by rabbi Lazer Brody
On July 27th, 2004 Senate candidate Barack Obama spoke to delegates during the Democratic National Convention in Boston. Some call it "The Speech", a 17 minute star-making turn. Obama walked on stage a total unknown and walked off as a superstar. Four months after the convention, Obama won the U.S. Senate seat in a landslide. Senate campaigns cost tons of money; no problem here either - Hashem gave Obama all he needed. Hashem wanted Obama in office...
Now hear this: July 27th, 2004 was the 9th day of the Hebrew month of Av, "Tisha B'Av." This is a perpetual day of calamity for the Jewish people when among other disasters, both Holy Temples in Jerusalem were destroyed. Tonight - Tisha B'Av 5769 - is the 5th anniversary of Obama's rise to power. Who would believe that a freshman senator who had no record and had barely completed half a term would be the world's most influential leader in 5 short years? Is there any similar precedent in history?
Adolf Shicklgruber (aka Heidler, which subsequently became Hitler on his German nationalization papers) was an Austrian-born Lance Corporal in the German Army in WWI. After the war, he became a beer-hall orator and sworn antisemite and German nationalist who unsuccessfully tried to sieze power by force in 1923 with his fellow Nazi rowdies. Within 10 short years, in 1933, he became the elected Chancellor of Germany.
Obama's rise to power has been twice as fast as Hitler's. Their common denominator is their fast tongue - Hitler was and Obama is a classic mass-swaying orator. If this does not stimulate the fear of G-d in your heart, then you need an urgent EKG.
Here's another interesting parallel - today's issue of Time Magazine lauds Obama for saying no to Israel about building in East Jerusalem. This is the same Time Magazine that voted Adolph Hitler Man of the Year in 1938.
Are you still not with me? I don't want to make the doomsday predicitions that the my esteemed friend Rabbi Amnon Yitzchak and the Sefardi Mekubalim are making about what's in store for the Jews on both sides of the ocean from Obama. Whether you believe in the autistics or not, they have blood-chilling forecasts about what's in store for America's Jews. This past week, Rav Eliezer Berland shlit'a said some hair-raising warnings about hostilities that could erupt before Rosh Hashana. We all must make urgent teshuva.
Tonight (Wednesday night, 29 July, 2009) is Tisha B'Av, commemorating the destruction of both our Holy Temples. Obama's rise to power began on Tisha B'Av - this is not a good sign.
I asked my beloved teacher and spiritual guide, Rabbi Shalom Arush, what we can do to turn the tides. He smiled his gorgeous smile, while tears filled his eyes, and said, "We must strengthen our emuna and spread emuna - fast. This and personal prayer will invoke Divine compassion."
Rav Shalom has been doing hours of hitbodedut every day. He's exhausted from pleading with Hashem, but he continues. He can't do this alone - we must help him, and thereby help ourselves.
Few of you will take me seriously. Few of you did when I said on July 24, 2008 - more than three months before the election - that Obama would win. I also predicted, "Mister V [a nickname we coined for Obama] will negotiate (and be buddies) with Iran, Syria, and everyone else, and Israel will stand alone with no one to turn to but Hashem." That has all come down, too.
Ovadiah was given the task of prophesizing about Esau and Edom since he came from Edom. Maybe Hashem is giving me the job of blowing the whistle about Obama because I was born in Washington, DC.
Hashem is doing everything for the best. Obama's job is to hasten the Geula by forcing us all to return to Hashem and return to our Holy Land of Israel. Start making plans now, because you never know when the gates will be slammed shut.
You won't be able to say that you didn't know.
Have an easy fast. May we all see the rebuilding of Jerusalem and the consolation of Zion, amen
