by Rabbi Shraga Simmons
Shabbat is an anywhere-in-the-world, expense-free holy-time vacation.
A Jewish riddle: Some mitzvot we perform through the act of eating (e.g. matzah on Passover), while other mitzvahs we perform by thinking (e.g. Torah study). Some mitzvahs we perform by speaking (e.g. the Shema), while others we perform by hearing (e.g. the Shofar on Rosh Hashana). But there are certain mitzvot we perform by immersing ourselves totally -- i.e. where our body is completely surrounded by the mitzvah. Try to guess what they are before reading on...
FOUR IMMERSIONS
There are four mitzvahs that involve total bodily immersion:
1)
Sukkah - on the holiday of Sukkot, the mitzvah is to be completely enveloped by dwelling in a Sukkah.
2)
Mikveh - at appropriate times, we completely immerse ourselves in the purifying waters of the Mikveh.
3) Land of Israel - it is a mitzvah to be physically located in the Land of Israel.
These three are similar in that they are all immersions in a particular place.
The fourth answer? Shabbos.
When Shabbos comes, we immerse in a new dimension, a dimension of time. In this way, Shabbos is qualitatively different. Rather than a holy "place" that we ...   more »

by Natan Sharansky
Anti-Semitism has leapfrogged from isolated attacks against Jews to incitement to genocide -- the actual elimination of the Jewish state.
Just over three years ago, at the first-ever global forum on anti-Semitism organized by the State of Israel, the essential task was to define the beast -- the new anti-Semitism. Since then, as the fourth such global gathering meets this week, efforts to incorporate the "three-D" distinction between legitimate criticism of Israel and the new anti-Semitism -- demonization, double standards and delegitimization -- have become part of international documents and discourse.
These and other accomplishments, as important as they are, have been dwarfed by the quantum leap anti-Semitism itself has taken. It has leapfrogged from isolated attacks against Jews to incitement to genocide -- the actual elimination of the Jewish state.
This shift has come in the form of a pincer movement. On one side, we have the Iranian regime, which is denying the Holocaust and calling for Israel to be "wiped off the map," while racing to develop the physical means of doing so. On the other side, we have what is, in effect, international silence in response, coupled with growing willingness to discuss Israel's existence ...   more »

By MATT GUTMAN
RAMALLAH, West Bank, Feb. 16, 2007 — - Ramallah's rich and politically connected have their anxiety focused on Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's upcoming visit.
One of the people bustling about town was Abdel Jawad Saleh, a former Palestinian minister. "The Palestinians are like a drowning man," he said, "hanging on by a thread. And that thread is Condoleezza Rice."
Many hope that the summit might keep the Mideast from sinking into further violence. Yet they are glumly certain that Rice's summit with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas is destined to fail.
All the parties need to notch a success when Rice arrives Monday for a series of meetings she has said will create a "political horizon" for the Palestinians.
Washington needs to avert attention from the bleeding in Iraq and staunch Iran's growing regional influence. Olmert is swamped by charges of corruption, and worse yet, ineptitude. And the Palestinians, whose economy is crippled by sanctions against the Hamas government, hope negotiations can lift the military siege around their cities and turn on the spigot of foreign donations.
Despite Washington's best efforts, Palestinians acknowledge it's not going to happen anytime soon.
Some ...   more »

The two smiles said it all. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas looked as if his smile had been painfully stapled onto his face, while his rival, Hamas leader and Prime Minister Ismael Haniyeh, beamed with satisfaction. Haniyeh had reason to be cheerful. Everything is going Hamas's way — even though it was Haniyeh who had to resign.
Abbas accepted Haniyeh's resignation on Thursday evening in Gaza, but then had to formally request that the Hamas chief form a new "national unity" government. And that was only after Abbas had caved in on several key demands by the Islamic militant group. First, Abbas agreed to recognize all decisions made by the 11-month old Hamas government, including the formation of a 3,000-man, pro-Haniyeh security force that roams Gaza's dangerous streets. The commander of this force will be a Hamas man. This enables Hamas to keep its edge in the Gaza strip over Abbas's armed Fatah militias. Since December, fighting between the rival militias has cost over 90 Palestinian lives.
Secondly, Hamas will have veto power over Abbas's choice of deputy premier. That is a blow not only to Abbas but also to the Israelis and the Americans. The president had wanted to place ...   more »