Calm down you two murder clowns. The headline on Fox News (which I almost never check unless I know something big is happening and I want to see how the MSM is screening it) is this: RUSSIAN ROULETTE: US Rejects Russia’s Demand to Stop Airstrikes as Putin Launches His Own.
There’s enough bombs and airspace for everyone to bomb Syria as much as you want. Calm down people. If it makes you feel any better, I’d much rather you come to terms with how you are both going to bomb Syria rather than fight each other over it, because that would be much worse. So I hope Putin and Obama come to an agreement about who can bomb what parts and when, before the Cold War starts up again and becomes hot.
Speaking of that, there are four more days until Hoshana Rabba, hands down the weirdest holiday in Judaism. The friend who pointed out the whole blood moon phenomenon to me also insists that Putin is Gog, citing that Gog is referred to as נשיא ראש משך ותובל. Why Nasi (president) and Rosh (head)? Putin is both president and prime minister of Russia, I believe, and the capital of Russia is Moscow – משך. Don’t know what Tuval is.
Look, I still don’t put much more than curiosity into any of these readings. If it’s true, great. If it’s not, reality is what it is. But the fact that Russia and America are now fighting over Syria is certainly bringing to mind Gog uMagog imagery in my head. This Shabbat we will be reading that Haftarah from Yechezkel. So let’s see what happens.
The Jewish Libertarian 
I don’t know if it means anything to you, but lately I have been strangely attracted to read parts of the Bible that I found out later on were actually related to the holidays we celebrated.
But on this Sunday the text is about “love for enemies” (Luke 6 31-36).
I know Putin had his Christian Orthodox moment, back with Dughin, it passed, now he’s nationalist with Jirinovski, but if he’ll pass through Church on this Sunday he will hear the love thy enemy story.
Psychopaths are hysterical and impressionable, warmongers are more like a machine, you have to convince them real hard to stop.
But, no! Damn so many churches! He’s Russian. He’ll hear something different, because their calendar is different.
He’ll hear Hebrews 7:26 among others but this always attracts attention, about Melchisedek and high priests and the perfection of “the Son”.. Not well. He may want to “wash his hands with blood” like in Leviticus priests are described even if in Hebrews it advises not to do so, but I see Putin more like in trance listening not really listening, and it’s up to his own brain to see it metaphorical or not.
Now I’m scared.
You do know Rafi that Putin has pictures of czars of Russia in his office and not a few byzantine ambitions of his own. I remember when he said “I am truly blessed, God wanted my life to be perfect insofar” or something like this. What do you think he may think when he’ll hear something like “26 For the law appoints as high priests men in all their weakness; but the oath, which came after the law, appointed the Son, who has been made perfect forever.”
Where did you get the weird idea that priests washed their hands with blood?
Maybe not your religion, Lisa. But all in all, how do you call the Catholic Inquisition then? Priests washed their hands with the blood of sinners, with no doubt many were sinners, but yet? And the wars done against who were considered unfaithful?
I heard it In Church, with the explanation that it is metaphorically, of course (blood of Christ).
“He may want to “wash his hands with blood” like in Leviticus priests are described even if in Hebrews it advises not to do so”
You specifically referred to Leviticus. So I’ll ask again, where did you get the idea that any such thing appears in Leviticus?
You’re right, Lisa! It doesn’t say that! But I heard them the priest saying this and it was not the most peaceful of contexts, like the world is so depraved and what can we do and I got scared when I heard it that the Church wants “action” to be taken so I remember this specifically.
Lisa don’t bother Mary too much. She’s nice, let her be.
Why, Rafi! תובל means “spiced,” of course, as in מתובל!
Not sure if Lisa’s right, or not. Probably.
Although, some sources suggest that it’s happen pretty quickly, as in minutes, 1/3 killed, 1/3 killed eventually by the aftermath of plague, radioactivity, lack of clean water, you name it, and 1/3 will survive,…for now. Zechariyah 14:12 sure sounds a little like nuclear war to me. But, “על כנפי נשרים” (Shemoth 19:4) sounds to me like airplanes, but what do I know?!
But, you can’t say that war isn’t “spicy!”
Actually, Rashi (I don’t recall where) expresses uncertainty as to whether the 2/3 that get wiped out will be Ham and Japheth, or whether it’ll be them and 2/3 of Shem as well.
The idea of the head of Russia as Gog originated in “The Late, Great Planet Earth”, by evangelical preacher Hal Lindsey, back in the 70s. Fact is, Yechezkel used the names of actual people and nations who lived at his time. Gog is the Akkadian “Gugu”, known to the Greeks as Gyges, king of Lydia. Or Turkey, if you like. There were nations in Asia Minor with names like Mushki (Meshech) and the like. At the time, the historical Gog was the leader of a confederation of smaller nations, as far to the west as most of the people in Babylon and Israel knew about. You could conclude from that that the reference is to the US, but I figure we’ll find out when we find out.
Personally, while I would like this Hoshana Rabba to be it, just to get things over with, I highly doubt it. Not nearly enough lead-up time for things to go that utterly pear-shaped.