Shabbat Times
by Rabbi Ari Kahn
Understanding why God rested on the seventh day, and what it means for me.
Exodus chapter 35 begins with Moses gathering the people, ostensibly to teach them the Torah which he received at Sinai. He begins with the laws of Shabbat. This should come as no surprise; we know that Shabbat is among the most "important" of mitzvot, a cornerstone of Judaism.
Some commentaries highlight the juxtaposition of this teaching with the sin of the Golden Calf. The Golden Calf was surely idolatry, on some level; Shabbat, as testimony to God's having created the world in six days, serves as a spiritual antidote for idolatry in the future.
Another connection between the sin of the Golden Calf and the choice of Shabbat as the first lesson lies in the very nature of the sin: If we say that the Golden Calf was an attempt to "know God," Shabbat is offered by Moses as the correct method to achieve this goal. If you seek God and wish to know Him, observe Shabbat. This is the proper way to experience the Divine.hat is striking is that the Jews had already been commanded to keep Shabbat, the ...   more »

By Barak Ravid  
The government is considering resuming funding for the advanced laser-based Skyguard missile protection system, security officials told Haaretz. They added that if the system is approved, it can be operational within 18 months.
The project was dropped about a year and a half ago, despite several successful tests and in spite of repeated rocket attacks from Lebanon and the Gaza Strip, but Public Security Minister Avi Dichter has been enlisted to spearhead the effort to resurrect Skyguard by a strong lobby group, including former defense ministry officials, that has developed.
To address the threat from Palestinian Qassam rockets, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and then-defense minister Amir Peretz approved the development of an alternative missile-defense system which is based on intercepting rockets rather then laser beams. The missile interceptor, named Iron Dome ("Kipat Barzel" in Hebrew), was to be developed by Rafael, the national authority for the development of weapons and military technology, and completed within three years.    
Olmert and Peretz's decision to go ahead with the Iron Dome project was made in conjunction with the Defense Ministry's recommendation to develop the system in Israel, and facilitated by the fact that a foreign country agreed to ...   more »

Assad encouraging army officers to settle in Syrian side of disputed region in preparation for possible confrontation. ‘We have an answer in case Israel attacks our cities,’ says senior official in Damascus
In a secret message relayed to Jerusalem, Syria warned the Israeli government that should it continue to reject Damascus’ peace overtures, a war of attrition may break out in the Golan Heights, according to a report published Thursday.  
Yedioth Ahronot has learned that in recent days Israel received reports of increased Syrian presence on its side of the Golan Heights in preparation for a possible war.  
Syrian President addresses military saying country committed to restoring hold on Golan. Meanwhile Syrian FM says 'Syria will take part in any International peace conference'      
During the past year the Syrian government has encouraged its citizens to settle in the Syrian side of the Golan Heights; Israel has recently learned that many of those who have made the Golan their new home were officers in active or reserve army duty who had lost their jobs following Syria’s withdrawal from Lebanon in 2005.  
Should a military conflict erupt in the region, these officers are expected to spearhead acts of ...   more »

Syrian President Bashar Assad on Tuesday wrote a letter to the Syrian army marking the 62nd anniversary of its establishment that had the tone of preparing soldiers for imminent armed conflict.
“The Syrian army and the Syrian people are stronger than they have ever been, and Syria is determined to return every grain of dirt from its occupied land,” wrote Assad, referring to the Golan Heights region, which Israel captured from Syria in the 1967 Six Day War.
“Our desire for peace does not mean that we have given up our rights,” continued Assad. “The liberation of our occupied land is a sacred duty and a right guaranteed by international laws.”
Israeli military experts have been warning for months that Syria is preparing the ground for war, and may try to spark a broader conflict by first engaging in limited cross-border aggression.
Orignal Source

   more »