by Rabbi Shraga Simmons
The usual method is to count down toward the big day, whereas in the case of the Omer, we count up -- from one to 50. Why the difference?
The Jewish people left Egypt on Passover, and 50 days later (on the holiday of Shavuot) received the Torah at Mount Sinai. Today, in revisiting that Sinai experience, we observe a special mitzvah called "Counting the Omer," where we actually count aloud each of these days, beginning on the second night of Passover. (The Omer was a special offering brought to the Holy Temple during this season.)
Counting in anticipation of an exciting event is quite understandable. At one time or another, we've all probably said something like, "Grandma's coming to visit in a week and a half," or "Only 17 more days til my birthday!" But there's one subtle difference: The usual method is to count down toward the big day, whereas in the case of the Omer, we count up -- from one to 50. Why the difference?
LONG-TERM IMPACT
To understand, we first need to answer a more basic question: Why did God wait 50 days after the Jews left Egypt before giving the ...   more »

As Hizbullah inches closer to Lebanon takeover, we must reassess new options
Yaron London  Israel Opinion 
A few weeks ago, I wrote here: “In a few years…either through arms or through the polls, Muslim Shiites will complete their takeover of Lebanon.” I am no expert on Lebanese affairs, but I did not need to be too daring to make this prediction.
I based my assessment on lessons learned back in the first Lebanon War, where we were surprised by the weakness and corruption of Lebanon’s Christian community. To that I added the lessons of the Second Lebanon War, as well as demographic figures and other facts that are clear to all. 
The essence of it is that the Shiites comprise the largest ethnic group in Lebanon and its members are stimulated by a justified sense of discrimination intermixed with religious zealotry. The Shiites face many ethnic groups with contradictory interests. And most of all: The Shiites are willing to sacrifice themselves for the sake of their aspirations, while the other groups are unwilling to do so.
The tight relationship between Lebanon’s Shiites and Iran was not a necessary result of the religious affinity between them, but the religious beliefs were ...   more »

by Amotz Asa-El
Israel's political crisis has reached alarming proportions. Never before in the country's history has there been a state of affairs such as exists today, whereby the former president, the current prime minister, and those he originally appointed as finance minister, justice minister, and head of the Income Tax Authority are all in various stages of criminal investigation, indictment, or conviction for offenses ranging from sexual misconduct and tax fraud to unlawful patronage and embezzlement. Clearly, the political arena is in a state of severe moral deterioration.
It is not surprising, therefore, that the Israeli public's faith in the integrity of its governmental institutions is declining rapidly. This pervasive sense of decay has only been compounded by the Second Lebanon War, during which Israel's politicians failed in their most essential task: The defense of the nation against outside threats. This failure raised questions not only about their morality, but also their competence. Moreover, the abundance of excellent leadership elsewhere in Israel –– in, for example, the business, technology, and science sectors –– forces one to ask why it cannot be found where it is needed the most.
Some place their hopes in a change of leadership. Yet it ...   more »

by Stan Goodenough
Although he almost certainly does not fully realize the ramifications, US President George W. Bush, who is due to arrive in Jerusalem Wednesday morning on a three-day visit, is set to come face to face with the Word of the Lord concerning the restoration of Israel.Bush has been scheduled a private viewing Thursday evening of a 2000-year-old scroll containing the entire book of Isaiah.Virtually every one of Israel’s ancient prophets foretold the dispersion (Diaspora) of the Jews, centuries before it happened in AD 70 and 135.And virtually every one of Israel’s prophets, from Moses all the way through the Hebrew Scriptures, foretold the restoration of that globally-scattered and universally-persecuted people to the same land from which they were driven, and God’s securing of them as a resurrected nation in that land.Of all the prophets, Isaiah is most famous for prophesying this physical and spiritual restoration of the Jews.Among famous and well-loved passages from that book we have:Isaiah 11:11-12: It shall come to pass in that day that the Lord shall set His hand again the second time to recover the remnant of His people who are left, ...   more »