By Yosef Werner

On Lag BaOmer, the 33rd day in counting of the Omer (Leviticus 23: 10-16), it is a custom in Israel to celebrate the remembrance day, the day Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai died, with joy, light, fire, prayers, and chants. Thousands of people make a pilgrimage to his grave in Meron in northern Israel. It is known that there are crowds there, many shy away from crowds, but many cannot be held back and want to pay tribute to Rabbi Shimon by visiting. This is not worship, but on the day of death, it is a special opportunity to honor a deceased. This is also a duty in Judaism that children remember their deceased parents and through their good deeds, the souls of the deceased can rise in their status on that day.

After Corona last year, Jews could not visit the grave of Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai. Joy returned this year and many made their way back to Meron this year. But a tragedy happened. A crowd skidded on a staircase and 45 people were trampled and several dozen were injured and transported by ambulance and helicopter for treatment. The first mutual accusations to each other can already be heard, but I do not want to reinforce that at this level. It is much more needed to feel that on this spiritual day, in addition to the plagues of Corona last year, such a drama is now occurring, which inevitably raises many questions in religious life in Israel.

Therefore, we have to clarify first the fundamental questions and to emphasize the reason behind the scene of this event. Many backgrounds from history emerge that are simply overlooked by many and I would like to go into my considerations a little deeper here.

We return to the time of the conflict between Rome and Judah in the second century. After Rabbi Aqiva, one of the greatest rabbinical authorities in Israel, lost all of his students by the thousands, Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai was one of four close disciples of Rabbi Aqiva. Just on the 33rd Omer, the dying is said to have stopped due to an epidemic of the students, it is said that the students did not give each other enough respect and honor, whereby the plague should be interpreted as a punishment. But there is also another explanation that Rabbi Aqiva was a follower of Bar Kochva, the leader of the revolt against the Romans, which he even saw him as the Messiah because of his success in his struggle against Rome. It is also said that his disciples did not die of a plague, but that they died fighting in this rebellion against Rome. Here everyone can choose what to believe.

Bar Kochva had weakened Rome considerably, but he had not won the battle. So he was not the Messiah that Rabbi Aqiva had seen in him and his interpretation was also not accepted by the rabbis either.

Rabbi Aqiva died as a martyr. The Romans did not let up in their search for him and Rabbi Aqiva did not stop defending the Torah publicly in the country and thus found the painful death by the Romans through his consistent attitude. His teaching went to his four students, to whom, in addition to his Halacha, he was also able to convey his deep knowledge of what we call Jewish mysticism / Kabbalah today. Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai continued down this path. So much for the background to our story that we need to be able to follow my reflections.

Life in Israel was ambiguous under Roman rule. As long as Jews held back politically, the more they were ready for relief to the Jews. In the Talmud, in the treatise Shabbat 33b, we find the following description of an event:

“When Rabbi Yehuda and Rabbi Yosei and Rabbi Shimon were sitting, and Yehuda, son of converts, sat beside them. Rabbi Yehuda opened and said: How pleasant are the actions of this nation, the Romans, as they established marketplaces, established bridges, and established bathhouses. Rabbi Yosei was silent. Rabbi Shimon ben Yoḥai responded and said: Everything that they established, they established only for their own purposes. They established marketplaces, to place prostitutes in them; bathhouses, to pamper themselves; and bridges, to collect taxes from all who pass over them. Yehuda, son of converts, went and related their statements to his household, and those statements continued to spread until they were heard by the monarchy. They ruled and said: Yehuda, who elevated the Roman regime, shall be elevated and appointed as head of the Sages, the head of the speakers in every place. Yosei, who remained silent, shall be exiled from his home in Judea as punishment and sent to the city of Tzippori in the Galilee. And Shimon, who denounced the government, shall be killed. 

Rabbi Shimon bar Yoḥai and his son, Rabbi Elazar, went and hid in the study hall. Every day Rabbi Shimon’s wife would bring them bread and a jug of water and they would eat. When the decree intensified, Rabbi Shimon said to his son: Women are easily impressionable and, therefore, there is room for concern lest the authorities torture her and she reveals our whereabouts. They went and they hid in a cave.”

(The William Davidson Talmud Translation)

We see the continuation, because Rabbi Shimon BarYochai did not want to bow down and, like Rabbi Aqiva, save the Torah for the next generations and not live in good faith with the Romans in concessions. For this reason, Rabbi Shimon and his son had to hide in a cave from the Romans for twelve years and when the emperor died and they returned to freedom, it became clear that Rabbi Shimon’s assessment was a bit exaggerated because when he came out and saw people busy sowing and plowing, he burned them with the sight of him because they were still busy with profane things. A voice from heaven sent them back to the cave for another year.

Even if the Romans had built a modern society, they weren’t just entirely for themselves. If we look today at history and realize that Rome, as the last world empire, is not yet completely over, we can, especially have learned to appreciate many things in recent years. People have become older and healthier and also more sublime in many things…

But when such things happen that believing Jews hold on to their tradition with joy and celebrate and something like this happens to them, then one should look deeper into today’s situation and examine where the general error lies. Can it be that today’s Rome is returning to its origins and now wants to force Judah / Israel through their integration into their world so that Torah and tradition will soon disappear?

If the authorities – state and religion – would consistently reflect on their role and leave Rome and the nations outside, as Rabbi Aqiva and Rabbi Shimon, then we could get back better feedback that would also give us clarity in many things.

Yes, it seems to me that the time for gentleness for Rome (Christian Western World) is over and Rome has been reluctant to admit the new reality since 1948 and they lead their own people with their defiant attitude towards G ‐ d’s plan of salvation Abyss. Not only do they oppose Israel in politics, but they also smash the livelihoods of their own citizens in their countries, and leading them to ruin and slavery. Even if the scientific status today is as high as the Tower of Babel under Nimrod, they are fighting against G‐d, Israel, and humanity.

No, when we see that our politicians want to work with these evil Romans today and dictate Israel/Jews in the same way, then we can say that a peaceful coexistence has been exploited and that everything is now exclusively for their own benefit. So Judah / Israel is back in his old danger and must therefore reconsider to whom Israel has to bring honor, and for whom Israel has to fear.

If we look back, our people were set on permanent fear, lockdown, and unworthy restrictions. Our rabbis have adopted that fear of the fake religion of the UN/WHO – Public Health – that they closed our synagogues, destroyed our holidays, forced us as guinea pigs for the world in that new and unsafe mRNA treatment. That’s not enough, also our kids our government wants to vaccinate for no reason, that unmistakable consequences for the continued existence of Judah can become possible, G-d forbid!

Because Rome has fallen since 1948 and since 1967 the Ten Lost Tribes should have awakened among the peoples of Rome/Christian/Western countries and worldwide to reconcile with Judah in Israel with their claim and actions so that Rome must finally admit its lies and crimes. But instead that this happened, the Lost Tribes continued to sleep among Rome and the pressure on Israel/Jews grew from year to year in the so-called middle east conflict. Israel/Jews also tried to go conform with the western leadership (Rome) and reinforced under the pressure the secular part of Israel Jewish society.

The consequences for religious people in the last year are comparable to what emperors have done to Israel. The entire lifestyle was changed into another religious direction and on the 25th of March 2020 the Synagogues – Mikdash Me’at – was closed and every step in our life had to be explained by the Public-Health- religion, for (their) greater good. From this date, I personally started to count the 1290 days of Daniel 12 and every day became worst the day before.

How can I be so sure that we have reached the end, and that we have to stand up and profess our holy Torah and our only G‐d (also for our own good)?

Because exactly at the end, when Rome (Edom / Christianity / Esau) lets its brutality shown, but also want to apologize hypocritically to G‐d, as they justify themselves today with charity, supporting Israel, and with their fight against anti-Semitism, but they are destroying the world with their evil plan and vote in the UN against Israel in series. Unfortunately, our government is sitting with them that they additional bring the land of Israel in danger and therefore the future of ALL returners of Israel – Jews and Ephraim in the process of Geula/Redemption.

Just as I started with the Talmud and the statements of Rabbi Shimon for his time did not yet exactly correspond to his reality, I have found exactly these statements for the end times and they will now fit there – Talmud tract Avoda Sara 2b:

“Immediately, the Roman Empire enters first before Him. The Gemara asks: What is the reason that the Roman Empire enters first? It is because the Roman Empire is the most important of all of the nations. And from where do we derive that it is the most important? As it is written in the book of Daniel with regard to the fourth empire that will rule over the world: “And it shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces” (Daniel 7:23), and Rabbi Yoḥanan says: This empire that will devour the earth is the wicked Roman Empire, whose name spread throughout the world.”

…

“First, the members of the Roman Empire enter. The Holy One, Blessed be He, says to them: With what did you occupy yourselves? They say before Him in response: Master of the Universe, we have established many marketplaces, we have built many bathhouses, and we have increased much silver and gold. And we did all of this only for the sake of the Jewish people so that they would be free to engage in Torah study. 

The Holy One, Blessed be He, says to them: Fools of the world! Are you attempting to deceive Me? Everything that you did, you did for your own needs. You established marketplaces to place prostitutes in them; you built bathhouses for your own enjoyment; and as for the silver and gold that you claim to have increased, it is Mine, as it is stated: “Mine is the silver, and Mine the gold, said the Lord of hosts” (Haggai 2:8). 

Is there no one among you who can declare that they have studied this Torah? This is the meaning of the continuation of the verse from Isaiah, as it is stated: “Who among them can declare this?” (Isaiah 43:9). “

(The William Davidson Talmud Translation)

It couldn’t be any clearer today. Rome is in the process of destroying the whole world, enslaving the world with its “Great Reset” and our politicians in Israel are also playing this game and even creating the path for them with our excellent High-Tech skills and global technocracy relationships. Israel is ready to divide its country and bow to the UN in the 2030 Agenda. Not only the compulsory vaccination will find its basis in it, but also the abandonment of our Israelite identity, like Klaus Schwab from the WEF, says, that we have to give up our (Jewish) identity to become a global citizen. Education, finance and property, law, and order will have to adapt everywhere on the globe. There will then be no more room for the Torah. How can we seriously agree to such conditions under Rome? How many times should we vote before we find out that Heaven has long stopped giving consent? The main thing is that our seat in Parliament remains? Or to get money from the government for our Yeshivot? The main thing is that our secular Israel remains in the Roman construct? The main thing is that we remain politically correct? 

No, because we do not stand up ourselves and do not stand up for the truth of our Torah, we receive the diseases from Mitzrayim (Egypt), become guinea pigs and laboratory for the Nations, let the land take away from us, and waiting to be ruled by strangers again and still trample ourselves even to death, G-d forbid.

Every single one resembles a Nadav and Avihu, the sons of Aaron, the priest who was burned to death. Every single soul of them aches. We have to stop our ignorance and stand up against Rome as Israelites, stop the fear of Public Health religion, and honor our G-d of Israel only.

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