by Rabbi Noson Weisz
The mitzvah of counting the Omer holds the key to understanding the proper balance between thoughts and feelings.
One of the most confusing aspects of life, which impacts particularly on our attitude to our relationship with God and the way we relate to religion, is the establishment of the proper balance between thoughts and feelings. In the establishment of what we consider true reality, does what we feel or what we know play the dominant role, or is there some instinctive combination of knowledge and feeling that human beings were programmed to apply? The mitzvah of counting the Omer holds the key to understanding this aspect of life.
The difference between the spiritual quality of Passover and Shavuot is expressed by the difference between the Omer sacrifice, brought on Passover, consisting of barley, an animal food, and the sacrifice of the Two Loaves made on Shavuot consisting of wheat, a food people eat. The revelation of Passover was unearned; we weren't up to attaining the level of spiritual elevation to which God raised us. Such revelation is symbolized by animal food. Animals were not created to develop their potential and are not expected to do so; ...   more »

Palestinians bristle at terminology used by US president in support of Israel, say religious analogies hailing Israelis as 'chosen people' prove Washington bias. Meanwhile Bush's Knesset address causes furor among Democrats back home who view denunciation of appeasement as jibe against Obama
While it remains unclear if US President George W. Bush's visit will yield any political gains in the race to achieve an agreement of any sort between Israel and the Palestinian Authority, it has certainly been an
eventful one; its echoes carried all the way back to the heated campaign trails leading to Washington.  
US Democrats were outraged at what they perceived to be an attempt to equate presidential hopeful Barack Obama's willingness to engage Iran with those who advocated appeasing the Nazis.  
"Some seem to believe we should negotiate with terrorists and radicals, as if some ingenious argument will persuade them they have been wrong all along," Bush said in his historic address before the Knesset on Thursday. He did not mention Obama by name or even seem to allude to any partisan divide on the hotly-debated isolation question.  
''We have heard this foolish delusion before," he continued, "as Nazi tanks crossed into Poland ...   more »

By Barak Ravid and Shahar Ilan, Haaretz Correspondents and Haaretz Service
The United States and Israel agree on the need for "tangible action" to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's spokesman said Friday, after a visit by U.S. President George W. Bush.
"We are on the same page. We both see the threat ... And we both understand that tangible action is required to prevent the Iranians from moving forward on a nuclear weapon," Olmert spokesman Mark Regev said.
Regev described diplomatic efforts so far to exert pressure on Iran as "positive", but added: "It is clearly not sufficient and it's clear that additional steps will have to be taken".
Asked about the option of using military force, Regev said: "Leaders of many countries have talked about many options being on the table and, of course, Israel agrees with that."
Senior officials in Jerusalem said Thursday that Israel is fully satisfied with the results of Bush's visit, including policy on Iran's nuclear program.
"In talks with the president of the United States during his visit it was made clear that Bush's statements on the subject of Iran's nuclear program are fully backed in practice," a senior ...   more »

by Nissan Ratzlav-Katz
 In a speech before the Knesset on Thursday afternoon, US President George W. Bush spoke of a deep US-Israel alliance, praised the Jewish people, and presented his vision of the future Middle East.
In their speeches to the plenum and to President Bush, opposition leader Binyamin Netanyahu (Likud)
Knesset Speaker Dalia Itzik focused on the Palestinian Authority Katyusha attack in Ashkelon on the day of the President's arrival here.
emphasized the Iranian threat and the Jewish people's rights to Jerusalem, while Prime Minister Ehud Olmert repeatedly praised Bush and his vision for Israel-PA negotiations. Knesset Speaker Dalia Itzik focused on the Palestinian Authority Katyusha attack in Ashkelon on the day of the President's arrival here.
Itzik began her brief comments by addressing the rocket attack, which injured dozens of people in a shopping center:
"I very much wanted to open this celebratory, important and moving occasion with words of blessing, but since last night I cannot get the pictures of the destruction and devastation in the Ashkelon mall out of my mind. Since last night, I can't stop thinking about the young mother and her baby daughter going to the medical clinic and, in a split-second flash ...   more »

by Hana Levi Julian(IsraelNN.com) Jordanian University lecturer Ibrahim Alloush recommended on Al-Jazeera television this week that suicide bombers be equipped with small nuclear bombs.According to a transcript provided by the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI), Dr. Alloush said, "Whoever managed to get a martyrdom-seeker into Dimona, should consider how to get martyrdom-seekers into Dimona and elsewhere armed with non-conventional explosives - and perhaps even small nuclear bombs," he stated. "We should think in this direction."
Alloush lived for 13 years in the United States, earning graduate degrees at Ohio University and Oklahoma State University, where he earned a doctorate in economics.
As the editor of the "Free Arab Voice", he was jailed by the Jordanian government in 2003 for incitement, after publishing an article saying there were American bases in Jordan "taking part in the aggression against Iraq."
Holocaust Denier, Al-Qaeda Supporter
Alloush also maintains that the Holocaust never took place. In 2005, Alloush said in an interview with Al-Jazeera television quoted by MEMRI, "The Holocaust is exploited to justify the Zionist policies and to justify the enemy state's right to exist. There is evidence and scientific research proving that the Holocaust is a lie."
The Jordanian professor also ...   more »

Palestinians bristle at terminology used by US president in support of Israel, say religious analogies hailing Israelis as 'chosen people' prove Washington bias. Meanwhile Bush's Knesset address causes furor among Democrats back home who view denunciation of appeasement as jibe against Obama
While it remains unclear if US President George W. Bush's visit will yield any political gains in the race to achieve an agreement of any sort between Israel and the Palestinian Authority, it has certainly been an   
eventful one; its echoes carried all the way back to the heated campaign trails leading to Washington.  
US Democrats were outraged at what they perceived to be an attempt to equate presidential hopeful Barack Obama's willingness to engage Iran with those who advocated appeasing the Nazis.  
"Some seem to believe we should negotiate with terrorists and radicals, as if some ingenious argument will persuade them they have been wrong all along," Bush said in his historic address before the Knesset on Thursday. He did not mention Obama by name or even seem to allude to any partisan divide on the hotly-debated isolation question.  
''We have heard this foolish delusion before," he continued, "as Nazi tanks crossed into ...   more »