though a third of them will practise non-Christian
religions.

Inner-city churches will face the worst decline, closing
or running midweek services to keep anyone coming in at all.

"This is very sober stuff," says Dr Brierley, best known
for compiling the annual Church Attendance Survey. "Numbers
of Christians will decrease, and the ones who remain won't
express their Christianity by going to church." The
statistics could spell disaster for England's 10,000 listed
Anglican churches."The last thing we want to see is listed
buildings being knocked down, but at some stage, because of
dwindling congregations, the Church of England won't be
able to maintain them." To date, cathedrals have shown more
ability to survive, drawing bigger congregations in recent
years thanks to prestigious one-off services and
commemorations. Often, however, this is at the expense of
parish churches nearby.

Dr Brierley accuses the Church of England of avoiding the
issue. It is "afraid that English Heritage will get a law
passed" making it compulsory to maintain listed buildings -
but he argues that such a law will be absolutely necessary
to avoid national treasures being lost.

There will be fewer clergy in Britain and websites will be
mandatory for any churches that are serious about trying to
stay afloat. There will be a boom in "cyberchurch"
attendance as the faithful log on to the internet in search
of spiritual answers not to be found in their local
churches.

"If time is short and you can attend a service by pressing
a few buttons, then people will do that."

Dr Brierley's findings come just five months after the
publication of his latest English Church Attendance Survey,
an independent study of all denominations. It showed that
only 7.5 per cent of the population went to church on
Sundays. and that, in the past 10 years - billed by the
churches as the "Decade of Evangelism" - church attendance
dropped by an "alarming" 22 per cent.

The new statistics have brought heated reactions from
Britain's churches. The Revd Joel Edwards of the
Evangelical Alliance, which represents one million
Christians, said: "Reports of our death are greatly
exaggerated, yet the current trend does provide us with a
serious challenge.

"Churches are responsible for the spiritual health of the
nation, yet the only medicine coming from some of the
churches is a drip-feed of doubt, resulting in a
haemorrhaging of 2,000 people per week."

Previous research by Dr Brierley has shown that the Church
of England is very much the worst hit of the Christian
denominations, accounting for 40 per cent of the entire
fall in attendance over the period from 1989 to 1998. Its
Sunday congregations fell from 1,266,300 to 980,600 .

The Methodists were the next worst hit, falling from
512,300 to 379,700. In contrast, the Baptists have shown a
2 per cent increase over the period while the evangelical
"new" churches gained 38 per cent.

Even the Roman Catholic Church declined from 1,715,900 to
1,230,100, but last week spokesman Father Kieron Conry was
predicting a change in fortunes. "I do not share this
pessimism. Decline started in the 1960s but before then it
was in growth, so I'm expecting a change for the better."

Jonathan Jennings, spokes-man for the Church of England,
agreed it was "clear that the Church struggles with its
responsibility in relation to buildings and heritage," but
accused Dr Brierley of drawing "foolish conclusions" from
his data.

The Church of England has recently changed the way it
gathers statistics. It argues that worship habits have
become more flexible, so that the old method of measuring
Sunday attendance leads to an underestimate of the number
of people who feel themselves to be part of the Church.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/UK/This_Britain/2000-
04/dead160400.shtml

See http://philologos.org/bpr for additional info.

========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Items @ ReligionToday News Summary for Monday, April 17, 2000
From: bpr-list@philologos.org("Shophar_Sho_Good")
Date: Mon, 17 Apr 2000 12:44:46 -0500

C U R R E N T N E W S S U M M A R Y
by the Editors of ReligionToday

April 17, 2000

Christian ministries in Israel fear that their work will
be seriously impeded by a proposed government regulation.
It would limit to four months the amount of time a foreign
volunteer can stay in the country, Compass Direct News
said. That would be harmful to Christian groups because
they rely heavily on volunteers from abroad to minister in
the country, Compass said.....Catholic, Eastern Orthodox,
mainline Protestant, and evangelical leaders held an
emergency meeting last month to discuss the proposed
regulation and its impact. No action has yet been taken by
the churches or the government on the issue.

Vermont is debating legislation this week that would
recognize "civil unions" for same-sex couples. A Vermont
Senate committee voted 4-2 last week in support of the
measure, which would give homosexual or lesbian partners
nearly the same rights as married couples. The state House
of Representatives passed a version of the bill 76-69 last
month. Democratic Gov. Howard Dean has said he would sign
civil unions legislation into law.....The Senate also will
debate a proposed amendment to the state Constitution that
would prohibit recognition of such partnerships. Supporters
of the civil unions bill say they expect the Democratic-
controlled Senate to approve it and to reject the
constitutional amendment, news reports said.

-----------

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To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Kazak Locust Infestation
From: bpr-list@philologos.org("Shophar_Sho_Good")
Date: Mon, 17 Apr 2000 12:46:44 -0500

Kazak Locust Infestation Exacerbates Russia's Looming Food
Shortage

2357 GMT, 000416

http://www.stratfor.com/CIS/commentary/0004152357.htm

In numbers reminiscent of a Biblical plague, locusts are
beginning to teem over the fields of southern Kazakstan.
Reuters reports that record numbers of the flying insects
are expected to swarm the region - undoubtedly damaging
Kazakstan's already beleaguered agricultural sector. Weaker
Kazak grain exports will not only worsen Russia's already
precarious food situation, but will also create a unique
political and economic opportunity for the United States in
Iran.

Kazak agriculture - perennially crippled by budget
shortages and general economic decline - was hardly doing
well before the locusts began spawning. Kazak grain
production plummeted from its Soviet era peak of 25 million
tons to 14.2 million tons in 1999. Lack of funds has left
much of Kazakstan's arable land fallow and unattended - a
prime breeding ground for locusts. But last year the locust
swarms carpeted over 22 million acres of Kazakstan and
began moving onto about 9 million acres of cultivated land.
They also dipped south into Uzbekistan and north into
Russia, infesting areas that had not been plagued by
locusts since the 1920s. Losses amounted to 5 million tons
of grain - over a quarter of Kazakstan's expected harvest,
and complicated Russia's already precarious grain supply.
Last year, Russia imported nearly 3 million tons of grain
from Kazakstan.

Yet this year the potential for crop damage is far worse.
Kazak Prime Minister Kasymzhomart Tokayev stated on April
11 that Kazakstan had enough pesticides to fight locusts
this year, although there are no plans to treat the fallow
fields. But last year Kazak officials only expected crop
losses to be 3 to 5 percent of the total yield, when in
reality they amounted to 27 percent.

Last year's locust swarms laid eggs across a swath of land
about the size of Bulgaria. Kazakstan is only able to
afford $18 million for pesticides for the entire year, a
three-fold increase from the $4.7 million spent last year,
but still less than half the amount needed. Kazakstan will
likely suffer an even greater crop loss this year.

Despite this new hardship, Kazakstan will not starve.
Kazakstan's domestic need for grain totals about 8 million
tons; last year's production after locust losses amounted
to 14.2 million tons. The remainder is exported, primarily
to Iran and Russia.

.. more ...

See http://philologos.org/bpr for additional info.

========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - (Fwd) Mi-Oray-Ha-Aish - Passover
From: bpr-list@philologos.org("Moza")
Date: Mon, 17 Apr 2000 19:27:49 -0400

------- Forwarded message follows -------
From: Aish.com <aishlist@aish.com>
To: "Ari Kahn's Parsha List" <mi-Oray-ha-Aish@aish.com>
Date sent: Sun, 16 Apr 2000 16:45:07 +0200
Subject: Mi-Oray-Ha-Aish - Passover
Send reply to: mi-Oray-ha-Aish@aish.com
Priority: normal

Subscription info at the end of this email.

This article is online at:
http://aish.com/torahportion/moray/showArticle.asp

======================================

Aish.com
MI'ORAY HA'AISH
by Rabbi Ari Kahn

"These Bones Will Live!"

Passover

* * *

The Talmud teaches:

Rav Huna said in the name of Rav: "On the Sabbath of Chol Hamoed,
on both Passover and Sukkot we read from scripture Exodus, Chapter
33. We also read the Haftorah, "The Dry Bones" (Ezekiel 37) and on
Sukkot "The day of the arrival of Gog" (Ezekiel 38)."
(Megila 31a)

This passage in the Talmud discusses the appropriate readings for the
various festivals.

Generally the text which is read has an intrinsic connection with the
day, but in this case no connection is apparent.

Over a thousand years ago, this question was asked of Rav Hai Gaon,
the leading scholar of his generation. He responded that he was not
aware of any intrinsic connection between the scripture read in the
Haftorah and these holidays, but continued:

"I have a tradition from the Sages that Resurrection will take place in
the month of Nissan, and victory over Gog and Magog will take place in
the month of Tishrei. Therefore, in Nissan we read of the dry bones
(which will live) in the Haftorah, and in Tishrei we read of the battle of
Gog." (Tur Oruch Haim section 490, see Otzar Hagaonim Megilah pg
64)

This tradition, that resurrection is to take place in Nissan, is the key to
a number of passages in the Talmud.

Rabbi Eliezer said: "In Tishrei the world was created, in Tishrei the
patriarchs were born, in Tishrei the patriarchs perished. On Passover
Isaac was born. On Rosh HaShanah Sarah, Rachel, and Chanah were
answered. On Rosh HaShanah Joseph left prison, on Rosh HaShanah
the slavery came to an end in Egypt. In Nissan we were redeemed. In
Tishrei we will be redeemed in the future." Rav Yehoshua said: In
Nissan the world was created, in Nissan the patriarchs were born, in
Nissan the patriarchs perished. On Passover Isaac was born … In
Nisan we were redeemed, in Nissan we will be redeemed (Rosh
HaShanah 10b-11a)

In this passage we find that two of the great Sages, Rabbis Eliezer and
Yehoshua, argue not only about biblical chronology but also about
eschatology.

THE MEANING OF TIME

At the root of this disagreement is the intricate relationship of history
and destiny in the view of these great Sages.

Days have a personality or a charisma of their own, just as people do.
Therefore, the understanding of the past allows us to better understand
the future. Rabbi Eliezer and Rabbi Yehoshua have a fundamental
argument regarding when the world came into being, and their
differences are interrelated with the question of how the End of Days
will shape up.

Tishrei is a month of judgment, while Nissan is a month of miracles, as
is indicated by its very name. The word Nissan is associated with the
Hebrew word nes, which means "miracle."

In this context, Rabbi Eliezer and Rabbi Yehoshua differ over the very
nature of existence. Their argument could be posed in the question: Is
our life defined primarily by justice or mercy?

Tosefot, in their comments to the passage in Tractate Rosh
HaShanah, point out that actually both aspects are accurate
representations of our existence. Rabbi Eliezer focuses on the "idea"
of creation which came into existence in Tishrei, while Rabbi Yehoshua
focuses on the actual "act" of creation which took place in Nissan.

It is interesting to note that Jewish law reflects the opinion of Rabbi
Yehoshua, as is evidenced by a relatively obscure law regarding Birkat
Hachama. This blessing on the sun -- which may be made every 28
years when the sun is in the exact alignment it was at the moment of
creation -- is pronounced in the month of Nissan. (See Shulchan Aruch
239:2 Mishna Brura 7.) If creation indeed took place in Nissan,
thereby establishing the law in accordance with Rabbi Yehoshua, then
we may conclude that redemption will also take place in Nissan, as
per Rabbi Yehoshua.

THE TIME OF RESURRECTION

This is interesting in and of itself, but does not seem connected with
our original question regarding resurrection. The connection is only
brought out by an additional passage:

Rabbi Eliezer said: "If Israel repent they will be redeemed, if not they
will not be redeemed." Rabbi Yehoshua said to him: "If they don't
repent they won't be redeemed? Rather, The Holy One Blessed be He
will bring a king whose decrees are as difficult as Haman, and the
Jews will repent and rectify their ways." (Sanhedrin 97b)

Again, Rabbi Eliezer's view of the world is based on merit, on judgment
and justice. Redemption is possible only if the Jews deserve it -- if they
repent. But in its conclusion, the Talmud teaches in accordance with
Rabbi Yehoshua -- redemption is unconditional. (Nachmanides clearly
states that in conclusion Rabbi Eliezer concedes to Rabbi Yehoshua.
See "Sefer HaGeulah" Kitvei Ramban Volume 1 page 277.)

THE TIME OF CREATION

Tosafot's teaching, which reconciles the two positions by identifying
each with a "different" creation -- idea of creation vs. act of creation --
may be applied to both passages equally. In other words, do we
consider the beginning of the process, or are we concerned with the
end result?

Rabbi Eliezer focused on the beginning of the process of creation,
therefore, he speaks of Tishrei, which is the time of creation in thought,
long before anything existed in reality. Similarly, Rabbi Eliezer, when
considering redemption, spoke of the upheaval which will lead to
spiritual renaissance. This is the beginning of the process of
redemption. On the other hand, Rabbi Yehoshua focused on the end of
the process, the actual creation.

The tradition cited by Rav Hai Gaon -- that resurrection will take place
in Nissan -- refers to the end of the process of redemption, i.e.
resurrection.

Rabbi Eliezer's opinion finds its own expression in the Talmud: The
Talmud only uses the phrase "beginning of the redemption" in one
place:

War is also considered the beginning of the redemption. (Megila 17b)

Rabbi Eliezer, who looked at the beginning of the process of creation,
considered the beginning of the redemptive process as well. The
Haftorah for Sukkot describes the apocalyptic battle between Gog and
Magog ("Armageddon" in English), which is the beginning of the
process of redemption. This epic battle, which Israel is destined to be
swept into if they do not repent in due course, is to take place in
Tishrei, the month in which Sukkot is celebrated.

Here, then, is the link with the Haftorah which we sought. It is the link
between Tishrei and the beginning of redemption, which Rabbi Eliezer
illuminated.

THE BLESSING OF ISAAC

The association of resurrection with Nissan has a number of
expressions and implications. One of the teachings which both rabbis
agreed on was the birth of Isaac on Passover. Isaac is the first biblical
figure who is linked with resurrection.

The Midrash describes the connection in the following terms. It states
that when Abraham was about to offer Isaac as a sacrifice, and Isaac
was tied down on the altar …

The angels began to cry and their tears fell on the blade, the knife rose
up to the neck of Isaac, for Abraham could not control it. His (Isaac's)
soul departed him. God called Michael (the angel) and said "Why are
you standing there? Do not allow him to slaughter him." Immediately
Michael called out "Abraham, Abraham" … he let go (of the knife) and
the soul returned. He (Isaac) stood on his feet and pronounced the
blessing "Blessed is he who restores life to the dead." (Otzar
Midrashim page 146)

According to this Midrash, the first one to utter the blessing on
restoration of life was Isaac when his own life was restored.

This idea is also consistent with another teaching. We are taught that
the first three blessings of the Amidah prayer are called Avot --
"patriarchs." While the other elements of the Amidah vary depending
on the day, these three blessings are constants.

The first of these blessings, which speaks of God's kindness is Magen
Avraham, "Shield of Abraham" associated with Abraham and the
spiritual realm so inseparably associated with him. The second
blessing is Michayei HaMaytim, "Resurrector of the Dead" and is
similarly related to Isaac. The second blessing starts with the phrase
Ata gibor, "You are mighty" -- might/strength being the spiritual
attribute associated with Isaac and the one which is expressed three
times a day by Jews for millennia.

This second blessing of the Amidah is instructive in other ways:

You are eternally mighty my Lord, the resuscitator of the dead are you,
abundantly able to save."

In the summer months, it is followed (depending on custom) by:

Bring down the dew! He sustains the living with kindness.

Dew is directly connected with resurrection. What is the nature of this
connection? In numerous places in Talmud, Midrash and Zohar, we
see that dew is the catalyst which brings about the resurrection, as
follows:

Dew will be used in the future by the Holy One Blessed be He to bring
about resurrection. (Chagiga 12b)

After each of the Ten Commandments (the people died when God
spoke) so God brought dew on them -- which will be used in the future
to resurrect man -- and they came back to life. (Shabbat 88b)

How do we know that resurrection will only take place via dew?
(Yerushalmi Brachot 5:2)

The dead (bones) which Ezekiel brought back to life -- dew from heaven
descended upon them. (Pirkei d'Rebbi Eliezer, chapter 33)

Dew is a symbol of resurrection. (Tanchuma Toldot section 19)

DEW AND RESURRECTION

We would expect that the second blessing of the Amidah, the one
connected with Isaac, the blessing which concludes "Blessed is God
who brings the dead to life", would naturally make reference to the final
resurrection. If so, when we say "Bring the dew!" our intention should
be "Bring the resurrection!"

The prayer for rain is said only in the winter. On Passover, we begin to
ask for dew. At the time of our redemption from Egypt, the time of the
birth of Isaac, we say this blessing with anticipation of the complete
redemption, including the end of the redemption -- resurrection.

This is the full circle of the second blessing of the Amidah and the link
between the month of Nissan, the birth of Isaac, the Exodus and the
result of the redemption which Rabbi Yehoshua sought to draw in the
passage in Tractate Rosh HaShanah.

PERSONALITY OF THE DAY

We started out by noting that different days have different
personalities.

The Rama states that the reason for eating eggs at the Seder -- a
mourning ritual for the Temple's destruction -- is that the first day of
Passover always falls on the same day of the week as the Ninth of Av,
the day both Temples were destroyed (476:2, Michaber 428:3).

This teaching is not merely informing us about a quirk in the calendar;
it describes an intrinsic relationship which may seem strange at first
glance. How is the day of redemption related to the day of destruction?
Both days possess the same charisma or personality.

In one, the potential was realized, hence we have Passover. In the
other, the potential was not realized, hence the Ninth of Av.

In a similar vein, we are taught that on the day the Temple was
destroyed the Messiah will be born. (Aggadot Brieshit, Buber edition
section 68, see the disputation of the Ramban.) In other words, the day
of the destruction is also the day of hope for future redemption. For this
reason the Prophet Zechariah said:

Thus says the Lord of Hosts, 'The fast of the fourth month, and the fast
of the fifth … shall become times of joy and gladness, and cheerful
feasts to the house of Judah.' (Zecharia 8:19)

The fast of the fifth month is what we refer to as the Ninth of Av, Av
being the fifth month. This day will become a time of celebration with
the coming of the Messiah.

Rav Tzadok HaKohen of Lublin made a very brief but important
comment on this idea, explaining that, when the Messiah Comes, the
Ninth of Av will indeed become a holiday like Passover and Sukkot -- a
seven-day festival ending on the Fifteenth of Av (Pri Zaddik, D'varim
20b).

This idea needs to be explained. We are taught in the Mishna that the
happiest times of the year were the Fifteenth of Av and Yom Kippur
(Mishna Ta'anit 4:8). Yom Kippur is a solemn day; why was it
considered joyful? On this day, during the time of the Beit Hamikdash,
the people saw the Kohen Gadol exit the Holy of Holies safely. They
witnessed an absolute indication of their total exoneration before God.
Their joy was therefore understandable.

But what is the significance of the Fifteenth of Av? Tosafot (in Ta'anit
30b) cite a bizarre Midrash:

As a result of the sin of the spies which took place on the 9th of Av,
the entire generation was to die in the desert. Each year for the next
forty years the people would dig graves and lie in them on the Ninth of
Av. In the morning the crier would say "The living are to separate (get
up)," leaving the dead behind. In the 40th year no one died. The people
assumed that they had erred in the counting, and the following day
must be the Ninth of Av, so they entered the graves again. The
following morning again no one had died. They repeated this procedure
until the 15th of the month, at which point, seeing the full moon, they
realized that the decree was over.

My understanding of the Midrash, and the teaching of Rav Tzadok, is
that the Ninth of Av has the same potential as Passover. Instead of
realizing its potential, this day became a symbol of destruction and
failure of the Jewish people. But the Ninth of Av will one day become a
holiday commemorating the coming of the Messiah who is born on that
day. The last day of this holiday will be the Fifteenth of Av, the day
when the Jews arise from the grave, confident of life, realizing that the
decree of death is over, forever.

PARALLELS

If the first day of Passover is parallel to Tish'a B'Av, perhaps the
Fifteenth of Av may be paralleled with the Seventh Day of Passover.
On the Seventh Day of Passover, the Jews stood between the Sea and
an army of Egyptians. They thought there was no hope; they thought
they were dead. But God performed a miracle and turned the water into
dry land, thereby saving them from certain death. On the Fifteenth of
Av, the Jews left their graves, and witnessed God's mercy.

When the Jews left Egypt they had three goals:
· to leave Egypt
· to receive the Torah
· to build the Temple.

In Nachmanides' introduction to the Book of Exodus, he explains that
this is the book of redemption, but the book cannot end after leaving
Egypt nor after the receiving of the Torah. The book does not end until
the Tabernacle is built.

Passover marks the celebration of leaving Egypt, but it can not be
seen in a vacuum. On Passover we immediately begin counting the
days until the Torah is given at Sinai. But receiving the Torah is not an
end in and of itself. Receiving the Torah means living the Torah,
following its statutes, taking the ideals described in the Torah and
turning them into a wonderful reality. The reality of living the Torah
necessarily leads to the Messianic Age, and culminates in the end
with resurrection.

For this reason, on the Shabbat of Chol Hamoed we read the
description of how dry bones shall live, for the bones coming to life are
the culmination of the redemption begun on Passover.

You are eternally mighty my Lord; the resuscitator of the dead are you,
abundantly able to save: Bring down the dew!

======================================

Rabbi Ari Kahn serves as Director of Foreign Student Programs at Bar Ilan
University in Israel, and is a featured lecturer at Aish Jerusalem. You can
contact him directly at: AKahn@aish.com

See the full Parsha Archives:
http://aish.com/torahportion/pArchive_hp.asp

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========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Turkey's plan for Mideast peace
From: bpr-list@philologos.org("Moza")
Date: Mon, 17 Apr 2000 19:38:51 -0400

TUESDAY, APRIL 18, 2000
Headlines

Turkey's plan for Mideast peace

Two major current conflicts are stalled over water issues. Turkey, with more
water than it needs, has a plan.

Scott Peterson
Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor

MANAVGAT, TURKEY

The search for peace in the Middle East is never far from the search for
water. It was a prime reason President Clinton failed to restart Syrian-Israeli
peace talks during a summit last month. Syria demands that Israel return
"every inch" of the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights - which means access for
Syria to the Sea of Galilee, which is now Israel's main water source.

Control of even the smallest water reserves beneath the occupied West Bank
still dogs the Palestinian-Israeli peace track.

Water, on its own, is rarely a casus belli. But it has been a key strategic
factor in every Mideast war fought for more than 50 years and is certainly a
main sticking point for the two stalled Mideast peace tracks.

But now Turkey is offering a solution: to sell off excess water to its bone-dry
neighbors - an ambitious "water for peace" project that will boost its
economy, which suffered its worst contraction ever in 1999, and help Mideast
peacemakers.

"There are many 'water war' scenarios in the Middle East, so we believe this
will help attain peace in the region," says Hasan Denker, the chief engineer
of the project. "One supertanker of water may cost $300,000, but one smart
bomb is 10 times as expensive. This water supply will always be cheaper
than war."

Drawn from the powerful blue-green flow of the Manavgat River on Turkey's
pine-forested south coast, this water may never make Mideast deserts
blossom. But it could slake the thirst and allay fears of future water
shortages in the Holy Land just enough to lubricate peace.

In the coming days, Israel is expected to make a decision about buying this
water. It would be transported across the Mediterranean Sea in converted oil
tankers - a plan that a team of experts has recommended to Prime Minister
Ehud Barak.

And Jordan's King Abdullah - who has said that "future potential conflict in
our area is not over land, it's over water" - visited Turkey last month and
showed a keen interest using Turkish water to ease Jordan's extreme
shortages.

Throughout history, civilizations have sprouted around water sources. But in
the Mideast - where the three Abrahamic faiths of Islam, Judaism, and
Christianity first sanctified water with sacred ablutions, ritual baths, and
baptism - severe water shortages have been at the root of conflict for
decades, and a barrier to peace.

Anticipating the need of its neighbors - who have all experienced varying
degrees of drought in recent years - Turkey has spent $125 million on the
project in the last decade. A gleaming set of pumps siphon off river water to
a treatment facility, then along a six-mile pipeline to two custom-built sea
terminals for tankers.

"Everything is finished," says Kamil Cengiz, regional director for the Turkish
State Hydraulic Works, known as DSI. "We're just waiting for clients."

Such a project - and Turkey's intentions - have had mixed reviews. Critics
point to the "irony" that Turkey is offering to sell Manavgat water for peace,
while it is accused by Iraq and Syria of limiting the downstream flow to them
of the Euphrates and Tigris rivers, which both have their sources in Turkey.

Massive dam and irrigation projects have meant that since the 1970s, the
average flow from the Euphrates has dropped by half. And few in Damascus
and Baghdad forget that a senior official once boasted that Turkey could stop
the flow altogether "in order to regulate the Arab's political behavior."

Still, for Turkey the political benefits of Manavgat are as strong as
commercial ones. Long-term plans include listing Syria, Saudi Arabia as well
as Libya, Tunisia, and Algeria as clients, and officials hope to eventually earn
$300 million a year.

But immediate aims are to convince Israel, Jordan, and the Palestinian
territories that Turkish water is cheaper than large desalinization projects. A
preliminary Israeli study showed that importing water from Turkey would be
cheaper than desalinating sea water, an option that Israel has been
considering for years.

"There is a lot of sense in trying to cooperate in this triangle," says Alon Liel,
who heads Global Code, a Jerusalem-based consulting firm which
encourages Turkish-Israeli projects.

"The calculations show that it's reasonable economically, and important
regionally," he says. "The Israeli decision will trigger Jordanian and
Palestinian decisions."

The "bottleneck," he notes, is reluctance by Israel's infrastructure ministry to
be dependent on another country - despite Turkey and Israel's growing
military ties - for such a strategic resource.

Turkish analysts dismiss such fears. "This water will not replace Jordan's or
Israel's own, it's supplementary. It will help," says Ozden Bilen, a water
expert and former DSI director, in Ankara. "There are a lot of solutions, and
desalinization techniques are advancing so rapidly that the price will come
down. But Manavgat is constructed, and it's ready."

"In today's world, every country is dependent on another," adds Mr. Denker.
"Perhaps this is another aspect of globalization. Today it's not a reasonable
idea that you can remain independent of any neighbor."

Global demand for water doubles every 21 years, and experts say that 90
percent of the usable water in the Mideast crosses one or more international
borders - meaning that disputes are chronic.

Such political minefields are what eventually doomed Turkey's first "peace
pipeline" scheme, put forward in the mid-1980s by then-President Turgut
Ozal. That grandiose $5 billion plan envisioned two pipelines that would send
water all the way along both sides of the Arabian peninsula - to the United
Arab Emirates in the east, and Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, in the west.

"No one liked the idea of relying on neighbors who could turn off the flow, and
there was Turkey's historical baggage," says a Western diplomat in Ankara,
referring to the Ottoman Empire that spread across the Arab world - leaving
many Arabs to view Turkey with suspicion.

"For Turkey, 'Hi, I'm here to help' is not the best way to start a conversation
in the Mideast," the diplomat says. "The 'peace pipeline' is dead."

Israel, Jordan, and Palestinian territories use some 3.2 billion cubic meters
of water a year, but can usually replenish only 2.5 billion. By contrast,
Turkey says its total flow into the salty Mediterranean Sea is 16 billion cubic
meters a year, and Manavgat spills 4.5 billion of that.

This pilot project - called a "first step" by officials - has a capacity of 180
million cubic meters a year, or ten percent of Israel's entire consumption.

Water deals are not impossible: Calibrated water sharing is key to the 1994
Jordan-Israel peace treaty. Jordan is currently studying how to import 180
cubic meters from Turkey over the next two years. If it does so, it will require
a transit or swap deal with Israel.

But while Turkey pushes this project as good for peace, it also makes clear
that it doesn't want its water resources to be a bargaining chip in any
comprehensive peace deal.

Thinking that a deal was being brokered behind its back in January, Turkey
responded vehemently when State Department spokesman James Rubin
said that water "is not only between Israel and Syria but has a regional
dimension as well, including Turkey, and any solutions could have regional
dimensions."

And there is a further issue. "One of the wrinkles for Israel," says Tom
Stauffer, a Washington-based water and energy expert, is that any peace
deal sets a market price on water. Israel has been siphoning off Palestinian
water for a generation from an aquifer beneath the occupied West Bank, and
compensation is sure to be part of any peace deal.

"The Palestinians are watching very closely," he says.

Politics aside, the Manavgat project has made the theory of shifting Turkey's
excess water to its thirsty neighbors feasible for the first time. And it could
enable Turkey to claim the kudos of a traditional Turkish proverb: "May you
be as blessed as water."

http://www.csmonitor.com/durable/2000/04/18/fp1s1-csm.shtml

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