How Does Trump Compare To King Cyrus?

 Nadene Goldfoot                                                      

King Cyrus II of Persia (today's Iran)  died in 529 BCE.  He was known for his many conquests and had overrun the Babylonian Empire, which at the time, included Eretz Yisrael, that later after 139 CE was called Palestine.  

Cyrus is the grandson of King Ahasuerus and Queen Esther.  Cambyses, Cyrus' father dies when he is 12 years old.  His grandparents (King Ahasuerus and Queen Esther) summon him and his mother (Mandane) to come live with them at the palace.  Cyrus is taught by Esther and the King about the laws of God and the prophecies written 150 years before by God through the prophets about him (Cyrus).  

When the time comes Cyrus king of Persia issues the edict for the Jews to return to Israel:   "Isa 44:28  That saith of Cyrus, He is my shepherd, and shall perform all my pleasure: even saying to Jerusalem, Thou shalt be built; and to the temple, Thy foundation shall be laid."   Below is the Genealogy of Cyrus the Great, king of Persia and Darius King of the Medes complete with notes and references. Genealogy of Cyrus the Great and Darius King of the Medes

 

	Benjamin
	Kish
	Shimei
Jair		Abihail1
Mordecai		Esther2

(Astyages) King Ahasuerus3		Esther
	Mandane
	Cyaxares (Darius the Mede)6

Cambyses		Mandane
	4Cyrus King of Persia

Cyaxares (Darius the Mede)		Wife unknown
	Daughter of Cyaxares (Darius the Mede)

Daughter of Cyaxares (Darius the Mede)

marries

Cyrus King of Persia

Unites the  Kingdoms of Mede and Persia with the Tribe of Benjamin

 

 

 

¹Abihail  Brother to Jair (Uncle to Mordecai)  (Died in destruction 

of Jerusalem)
²Raised by her uncle Mordecai
³King Ahasuerus (Astyages) King of Persia  (See additional notes below)

⁷Darius is the son of Ahasuerus & Esther and Cyrus is the 

grandson of Ahasuerus & Esther

⁸Britannica.com Book of Esther, Summary & Facts, Britannica

Though he was king, he pursued an enlightened policy towards his subject peoples and by 538 BCE, 9 years after becoming king, had granted permission to the exiles of Judah in Babylon  to return to their homeland of Judah and rebuild the Temple.  (Ezra 1:1-44); II Chronicles 36:22-3)                                                        

For the next 2 centuries, both the mass of Jews in Exile in Mesopotamia and in the homeland in Eretz Yisrael were under Persian rule.  Eretz Yisrael or Judah continued to be a Persian Province with some degree of local autonomy.  This Persian rule made inevitable considerable movements of population from one part of this area to another.  

The Jewish exiles regarded Cyrus as a Divine agent (Is.44:-28;  45:1).  "Like Cyrus 2,500 years ago, Trump is now seen as an instrument of God. And the plan: to build the Third Temple on the Temple Mount – where the Al-Aqsa Mosque currently stands.  

The Al-Aqsa Mosque is also known as the Qibli Mosque or Qibli Chapel. The name Qibli comes from the fact that the mosque is closest to the Qiblah. 

 

The Al-Aqsa Mosque is the main congregational prayer hall in the Al-Aqsa compound, which is also known as the Haram al-Sharif. The compound is a religious sanctuary in Jerusalem that covers the entire Temple Mount area. 

The Al-Aqsa Mosque is one of two holy places in the Al-Aqsa compound, along with the Dome of the Rock. Muslims consider the Al-Aqsa compound to be the third holiest place in Islam, after Mecca and Medina. 

 

                     Minaret of the Mosque next to the courtyard of the Christians' Church of the Holy Sepulchre

During the seige of Jerusalem in 70 CE during the Roman War, Solomon's Temple served as a center of military activity, and was destroyed by the conquering Romans.  A Roman temple was later built on the site, and since the Moslem Period, a mosque has stood there;  the Mosque of Omar.   The Ayyubid Mosque of Omar (Arabic: مسجد عمر بن الخطاب) is an Islamic place of worship inside the Old City of Jerusalem. It is located opposite the southern courtyard of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, in the Muristan area of the Christian Quarter. The mosque is not open to tourists, and can be accessed only for praying.

In the background is the Dome of the Rock (Al-Aqsa) Mosque

But the Al-Aqsa Mosque, is a mosque in Jerusalem, located in the Old City at the terminal point of the Prophet Muhammad’s Isrāʾ journey. 

According to Islamic sources, the Qurʾān (17:1) indicates that Muhammad was miraculously transported one night from Mecca (al-masjid al-ḥaram, or “the sacred place of worship”) to this site in Jerusalem (al-masjid al-aqṣā, “the farther place of worship”).

 On that spot he led Abraham, Moses, Jesus, and other messengers (rusul) of God in ritual prayer (ṣalāt). That same night he was taken up to heaven from the site of the Dome of the Rock for an encounter with God (see Miʿrāj). The term Al-Aqsa Mosque is often extended to denote the entirety of the plaza on which the mosque and the Dome of the Rock stand, although the plaza is known formally as Al-Ḥaram al-Sharīf (“the Noble Sanctuary”).

               The Dome of the Rock on the Temple Mount (Al-Aqsa) in the Old City of Jerusalem

Its initial construction was undertaken by the Umayyad Caliphate on the orders of Abd al-Malik during the Second Fitna in 691–692 CE, and it has since been situated on top of the site of the Second Jewish Temple (built in c. 516 BCE to replace the destroyed Solomon's Temple and rebuilt by Herod the Great), which was destroyed by the Romans in 70 CE. The original dome collapsed in 1015 and was rebuilt in 1022–23.

Rabbi Kessin believes that Trump is a reincarnation of Cyrus.  Rabbi Mendel Kessin is an internationally renowned lecturer and educator and has spoken extensively around the world including in the United States, Europe, South Africa, Canada and Israel on topics of Hashkafa, Learning Methodology and Shmiras Haloshon (proper speech) with emphasis on the writings of R’ Moshe Chaim Luzzatto (Ramchal). Rabbi Kessin received S’michah from Rabbi Moshe Feinstein and held a close relationship with Rav Chaim Friedlander Zatza”l, and helped with the publication of his Sifrei Haramchal (green collection). He has a PhD in Psychology from Fordham University in NY and runs a private practice in Brooklyn and Lakewood.

Rabbi Lawrence Haijeff agrees with him.  Lawrence Hajioff is a British-American rabbi, educator, and writer. He is on the Judaic studies faculty of the Stern College for Women at Yeshiva University and is also the Assistant Director of Admissions. Hajioff served as the official rabbi for Birthright Israel in Manhattan, New York. Hajioff is also the author of three books: Jew Got Questions? (2014), Will Jew Marry Me?: A Guide to Dating, Relationships, Love and Marriage (2016), and The Future: A Guide to the Jewish Messiah, Israel, and The End of Days (2018).

In my opinion, it was Trump's son-in-law, Jered Kushner (b: January 10, 1981), who was responsible for any dealings Trump accepted about Israel.  Jered is an orthodox Jew, and of course, Trump is a Christian that many are following.  

Kushner was the primary Trump administration participant for the Middle East Peace Process, authoring the Trump peace plan and facilitating the talks that led to the signing of the Abraham Accords and other normalization agreements between Israel and various Arab states in 2020. For his efforts in the Middle East, Kushner has twice been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize.

Years later, Kushner was invited to address a forum at the Harvard Kennedy School to talk about Middle East issues. Tarek Masoud, the school's director of Middle East Initiatives, said he chose Kushner since he was the architect of the Abraham Accords.  In the interview, Kushner referred to the valuable potential of Gaza’s “waterfront property,” suggesting that Israel should move civilians from Gaza to the Negev desert in southern Israel.

Though Jered has all the knowledge that Trump doesn't about the Jewish people, Trump is getting the praise.  I believe that King Cyrus, being part of the family himself of Queen Esther, worked directly in helping the Israelites, not through a 2nd party.  Let's give Jered the reincarnation.  

Resource:

https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2017-12-16/ty-article/trumps-compared-to-persian-king-cyrus-will-he-build-the-third-temple/0000017f-f882-d887-a7ff-f8e67abc0000

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dome_of_the_Rock

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bll3ZiwTF1U

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jared_Kushner

The New Standard Jewish Encyclopedia

The Threshing Floor: Temple Mount's Importance to Jews But Also to Muslims and Christians

 Nadene Goldfoot                                              

The Temple Mount is policed by Jordan's representatives.  They do not let Jews pray here, even though it is where Solomon's 1st Temple was built, and restored as the 2nd Temple. 

Moshe Dayan (1915-1981) In 1948 appointed Commander of the Jerusalem region; Chief of general staff of the Israel army from 1953-1958 and in 1956 responsible for the Sinai Operation. 'Elected to the Knesset in 1959.  Just before Six Day War was Minister of Defense.  He resigned in 1974.  Moshe was son of Russian Shemuel Dayan who entered Palestine in 1908 and a founder of Deganyah and Nahalal, leader of a moshavim cooperative settlement group and represented Mapai in Knesset 1949-1959.  He was from a family of leadership.  

 Jordan was given this honor by Moshe Dayan, who realized that there were 2 mosques standing on the Temple Mount.  It was the Six Day War of 1967 and he had had enough of fighting.  He was the general.  

              4 days ago a surprise visit to Jordan to see King Abdullah

Today with Netanyahu's government which is made of many orthodox/ observant Jews, this is a problem.  Allowing Jews to pray here was probably a promise of the new government.  Since June 1967, it hasn't been allowed, leading to a lot of stone throwing by the young Muslim men that hit Jews there.  Dayan was not an observant Jew, and Netanyahu is probably not, either, though both most likely kept kosher.  I feel that Netanyahu knows his history inside and out, but Dayan may not have.  Netanyahu just returned from Jordan for a talk with King Abdullah.  

    One place Jews can pray, the Kotel (the wall).  

     Jerusalem; Temple Mount and East Jerusalem (Muslim Quarter)

In 638, the city fell to the caliph Omar who set up a place of prayer in the Temple esplanade which was rebuilt in 691 as the Dome of the Rock by the Umayyad caliph, Abd-el malik.  Under Arab rule, the Jews were allowed to return, but the city began to decay after the transfer of the center of Abbasid rule to Baghdad in 750.  The Fatimids of the 11th century built the 2nd mosque, El-Aksa, on the Temple site.                            

During this surprise visit to Jordan, King Abdullah, who the royal court said, underlined the need for Israel to respect the status quo of the Al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem.  

                   New Minister:  Itamar Ben-Gvir

What had happened that ignited  the need for these leaders to talk was the fact that "Far-right Israeli national security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir toured the Al-Aqsa mosque compound, which Jews revere as the Temple Mount, under heavy security this month. The visit angered Palestinians and caused an outcry among Arab states.                     

 The compound is Islam's third-holiest site after Mecca and Medina, and Judaism's most sacred site.

The Dome and Al-Aqsa Mosque are both located on the Temple Mount, the site of Solomon's Temple and its successors. The Dome of the Rock was built between AD 685 and 691 by the caliph 'Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan, not as a mosque for public worship but rather as a mashhad, a shrine for pilgrims.                             

Abraham (born about 1945 BCE)  was stopped by an angel, and would not ever do this again.  Here's where sacrificing humans stopped in Jewish tradition.  

When Abraham was commanded to prepare his son Isaac for sacrifice, the father and son went up to “the place that G-d chooses” – Mount Moriah, and to its peak – 

The Foundation Stone is the threshing floor of the Jebusite, Araunah.  David bought it from Araunah.  

the Foundation Stone – where the binding of Isaac took place.

Of course, we have a disagreement about this with the Muslims who say that Abraham was to sacrifice Ishmael, his son by Hagar, Sarah's handmaid who was a princess.  

The Islamists claim its importance is because Mohammad landed here on his flying horse and then flew away, a slightly different tale where it's usually a carpet used for flying in stories.  The Buraq  is a heavenly equine in Islamic tradition that served as the mount of the Islamic prophet Muhammad during his Isra and Mi'raj journey from Mecca to Jerusalem and up through the heavens and back by night.  According to Islamic tradition, the Night Journey took place ten years after Muhammad announced his prophethood, during the 7th century. Muhammad had been in Mecca, at his cousin's home (the house of Fakhitah bint Abi Talib), when he went to al-masjid al-harām "the inviolable/sacred temple" (Al-Haram Mosque). While he was resting at the Kaaba, Gabriel appeared to him bringing the Buraq, which carried Muhammad in the archangel's company, to al-masjid al-aqṣá "the farthest/distant temple", traditionally held to be in Jerusalem and identified with the Holy Temple (Bayt Al-Maqdis).  After reaching Jerusalem he alighted from the Buraq, prayed on the site of the Temple, and then mounted it again as the creature ascended to the seven heavens where he met Adam, Jesus and his cousin John the Baptist, Joseph, Enoch, Aaron, Moses and Abraham one by one until he reached the throne of God. God communicated with him giving him words and instructions, most importantly the commandment to Muslims to offer prayers, initially fifty times a day. At the urging of Moses, Muhammad returned to God several times before eventually reducing the number to five.                                     

 Orthodox Jewish tradition maintains it is here that the third and final Temple will be built when the Messiah comes. The Temple Mount is the place Jews turn towards during prayer. Jewish attitudes towards entering the site vary. Due to its extreme sanctity, many Jews will not walk on the Mount itself, to avoid unintentionally entering the area where the Holy of Holies stood, since, according to rabbinical law, there is still some aspect of the divine presence at the site.

It is the rock at the center of the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem. It is also known as the Pierced Stone, because it has a small hole on the southeastern corner that enters a cavern beneath the rock, known as the Well of Souls.

Traditional Jewish sources mention the stone as the place from which the creation of the world began. Classical Jewish sources also identify its location with that of the Holy of Holies or the axis mundi, the center of the world and the place where the physical and spiritual worlds connected

The Jewish Roman-Era midrash, Tanhuma sums up the centrality of and holiness of this site in Judaism:

As the navel is set in the centre of the human body,

so is the land of Israel the navel of the world...

situated in the centre of the world,

and Jerusalem in the centre of the land of Israel,

and the sanctuary in the centre of Jerusalem,

and the holy place in the centre of the sanctuary,

and the ark in the centre of the holy place,

and the Foundation Stone before the holy place,

because from it the world was founded.

Ancient Jewish references to the Temple Mount are:

In the days when Selichot are recited, in the days leading up to Rosh Hashanah until Yom Kippur, the supplications include the following references:

טענתנו גפי קרת נתונים, ישבתנו שן סלע איתנים

You carried us and placed us on the [Holy] City’s height, You settled us on the Patriarch’s rocky peak.

רבוצה עליו אבן שתית חטובים ...שמה בתוך לפני מזיב מאשנבים

Upon it lying the stone from which the foundation was hewn… Who gives ear from which the waters flow [i.e. the foundation stone "from which flow all the waters of the world"].

During Sukkot, the following references to the Foundation Stone are mentioned in the Hoshanot recital:

הושענא! – אבן שתיה – הושענא

Please save! – Foundation Stone – Please save!

הושענא! – תאדרנו באבן תלולה – הושענא

Please save! – Adorn us with the elevated Stone – Please save!   

How David Used the Threshing Floor to put an end to a plague taking lives 

David saw from his palace a vision of an angel at the threshing floor of Araunah. Standing between heaven and earth, with sword drawn, the angel was ready to strike Jerusalem next. Falling to their knees, the elders and David pleaded for the plague to stop. For things to be made right, the angel sent word to David to go up to Araunah’s threshing floor on Mount Moriah and build an altar of sacrifice. Though Araunah wanted to gift the threshing floor, plus the oxen, grain, and sledges as wood for the sacrifice, David insisted on paying for it. There, David built an altar, offered sacrifices, and called on God for mercy. 

The last Jebusite (Canaanite) king was Araunah (II Sam. 24:15).  The Jebusites remained in the city under David and became tributary under Solomon.  In the course of time, they appear to have been assimilated.  Interestingly, Araunah’s threshing floor marks an important place in history, for it became the site on Mount Moriah where Solomon would build Yahweh’s temple in Jerusalem. In the same place where David offered sacrifices at Araunah’s threshing floor, his son Solomon stood before a new bronze altar, and as sacrifices were made, he dedicated the newly finished temple. As mentioned in 2 Chronicles 3:1,

Then Solomon began to build the temple of the Lord in Jerusalem on Mount Moriah, where the Lord had appeared to his father David. It was on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.

This temple would play a pivotal role in the social and economic life of the Jewish people from c. 957 BCE until its destruction at the hands of the Babylonians in 587, as would the Second Temple on the same site from c. 516 BCE until its destruction by the Romans in 70 CE. Furthermore, the same Temple Mount area - over Araunah’s threshing floor - is still considered a holy site for Jewish, Christian, and Islamic people today.                     

The Temple Institute - King David and the Elders don sackcloth and implore G-d to end the plague afflicting Israel, as a Heavenly fire 

 hovers above the offering, as is written: “[David]

As the account tells, God answers by sending fire from heaven onto the altar! The plague ceased.

Arabic QUBBAT AS-SAKHRAH, also erroneously referred to as the MOSQUE OF OMAR:  This shrine in Jerusalem is the oldest extant Islamic monument. The rock over which the shrine was built is sacred to both Muslims and Jews. The Prophet Muhammad, founder of Islam, is traditionally believed to have ascended into heaven from the site on his flying horse. In Jewish tradition, it is here that Abraham, the progenitor and first patriarch of the Hebrew people, is said to have prepared to sacrifice his son Isaac.

Jordan lets Christians pray here, but not the Jews, yet Israel is their neighbor.

Israeli flag seen near the Dome of the Rock | File photo: Reuters/Ammar Awad

Amman presents list of demands with regard to the flashpoint site, which includes limiting visits by Jewish groups and replacing Border Police officers with Waqf security. Nevertheless, one Israeli expert says maintaining Jordan's status in Jerusalem is in Israel's interests.  Of course, the Temple Mount is in the center of Jerusalem which is the capital of Israel and always has been since King David.  It's obvious that Jews should be allowed to pray in their own capital on top of Mount Moriah.  Then again, that would take King Abdullah to ease up. Neither man wants a war over this.

References:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Temple_Mount

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foundation_Stone

https://home.adelphi.edu/~dy21045/thewesternwall.html#:~:text=When%20Abraham%20was%20commanded%20to,binding%20of%20Isaac%20took%20place.

https://www.bu.edu/mzank/Michael_Zank/Jerusalem/domeoftherock.html#:~:text=The%20Dome%20and%20Al%2DAqsa,mashhad%2C%20a%20shrine%20for%20pilgrims.

https://www.timesofisrael.com/despite-report-hed-delay-ben-gvir-visits-temple-mount-for-1st-time-as-minister/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buraq#:~:text=The%20Buraq%20(Arabic%3A%20%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%92%D8%A8%D9%8F%D8%B1%D9%8E%D8%A7%D9%82%20%2F,heavens%20and%20back%20by%20night.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Temple_Mount

https://www.israelhayom.com/2022/05/20/jordan-fully-determined-to-end-jewish-prayer-on-temple-mount/

https://www.worldhistory.org/article/2050/threshing-floors-of-the-bible/

https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/king-abdullah-meets-israeli-pm-netanyahu-surprise-jordan-visit-royal-court-2023-01-24/