Demons of the Kabbalah

Bye bye Lebanon...

Sun, 11 May 2008 19:18:58 GMT

I think this picture speaks for itself...

Islam is the new Nazism

Sun, 11 May 2008 17:23:56 GMT

Instead of telling you tales, I'll simply quote two people whose opinions weight far more than my own - the first is a great psychologist and the other is a monster of a man.

"We do not know whether Hitler is going to found a new Islam. He is already on the way; he is like Mohammad. The emotion in Germany is Islamic; warlike and Islamic. They are all drunk with wild god. That can be the historic future. "
-Karl Jung

"The peoples of Islam will always be closer to us than, for example, France."
-Adolf Hitler

"...we should in all probability have been converted to Mohammedanism, that cult which glorifies the heroism and which opens up the seventh Heaven to the bold warrior alone. Then the Germanic races would have conquered the world. Christianity alone prevented them from doing so."
-Adolf Hitler

I rest my case.

Fields, bloody fields

Sat, 03 May 2008 20:02:54 GMT

This morning, me and my mouse took a stroll in the fields around Rehovot (don't ask why) and, at one stage, we passed near a Bedouin encampment (yes, you can take a walk in your 21st century city and encounter a nomadic tribe of desert savages, what of it?).
Now, as we were about to leave their area, we came upon a small field but it was not a field of wheat or cabbages but of gore and goat heads, their faces horribly mangled but still recognizable despite the crows' best efforts. Nothing but thrones grew on the bloody soil and crows hopped around tearing bits from the dead animals. Also a dead lamb lay there, more or less intact save for the eyes, the crows' favorite snack.

And if you tell me what this has to do with Demons or Kabbalah, I will respect you forever more.

God Works in Mysterious Ways...

Mon, 28 Apr 2008 12:37:25 GMT

Hello Good People!

Yesterday, as I was driving to the university, my rear left wheel suddenly dislodged from the car and went on rolling without me, leaving me stranded on a highway with three wheels on place and another one going on to live the carefree life I always wanted. All that taking place at 110 kmph.

As I stood on the highway and prayed for death, much like the great prophets of the Bible, a little piece of paper landed on my face from the sky. I looked at it and lo! it was a collection of Rabbinical anecdotes, one of which was particularly amusing;

The Rabbi Zdaka Huchin, bless the righteous saint's memory, was invited to a Brit* early in the morning of a very cold day. Although he was old and weak, he still hurried to come on time only to find out that another Mohel** was called in his stead. His assistant was very angry at the parents for not warning the Rabbi and wasting his precious time and health, but Zdaka stopped him and said "don't be angry, my student, for instead of performing one commandment, we have performed two; the first because trying to perform a commandment counts even if you fail and the second because I should have been angry but I am wasn't, and because of that I have performed another commandment."

That story really inspired me – on the one hand I felt good for trying to come to the university, which is one commandment in that secular life of mine, and, on the other, I was proud NOT to be angry for almost dying in a freak car accident followed by merry chasing after an escaping wheel. Much like the Rabbi, I was awarded with two commandments, instead of a one.

Indeed, God comforts and rewards us in mysterious ways!

* Brit is a religious ceremony within Judaism to welcome infant Jewish boys into a covenant between God and the Children of Israel through ritual circumcision performed by a Mohel.

** See above

On Writing

Wed, 23 Apr 2008 18:48:44 GMT

A few days ago, a Dragon reader (that is, a person who reads Dragon, not a reader who is a Dragon) asked me if I could give him any tips on how to get into the business of freelance RPG writing. Since I think this can be of use to many of my readers, I decided to post my reply here;

The "trick" for publishing is just trying, trying, trying and then trying some more. I know it sounds cliche but it's true. Every self respecting game magazine or company has a "submissions" or "writer's guidelines" section on their site where you will find all the information needed to send ideas.

Most of your queries will get rejected no matter how good they are - an editor has only so many slots and just can't use them all. You will never know his principles on choosing what to print and what not, half the times he won't know it himself until the actual decision - the market changes all the time!

On the plus side, if a stranger like me could get published without any connections and with English as his third language, anyone can :)

And that's all there is to it!

Samael Tries to Collect Moses' Soul

Mon, 21 Apr 2008 19:50:17 GMT

And know furthermore, O blessed brothers, that among all the mezikin, you will find none as wicked as Samael and among all the saints you will find none as righteous as Moses.
For many decades, Samael waited for the moment when the order to rip Moses’ soul will be given; he knew it would inflict unspeakable sorrow on his arch-nemesis, Michael, and would be a terrible blow for all mankind.

When the hour of Moses’ passing came, Samael unsheathed his sword, dressed in hatred and cruelty, and flew to claim the great prophet’s soul. But when he came to Moses' tent he froze in his tracks – the prophet shined like the very sun and the green fire of Satan was weak and pale compared to the glory of Moses’ good light.

Seeing his minion’s hesitance, God belittled Samael and asked him if he changed his mind or maybe preferred to leave the matter to Michael’s care… the LORD’s provocations filled Samael’s heart with great anger, and he charged at Moses with his sword drawn, but the latter wasn’t scared at all, but blocked the Adversary’s sword with his staff, which was engraved with the Explicit Name in great purity and reverence.

The two started fighting and the very mountains shook with the power of their blows, soon the holiness of Moses’ staff overcame the impurity of Samael’s blade and the prophet humiliated his enemy by breaking his horns and blinding him before sending him fleeing back before God and admitting in a trembling voice that this mortal was too much for the great Satan to handle.

And some say that the King of the World did it to show Samael that his power was nothing compared to God’s might, but, in the humbleness of my opinion, mysterious are the ways of God and we don’t have the right to try to understand them, but have to accept them and thank the LORD for his wisdom and mercy!

...

Only God knows how many epic fantasy battles this story inspired; if you can think of any, feel free to comment...

Samael, the Enemy of Man

Sun, 20 Apr 2008 14:52:25 GMT

Samael is the worst of Man’s enemies and always strives to corrupt the righteous and accuse people before God of the sins he himself led them to commit. However, contrary to popular belief, he is one of the chief servants of God and is also known as Satanel, though nowadays he is more often referred to as Satan. So glorious is he, that he has twelve wings to fly and cover his body (twice as much as a Seraph) and his flesh is covered with seering, all-seeing eyes from sole to crown.

The wise tell us that in elder days, the hosts of the heaven divided between Michael and the good angels who loved mankind and Samael and the terror angels who hated mankind. After a long and bloody battle, the latter fell from the heavens in the domain of the children of Cain. As soon as they laid their lusty eyes on the first murderer’s voluptuous and promiscuous daughters, they became glad for being cast out of heaven for in these wild and primordial girls, they found the perfect matches for themselves. Samael, their lord and master, chose himself Naamah, who immediately transformed and became a great and terrible sheda. After That, Samael spent many years touring the earth under the guise of an old man and came to love this wandering life more than the majesty of the Heavens.

Nevertheless, he did not forget his purpose, to be an Adversary* to Man, and always strove to drive good people to commit sins, so that he could prosecute them in the heavenly court according to the Measure of Justice, while Michael would advocate for them and beg God to spare them, according to the Measure of Mercy.

The first men to walk the earth became his victims, when he sent his servant, the serpent, to seduce Adam and Eve to taste the Fruit of Knowledge. As soon the crooked snake reported success, Samael immediately flew to God’s court and demanded for the couple to be cursed and banished from the Garden of Eden for their disobedience.

When Samael encountered a virtuous man he couldn’t corrupt, he would come before God and ask permission to test this person, usually via a cruel and terrible trial. Among his most famous victims was Job of Uz, a man of great piety and virtue, whom Samael tried to manipulate into cursing God. Satan took everything Job had, and still he didn’t curse God. Satan killed Job’s sons and daughters, and still he didn’t curse God. Satan afflicted him with a terrible disease and lo! Still Job’s innocent lips uttered no blasphemy. Then God realized that Job was indeed a saint and ordered Satan to return him all his earthly possessions and cure his flesh.

In another incident, Samael tried to bring Rabbi Mathew Ben Heresh to sin, and having been granted God’s permission, sent his wife Naamah to seduce the Rabbi and that he did because he knew Naamah was the comeliest of females and no man could withstand her beauty. But the pious Rabbi, to save himself from sinning, burned his eyes with white-hot nails and abandoned his studies. God took pity of his servant and sent the archangel Raphael to heal the Rabbi, and to promise him that Naamah will bother him no more. However, just to make sure, Rabbi Mathew chose never to open his new eyes, except to read sacred texts and study the Torah.

Except for being the Adversary of Man, Samael was also in charge of carrying out God’s destructive orders. While operating in that facility, he was known as the Angel of Death and appeared before Man as a diabolical green fire filled with burning blue eyes. In his hand he carried the infamous Sword of Death that caused the soul of any mortal who saw it to be immediately parted from his body. That way, he killed the firstborn of Egypt and plagued the clan Koreh for devising the Golden Calf of Sinai but claiming the soul of Moses, the greatest man ever to walk the earth, was beyond even his considerable power.

To this day, Samael the Adversely is in a constant state of war against Michel the Defender and the two camps are all but equal in strength and zeal. But those blessed with knowledge teach us that, in the End of Days, the Defender shall defeat the Adversary and peace and love will rule the world.

Until then, however, be careful with you choice of friends and allies, for Satan is always among us, trying to divert us from the straight path and spread sorrow and hatred in our midst. But that he does only through illusions, lies and deceptions because the permission for direct harm has not been granted to him.

*Adversary is “Satan” in Hebrew. The meaning of Samael is disputed.

No One Is a Prophet in His Own City

Sat, 19 Apr 2008 15:41:54 GMT

Yesterday, I came upon a discussion about Mavet Rav in a Hebrew forum called "Pundak"; while most readers found the article "childish" and "stupid" without having, heavens forefend, read it, but solely based on the rumor that it contains Hebrew words (their copyright as it seems) one person went so far as to call the article "racist and slightly anti-Semitic."

I would argue that anyone offended by the sight of Hebrew is the anti-Semite, while the one using and enjoying it is the pro-Semite. Then again, I’m "racist and slightly anti-Semitic" so what does it matter what I argue?! it’s “stupid” anyway – no need to examine or, god forbid, think about it.

So, anyone reading my fascist posts be careful – any attempt to advertise your culture or tradition will surely be found offensive by your “brothers”, who look at themselves each morning with hatred and say “oh God! If anyone knows the truth about us… we’re doomed!”

There is a proverb in Hebrew that goes "No one is a prophet in his own city” – meaning “it's easier to be recognized far away than in your own town.”

Never have I felt it stronger than now.

Oligarchy of Mavet Rav

Wed, 16 Apr 2008 13:11:21 GMT

My latest RPG article is up in the Wizards website (http://wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/drfe/20080416a). Even if you don't find cities ruled by the dead intresting, you may still appriciate Baker's amazing art that accompanies the article.

(requires a short, free and harmless registration).

Passover Poem - I'm Back!

Mon, 14 Apr 2008 23:07:37 GMT

Having put the hardest of tests behind me, I'm back to entertaining you with some high-quality Judaism! And for today, a famous Passover poem titled “One Goat” which helped me through many a boring Seders (translated from the Aramaic):