16 years ago, in 2010, I made two videos about Iran. They are relevant today, so I thought I would share them.

(Here is the first video)

The Time is Now – Protection from Iran February 21, 2010

On December 22, 2009, major newspapers reported: Barack Obama has warned the President of China that the United States would not be able to keep Israel from attacking Iranian nuclear installations for much longer.

If Israel attacks Iran, Iran and its proxies in Lebanon and Gaza would unleash their arsenal against Israel. Iran would mine the Strait of Hormuz, stopping half the world’s oil, and might activate suicide cells throughout the world. The backlash against Israel would be enormous.

When was the last time that Iran, yes Iran, threatened the Jews with extermination? It was 2,500 years ago when the king of Iran gave his minister Haman permission to kill almost all the Jews in the world. We celebrate on Purim how Haman was stopped when we did the greatest mass Tshuva – repentance – of Jewish history.

During historic moments of truth such as this, the Jewish people should be mindful of the section of Leviticus that says…

If you will follow my decrees and observe my commandments, I will provide peace in the land. You will pursue your enemies, and they will fall before you by the sword. But if you will not listen to me and will not perform all these commandments, You will be struck down before your enemies, and I will lay your cities in ruins.

A moment of truth may be arriving. If we rise to the challenge and act in ways that are pleasing to the One above, we will celebrate. But if we let the opportunity slip by and don’t change ourselves, we might witness chas v’shalom, a different result.

What can we do? Change is difficult. For protection, the urgency to change should be felt by every Jew, no matter how close or far he or she is from Judaism. We must change on a personal and communal level. Learning is an important ingredient. Psalm 81 says:

If only my people would heed me, if Israel would walk in my ways, In an instant I would subdue their foes.

The enemy is arming. We can’t afford to let this moment slip by. Let us improve in ways that the Torah expects. The result is in our hands and applies to all of us. The time is now.

(Here is the second video I made about 4 months later in 2010)

Iran In The Talmud June 14, 2010

The countries of the world are trying to come to terms with an Iran that is rushing headlong to build an atom bomb. Iran scoffs at the threat of sanctions and a military option. In dealing with Iran, it may be helpful to understand more about it.

The Talmud, the Jewish Compendium of Law and Tradition, tells us two important clues about Iran. Both clues are on page 10a of the section called Yuma that deals mostly with a holiday of Yom Kippur.

The first clue is about the origins of Iran. It is interesting that only two nations have threatened to exterminate the Jewish people: Germany during World War II, and Iran during the story of Purim and today. Also, the Germans call themselves Aryans, and the name Iran means the land of the Aryans. Is there a link between Germany and Iran?

At the top of page 10a, the Talmud says that Yeffet, one of the three sons of Noah, had seven sons. Two of these sons were Germany and Iran. According to this, Germany and Iran are brothers. Their father’s name Yeffet means beautiful. The Germans, during World War II, claimed that they belong to a beautiful and superior Aryan race, entitled to conquer the world. Perhaps their brother Iran, whose name means the land of the Aryans, also feels a connection to the so-called beautiful race. And Iran also has a history of world conquest. The Purim story tells us that Iran ruled 127 countries, practically the entire known world.

It’s important to note that Iranians, as historians and Iranians will tell you, are not Arabs. They speak Farsi, not Arabic, though they are Muslim. They are part of an Indo-European people that the Talmud traces back to Yeffet.

The Talmud in the middle of page 10a tells us another important clue about Iran, this time about the future. It says that in the future there will be a tremendous war between Iran and Rome. According to Jewish tradition, Rome is called Edom, which today is associated with Europe and America.

At first the Talmud says that Iran will win this war. Why? Because it was Iran that gave permission for the Jews to build the Second Temple in Jerusalem while it was Rome that destroyed this temple. It says that surely the merit of building the temple will allow Iran to be victorious over those who destroyed the temple.

But then a second opinion is given. Rav says, no, I have been told that Iran will lose this war. The Talmud asks: how could the destroyers of the temple win against the builders of the temple? Rav answers that it doesn’t have to make sense. This is a decision that God has made.

What can we learn from this fascinating page from this Talmud? First, that Iran and Germany are brothers, both having a connection to the Aryan name, and both having exhibited at times a desire for world conquest.

And second, that Iran and the West are destined for a big war. Rav claims that his tradition says that the West will win this war, but there is another opinion, and the Talmud isn’t clear who is right.

© The Times of Israel (Blogs)