The news from Israel is coming fast and furious, with many conflicting statements.

I found this blog.....He is translating bulletins and tv reports from the Israeli media.

Mere Rhetoric
http://www.mererhetoric.com/

Lance:

Thanks so much.

But what about Gaza?!

Dovid:

I'm not quite sure what you're asking, but at the moment Gaza is the closest thing on earth to Dante's Inferno.

Ariel Sharon was not one of the greatest Israeli soldiers in Israeli history... he was one the greatest soldiers in the history of the world. I opposed much of his politics, but even before 1973 he was an incredible commando leader and fierce fighter. It is safe to say there would be no Israel today without him.

I too pray for Ariel Sharon. I am thankful for his life, for his love of Israel and for his strength in defending her. That said, I absolutely cannot understand his recent actions in turning over land to the Palestinians. I dont really understand the politics in Israel but is Netanyahu now in control again? If so, that's very interesting. Happy New Year all (yikes I know its not Yom Kippur but ya'll know what I mean)(or am I confusing Rosh Hashana? and I'm absolutely certain that is misspelled, perhaps I'll quit before it gets worse)

Even though I am not jewish, I am so sad to hear how ill Prime Minister Sharon is right now. He has so much unfinished business to attend to and I am quite concerned he will not be able to do so.

My prayers are for him, his family and the Nation of Isreal.

I mean, how can we forgive him for Gaza?? I, too respect his military carreer, but as a politician he earned my hate. I know it's not politically correct to say this now, but he ruined ten thousand Jewish lives to get this inferno!

I am very upset by this, both for him personally and what this will mean for Israel.

Amen.

Jake:

You are correct, Ariel Sharon is one of the greatest warriors the world has ever seen. His tactics were superb. Only Marshall Zhukov of the Red Army encircled as many enemy forces as Sharon did. But Zhukov did it with no regard for his soldier's lives.

Suz:

No, Bibi Netanyahu is not in control. Sharon's second in command, Ehud Olmert, has been designated. Yom Kippur and Rosh Hashanah are months past. We have just finsihed celebrating Chanukah. A victory of Jewish spirit over Hellenized flesh. Thanks so much for your prayers. Israel needs them.

Right Mom:

Always good to hear from you. There is much unfinished business. We trust that HaShem, G-d, will always lead the People of Israel in times of danger.

Dovid:

1. I'd like to point out that no less than Rabbi Yochanan Ben Zakai handed Jerusalem over to Vespasian when he felt that the people of Israel were in mortal danger. As long as we have The Torah, all will be well.

2. Please keep in mind that sin of Sinat Chinam was responsible for so much tragedy in Jewish history that even you, a child, must realize the danger of your words. Remember what happened to the students of Rabbi Akiba.

You were not at the battle of The Chinese Farm. General Sharon was. And a hundred other battles where blood flowed like water. Jewish blood. If not for him, well, there might not be a State of Israel.

I trust you will say Tehilim when you daven Shacharis tomorrow morning.

Thank you all for reading and commenting on Seraphic Secret.

As long as we have Torah we'll be fine? 2 things: First of all, what's Sharon doing for the torah?

Second, the fact is that Sharon's politics is costing Jewish blood. So therefore, I don't think the Torah endorses him. Maybe this policy of "as long as we have the torah..." really leaves us with nothing? What good is study if it doesn't bring to action? I will not pray for his recovery. The world will be a brighter place tomorrow. And if you don't agree with me, just go through the internet for some pictures of the disengagement, and you'll agree soon enough. Or go look at the news about Gaza now. Either will work.

I hope he recovers, though I also disagree with his latest policies.

I will pray for Sharon, his family and for Israel.

You see, that's our problem: evicting 10,000 Jews from their homes, placing Jewish lives in mortal danger, and cynically ignoring the governement encouraged sel-sacrifice, is dubbed "politics". What does politics have to do with murder? Let's change that to, "I hope he recovers, though I also disagree with latest murders."

When Sharon had a yechidus with the Lubavitcher Rebbe while he was still a general, the Rebbe told him that as a general he was the best, and he should never, under any circumstances, venture into politics. And he ignored the Rebbe, and look where he ended up...

(Just a short story about the yechidus: The Rebbe held him in his office for a disproportionate ammount of time, and Sharon was very squirmy because he was going to miss the flight. The Rebbe told him not to worry and to take a later flight. Sharon did so, and when he landed he learned that the original plane was hijcked to Algeria because he was supposed to be on it! He always felt indebted to the Rebbe for his life and expressed his debt many times. Yet when the chance came to pay up this summer, he himself declared to the Lubavitch rabbonim that he is sure that he would be able to convince the Rebbe of the "integrity" of his plan, and he thinks he has the Rebbe's blessings. Blessings he has...)

Irina, Lisa:

Thanks for writing, and for your compassion.

Look....whether we agree or disagree...the man is fighting for his life. The rabbinate has called for people to gather at the wall and pray for his welfare.....Rav Ovadia Yosef is doing the same.

Now is certainly not the time to be arguing policy.

We should show compassion, and hope Hashem will protect him and grant Ariel Sharon a fast healing.

Lance:

Well said. Thanks.

The latest I can glean from various internet sources is that the condition of Ariel sharon is quite critical.

It seems there is more hemorrhaging and they returned for more surgery.

I reluctantly supported the disengagement. It was a painful process, like amputating a part of your body, but I think that it was necessary.

And good, bad or indifferent Sharon has been a part of making sure that there was and is an Israel for us to love, fight and cry over.

He is one of the few who remains who fought to bring it back into the world and among the brave who did what he could to keep it.

It is easy to point fingers of blame when you are not the one making decisions of life and death and I have no doubt that Sharon took it all into consideration.

He has my gratitude and my respect and I wish him a refuah shleimah.

It is a rough time.

Jack:

Rough indeed, thank you for your sobering and fine thoughts.

Dovid, Dovid, Dovid:

I'm sorely distressed and disappointed in you. The Rebbe, ZT'L would, I guarantee, be davenening for Prime Minister Sharon right now.

robert, you maybe right. I don't know what the Rebbe, which stands for Rosh Bnei Yisroel, would be doing now. But I just can't bring myself to feel compassionate. As a human, and a flawed one at that, I can't see myself pray for him, with the images of shuls burning, and women weeping, still fresh in my mind. But if you feel bad for him, daven on. It can never hurt to say some extra tehillim, and even the biggest reshoim have done teshuva...

Forgive me for butting in...but there have been times in my life when I have had to pray for the willingness to pray for someone. Not for them...but for me.

Dovid:

Your attitude and smugness towards Robert are an absolute embarrassment.

It is completely unbecoming from someone who is Torah observant.

Thankyou, Lance. Well said.

BTW, What is Ariel Sharon's full name?

I would like to apologize. I have thought long and hard about my opinion, and you can follow the link here to my blog for my newest feelings. Praying for Sharon, Dovid

his name for misheberach and tfillot is
ariel ben vera-devora
shabbat shalom
kobi

Pat Robertson's ugly comments, Pres of Iran's ugly comments. Even some settlers on CNN's ugly comments, saying they wish him dead.

How sick is this world?

Examine the sickness that religion provokes in all of us.

Sad.

Robert,
FYI:
Roger Simon blog:

...."the NYT has an editorial ....that is suprisingly (and hearteningly) generous to Sharon, a man toward whom they were often unkind. It concludes:

It is possible that Kadima, with Mr. Sharon's deputy, Ehud Olmert, likely to be at the helm, can cast itself as a new centrist alternative to Labor and Likud. But Mr. Olmert, while a respected politician who helped formulate the Sharon doctrine of unilateral withdrawal from Gaza, has neither the stature nor the popularity of Ariel Sharon. So while Mr. Sharon would probably have been able to carry Israel on the back of his own charisma and appeal, Mr. Olmert is likely to have to rely instead on the appeal of Kadima's vision.

That vision cannot be one that relies solely on unilateral separation. For a centrist way to work, there has to be a vision that also encompasses the steps necessary to eventually end the seemingly never-ending conflict with the Palestinians, including a complete enough withdrawal from the West Bank to give the Palestinians a workable state. It would secure Mr. Sharon's place in history if the centrist party he founded somehow managed to turn his vision of separation into one of a just and lasting peace.

I'm rooting for Olmert and Kadima and the legacy of Sharon. I can't see how it's possible not to."

UNQUOTE

http://www.rogerlsimon.com/

Danny, I realize that to many people religion seems like the catalyst to evil deeds, but I really think that is not the case. Just like anything else, good people use religion to do good things and vice versa. I was raised religious, but one reason that I am no longer religious is because I did not see religious teaching as a necessary component of being a good person. HOWEVER, many good people do, and I respect that belief and I refuse to believe that any legitimate religion, is the real reason behind killing, etc. It can be misused yes, but it alone is not the problem. Cults, like Scientology, etc. are a different story.

Just to clarify, Pat Robertson says stuff like that to get on TV and maybe more donations. The President of Iran is vying for political power in the Islamic world. This is about greed and power, not religion. I also truly believe that many rabid secularists use causes like gay marriage and abortion to gain power, money and prestige.

Dovid:

Yasher Koach, and have a lovely and meaningful Shabbos.

Danny:

There will be no resolution to the conflict with the Palestinians in the forseeable future.

You will have to live with this simple truth.

Anything else is utopian. And I'm not being cynical.

Israel has tried time and again to make peace and each time her efforts have been rebuffed. Starting in 1948 with the partition plan up to Barak's incredibly generous (and stupid) concessions to Arafat. The Palis have made it quite clear that they have no interest in building a state, only destroying Israel. They have squandered gazillions of dollars. So much money that they could have established ten viable states by now.

There is no partner for peace.

That is why Sharon withdrew from Gaza and started building the fence without discussing it with the Arabs.

Some problems are so intractable there are no simple solutions. That's why people get divorced.

That's why there are wars.

Ultimately, I believe there will be a war because the Palestinians are a dysfunctional, death cult society. Israel will bring them to their knees, much like America and the allies brought Germany and Japan to their knees.

And then there will be peace.

The world is an ugly place.

Read Livy's "Punic Wars." It's all there. Shot for shot.

My G-d Robert, can't believe this is about to come out of my mouth...but I'm afraid I actually agree with you on this point...how do you deal with people who are willing to blow themselves up...send their children in to be blown up? But I will continue to sing Kumbaya and hope for peace.

Randi:

You agree with me?

For once. I am speechless.

Prime Minister Sharon may in fact be quite dead.

http://www.freedomsphoenix.com/Feature-Article.htm?InfoNo=002728&PHPSESSID=c0d6bf37167bb85ab35868ec10631f14

"Mordechai Vanunu was on the Charles Goyette Radio Show today, and as an aside mentioned that he had highly placed Israeli government sources who informed him that Prime Minister Ariel Sharon was in fact dead. That the Israeli government is in a panic, because they have no one to replace him. The rule of succession is not clear. And all that Sharon has set about accomplishing in the past few months may fall apart with his passing. So his body is plugged into a respirator, access to him is restricted, and the news of his death is being covered up until the Israeli government can work out its problems."

Even if he isn't medically dead, its fair to say that he is constructively gone for good and Ehud Olmert needs your support.

Janus:

Vanunu is a traitor and would hardly constitute a reliable source--for anything.

Yeah, whatever we do, let's not act the way the Palestinians did last year when Arafat was rumored to be dead, alive, then dead and alive again.

It's amazing that just a few days after the West Virginia mine report screw-up that people are willing to go with rumors in serious life-and-death situations again. I've often told my bosses in TV news that real viewers really don't care all that much about who gets a story 5 minutes before the other guy, but they DO care when we get plum wrong. Of course, I think that viewers don't care about most of what's on TV news.

Jake:

Thanks so much. I can always count on your good sense.

I can't believe that Vanunu is being quoted as a source. What is this world coming to? As I wrote in my post: "Let us all act with proper dignity."

Which immediately disqualifies Vanunu.

I'm sorry. I honestly wasn't aware that Mr. Vanunu was held in such low esteem.

Janus:

We all make mistakes. We admire you for apologizing. Thank you for reading and commenting in Seraphic Secret.

Ariel Sharon has been in my prayers, and will remain there. Israel and Jerusalem have LONG been in my prayers. Robert, I agree with you about peace, essentially:

"Ultimately, I believe there will be a war because the Palestinians are a dysfunctional, death cult society. Israel will bring them to their knees, much like America and the allies brought Germany and Japan to their knees.

And then there will be peace."

Dear WI Catholic:

Thanks so much for your prayers and your support. We need it.

It is so good to see the Prime Minister progressing. It seems prayers may have worked. They also had an interesting side benefit: http://www.breitbart.com/news/2006/01/10/060110151813.2d6ojij8.html

I will continue to pray so that the miricle can continue and he can finish his work for Israel.

Rightmom:

Thanks so much for your prayers and the link. Amazing.

One of Israel's leading military historians disagrees with your (and others) assessment of the strategic and military value of the canal crossing. see http://www.makorrishon.co.il/show.asp?id=9726

Dear Settler:

Thanks so much for your comment. As to the disagreement: he is wrong.