Precedent: When King David sinned the prophet told the King to choose from one of 3 punishments

To quote II Shmuel {Samuel} 24:13

13 And Gad came to David and he told him, and he said to him, “[Do you prefer] that seven years of famine in your land shall come upon you? or three months that you shall flee before your oppressor while he pursues you? or, that there be three days pestilence in your land? Now know and consider what I shall reply to Him that sent me.

David chose the option of receiving a plague.

Although David had sinned what caused the people to also deserve the punishment of a plague?

The last verse of chapter 24 hints at both their sin and their remedy.

25 And David built there an altar to the Lord, and he offered up burnt-offerings and peace offerings. And the Lord was entreated for the land, and the plague was stayed from Israel.

Radak’s Explanation on the Last Verse of this Chapter

25) And the Lord was entreated for the land, and the plague was stayed from Israel. – And G-d accepted the prayer of the inhabitants of the land, and the midrashic statement about this incident, All these thousands that fell in the days of David only fell because they did not demand the Temple and behold the matter is a rule of logic from the simple case to the severe. And what if these that it wasn’t in their days and it was not destroyed in their days fell on account that they did not demand it. We that it was in our days and it was destroyed in our days, all the more so. Therefore the elders and the prophets enacted to implant this in the mouths of Israel to pray three times a day, return your Divine Presence and your Kingdom to Zion and the sacrificial service to Jerusalem, Amen, may it be his will, for eternity.

At Some Point in the Future the Prophet Yishayahu/Isaiah Chapter 60 (12,13) Predicts Destruction of Some of the Nations And Singles Out Their Crime

For the nation and the kingdom that shall not serve you shall perish, and the nations shall be destroyed.

The glory of the Lebanon shall come to you, box trees, firs, and cypresses together, to glorify the place of My sanctuary, and the place of My feet I will honor.

Isn’t It the Messiah’s Job to Build the Temple Absolving Us of Responsibility?

When the Safed (Tzfat) faction of the disciples of the Vilna Gaon sent out emissaries hoping to find the remnants of the Ten Lost Tribes in order to get their help in moving the redemption forward, they sent out a letter defining what they considered to be the Vilna Gaon’s ideology.
https://www.sefaria.org.il/Vilna_Gaon’s_students_letter_to_the_Lost_Tribes_of_Israel.16?lang=bi&with=all&lang2=en

Furthermore, we have a tradition from the sages of the Talmud (maaser sheni chapter 8) that the temple will be rebuilt before the dynasty of David will be restored, and R Shimon bar Yohai also revealed to us that Hashem first rebuilds Jerusalem and then gathers in the exiles {end of quote}

Rashi Also Derives from the Biblical Text That the Redeemer Does Not Come While Zion is in Ruins

Yishayahu – Isaiah – Chapter 59 verse 20

And a redeemer shall come to Zion, and to those who repent of rebellious transgression in Yaakov {Jacob}, says Hashem.

Rashi deduces And a redeemer shall come to Zion: As long as Zion is in ruins, the redeemer has not yet come.

What About the Possibility That the Messiah Will Build the Temple before He is Recognized as Messiah?

There are indeed a number of different scenarios on how the Temple will be rebuilt. But even this scenario, becomes more likely to become reality, when the nation first awakens to want the Temple. Indeed according to Ramban, this was exactly the problem in Israel until King David decided that a permanent Temple was needed. That is to say they shoved away the issue of the Temple to the distant future instead of trying to do their best at arriving at solutions.

Gentiles Should Also Use Political Pressure for the Building of the Temple.

There are a number of possible scenarios that predict in which manner the Temple will be built in the future. Here I will present a scenario that is not so well known, without predicting if indeed it will actually occur.

 

Rabbeinu Bacheyei brings this scenario down in his commentary to Vayikra/Leviticus Chapter 11

And Midrash Tanchuma contends, why was this kingdom compared in a parable to the Chazir animal. For in the future the Holy One Blessed be He will put back on them (in Hebrew, LehaChazir) the strict attribute of justice. There are other versions in which it is written in them: That in the future it will put will put back (in Hebrew, LehaChazir) the crown to its old position. And the matter is that the 2 Temples were built by Israel, the First Temple, Shlomo (Solomon) built, who was from the seed of Yehuda (Judah), the 2nd Temple, Zerubavel built, who was also from the seed of Yehuda (Judah) for it was stated (Zechariah 4:8) “the hands of Zerubavel have founded”, etc. and it was done by Coresh (Cyrus) who gave permission in this matter; but the 3rd Temple, in the future will be built by this nation. And that is what they stated: “That in the future it will put will put back (in Hebrew, LehaChazir) the crown to its old position”. Because this one (kingdom) destroyed it. {end of quote}

In Jewish thought, Christianity generally came to be associated with the Kingdom of Rome, because that religion became the official religion of the oppressive empire. I do not know if this Midrash believed the biological descendants of Rome would restore the Temple or did it mean the religion adopted by Rome would restore the Temple to the Jews.

What actions are being performed by the Trump Administration that destroys the spiritual merit that protects the U.S.A. from a major war or from a plague?

See the posts:

• The Political Collapse – A Chronicle Foretold by Rabbi Yehuda Epstein
• 2 Big Wins for the Muslim Jihad and Trump is Considering Giving Them a Third
• What is the Basis for the State of Israel’s Failure?
• President Trump, “the bribe taker”, after handing Qatar a Win in Gaza, now ponders about forcing Netanyahu to release the Mass Murderer Marwan Barghouti from Prison
• Land for Peace, A Major Sin In Avraham’s (Abraham’s) Time and to Separate Holy From Secular, A Major Sin in Clinton’s Time and Trump’s Time

Article by: Shlomo Moshe Scheinman

Translation by Vilnagaon.org 26th of Cheshvan 5786

Many struggle to understand how the United States has turned against us, how the “most pro-Israel administration ever” has flipped on us, how in a short time we have gone from a situation of American support for transferring Gaza’s population to various places around the globe to a reality in which Steve Witkoff, the special American envoy, sits in Israel’s cabinet meetings and scolds ministers as if he were Antony Blinken, the hostile Biden administration’s Secretary of State, and then goes off to hobnob with the Islamo-Nazi tyrant Khalil al-Hayya, the leader of the murderers, holds a cordial chat with him and lays the groundwork for a state for the killers.

 

But anyone who remembers a little history from just over thirty years ago will understand that we are witnessing a repeating pattern, and as the wisest of men said in Kohelet (Ecclesiastes) (1:9–10):

 

“What has been is what will be, and what has been done is what will be done, and there is nothing new under the sun. Is there a thing of which it is said, ‘See, this is new’? It has been already in the ages before us.”

In those days, the Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein conquered the oil-rich state of Kuwait and called it “the 19th province of Iraq.” In the White House sat George H. W. Bush – then, as now, a Republican. At the head of the Israeli government stood Yitzhak Shamir – then, as now, from the Likud, heading a full-fledged right-wing government. Then, as now, the American president decided that with all due respect to Israel, he had other interests in the region. He built an international coalition to fight Saddam Hussein, and for that purpose the Saudis gave him complete freedom of action on their soil. Egypt and other Arab states joined, alongside European countries.

 

Then, as now, Saddam Hussein explicitly threatened to annihilate Israel, boasted of his ability to launch precision missiles, and there was even fear of the use of nuclear, biological, or other unconventional weapons – despite the fact that ten years earlier Israel had bombed the Iraqi reactor.

 

According to the Israeli ethos forged since the state’s establishment, Jews would no longer go like sheep to the slaughter but would stand and defend themselves. The failure of the Allies – including our American friends – to bomb the railway tracks to Auschwitz seared into the heart of the young State of Israel the lesson that only we will defend ourselves and we will never again rely on the kindness of the nations.

Yet George Bush thought otherwise. He was not prepared to give up the coalition he had assembled with the Arab states, led by Saudi Arabia and Egypt, against their Iraqi brethren. He knew that if Israel fought Iraq, the entire Arab world would have to stand with it, and he certainly could not side with Israel. Therefore he told Shamir: Israel would have to sit quietly, absorb the missiles fired at her, suffer casualties, lose her deterrent power, and hope for an American-Saudi-Egyptian-European victory.

 

Shamir – once a leader of Lehi – adopted the historic Left’s position that “restraint is strength,” offering convoluted and grave-faced explanations that this was in Israel’s interest, and the right-wing public followed him blindly. For good measure, he brought Rehavam Ze’evi of the Moledet party into the government and cabinet, a move that gave wall-to-wall legitimacy to the policy of restraint and humiliation.

 

Indeed, Saddam Hussein was defeated in that war, and a triumphant George Bush delivered his victory speech. And what did Israel receive in return for its restraint and for entrusting its security to the American-led international coalition? In that very victory speech, Bush laid the foundation for “solving the Palestinian problem.” A short time later Shamir went to the Madrid Conference to appease Bush, and a year later we got the Oslo Accords – whose bloody consequences we continue to suffer to this very day, culminating, of course, in the horrific massacre two years ago.

 

Oslo was birthed by Rabin, Peres, Beilin and their circle, but its conception occurred in Shamir’s unfortunate decision to surrender Israel’s independence and the principle that we alone look after our security and never abandon it to foreigners. The American president understood that Israel could be bent to broader U.S. interests in the region, and he saw a need to compensate and reward the Arab world for rallying against the people’s hero, Saddam Hussein. Israel paid the price.

 

Indeed, there is nothing new under the sun. Benjamin Netanyahu has now handed our security over to the United States. The American headquarters in Kiryat Gat is intended to ensure our defeat in Gaza and to preserve Trump’s interests in the Gulf. Has Netanyahu learned nothing from Shamir’s mistake? He is, after all, the son of a great historian…

 

The sad answer is that when there is no vision, when no one truly understands why we must fight for the Land of Israel – including Gaza, Lebanon, Bashan, and all the other parts that Hashem has placed in our hands – a vacuum is created in the national consciousness, and into that vacuum the Americans march with their own interests. Had we treated Gaza as our land, that strip – captured in six days back then – would have been recaptured in two days today, and the Hamas-supporting population would have been expelled to the four corners of the earth. But we feared, we hesitated, we wavered and dawdled.

 

Netanyahu’s devotees blamed the Biden administration, but today it is clear to all that the problem is not the American administration but the Israeli spirit – the spirit of the start-up nation that is unwilling to place a Torah vision against the deluge vision of Al-Aqsa. As the heads of the defense establishment said: it is impossible to defeat Hamas’s vision…

 

Indeed, one cannot defeat Hamas’s vision with precision weapons and the mindset of a Western country that only wants quiet and a strong economy. But it is absolutely possible to destroy Hamas and the murderous Arab national movement of which Hamas is merely one arm – by means of a deep-rooted Jewish vision drawn from the Jewish sources that the defense establishment, in its ignorance, does not know. Whoever sees global warming as the greatest security challenge facing us truly cannot win. And right-wing governments remain captive to the same radical leftists who head the defense apparatuses.

 

If we wish to learn the lessons of the past, if we wish to regain our independence and wage our own wars instead of remaining subject to the mercy of the nations, we must undertake a serious house-cleaning and return to Hashem and His Torah – not only as individuals but first and foremost as a nation. This is not a luxury; it is a matter of our physical and spiritual survival!

 

The author is Rabbi Yehuda Epstein – Chairman of the Kedushat Zion Association

Comment by the editor: Now that the enemy of Israel, Zoharan Mamdani has been elected mayor of New York City, it is a warning that the popularity of Israel is at this stage in time is in rapid decline in the United States. It is better to defy President Trump now, rather than wait until a worse President comes to power, who will apply more pressure.

**(32) “And you shall not profane My holy name, but I will be sanctified among the children of Israel.”** 

The profanation of Hashem’s name is the most severe sin. We find that the Holy One, blessed be He, forgave idolatry but did not forgive the profanation of His name, as the prophet said: (Ezekiel 20:39) “As for you, O house of Israel… go serve every one his idols, but My holy name you shall no longer profane.” And our sages of blessed memory said (Yoma 86a) regarding this sin that the Day of Atonement has no power to atone, repentance cannot suspend it, and sufferings cannot purge it—rather, all of them suspend it, and death purges it.

 

Yet we do find a remedy for the sin of profaning the Name: when one sanctifies the Name in counterbalance to what he profaned. This is why the verse adjoins: **“but I will be sanctified.”** Similarly, Scripture states: (Proverbs 16:6) **“Through kindness and truth iniquity is expiated,”** meaning the iniquity of wickedness and falsehood, which are the opposite of kindness and truth—just as an illness is cured only by its opposite.

Our sages explicitly stated: If a person sinned with evil speech, let him engage in Torah study; if he sinned with his eyes, let him pour forth tears. Thus David said: (Psalms 119:136) **“Streams of water run down my eyes because they did not keep Your Torah”**—it does not say “I did not keep” but **“they did not keep.”**

They further said (Vayikra Rabbah 21:4): If you have made bundles of transgressions, make bundles of commandments against them. Feet that hasten to run to evil—let them run to perform a commandment; hands that shed innocent blood—let him bind tefillin on his arm and give charity to the poor.

 

In this midrash is the positive commandment of the Torah to sanctify the Name in public. Thus our sages expounded (Sifra 9:4): **“But I will be sanctified among the children of Israel”**—surrender yourself to sanctify My name. One might think even in private; therefore it states **“among the children of Israel.”** And when he surrenders himself, he must do so intending to die, for whoever surrenders himself expecting a miracle will not be granted one. Thus we find with Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, who did not surrender themselves expecting a miracle, as it is said: (Daniel 3:18) **“Be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods nor worship the golden image you have set up”**—whether He saves or does not save, be it known to you, etc.

 

Furthermore, our sages proved from this verse that any matter of sanctity requires ten, as they said in Berakhot (21b): No matter of sanctity may be performed with fewer than ten, for it is stated: **“But I will be sanctified among the children of Israel,”** and elsewhere: (Numbers 16:21) **“Separate yourselves from among this congregation.”** Just as there it refers to ten, so here too ten.

Rabbi Yaakov explained that this wording is imprecise, for one should not derive proof for matters of sanctity from the ten spies. Rather, the correct wording is: It is derived by the gezerah shavah “among… among.” Here it is written **“I will be sanctified among,”** and there: (Genesis 42:5) **“to buy grain among those who came.”** Just as there it refers to ten, so here ten. Now he brings proof from the ten brothers of Joseph, who were righteous, for a matter of sanctity.

 

Appendix: What is a gezeira shava? By Rabbi Jack Abramowitz https://outorah.org/p/6490/

A gezeira shava is a tradition of a known rule applying to a new case based upon an identical word or phrase in both cases. For example, the Torah uses the word “b’moado” (“in its proper time”) when referring to the korban Pesach (Numbers 9:2) and when referring to the daily korban Tamid (Numbers 28:2). Just as the korban Tamid was brought “in its proper time” – even on Shabbos – so, too, the korban Pesach was to be offered “in its proper time” – that is, even on Shabbos. (This gezeira shava is put forth by the Talmud in tractate Pesachim on page 66a.)

Another example: We are told that a paid watchman who has had an object in his care stolen must take an oath that he didn’t lay his hands on what he was given to watch. The Talmud (Shevuos 47a) clarifies that the oath is only between the two parties, not between their heirs if one of the parties should die before the case is settled. The details of the oath are not told to us regarding an unpaid watchman but the Talmud applies them in that case as well, based upon a gezeira shava of the phrase “im lo shalach yado b’meleches r’eihu” (“that he did not lay hands on his fellow’s property”), which is found regarding a paid guardian in Exodus 22:10 and regarding an unpaid guardian in Exodus 22:7.

Unlike a kal v’chomer, which is a strictly logical argument that anyone can propose, a gezeira shava can only be put forth based upon a received tradition.

 

The Gaza Cease-fire brokered by Donald Trump should be considered a win for the Muslim Jihad.

For an explanation see the posts:

• What is the Basis for the State of Israel’s Failure?
• Qatar’s Funding and Promotion of Extreme Left Elements in the USA
• President Trump, “the bribe taker”, after handing Qatar a Win in Gaza, now ponders about forcing Netanyahu to release the Mass Murderer Marwan Barghouti from Prison

Now that Zoharan Mamdani who frequently used the term, “Globalize the Intifada” (= “Do acts of Terror against Jews across the Globe”) has won the election for mayor in New York City, we can call this a second victory for the Muslim Jihad. That is to say despite the fact that New York City is the city with the largest Jewish population in the world, he was able to be sympathetic to Muslim terrorists and “get away with it”.
For more about Mamdani, see the post: What Lesson Should Be Learned from the Victory of Anti-Israel Zohran Mamdani in New York City?

The Third Possible Win for Jihad

According to a Hebrew article which has been translated by Grok AI

### Under Trump’s Sponsorship: Dozens of F-35 Jets on Their Way to Riyadh, Israel’s Superiority Will Be Erased

**Sale would mark a significant policy shift, potentially altering the military balance in the Middle East. It would also test U.S. policy on preserving Israel’s “qualitative military edge”**

Israel Pekobitz  – 14 Heshvan 5786 | Nov. 5^th 2025

**Under Trump’s Sponsorship: Dozens of F-35 Jets on Their Way to Riyadh, Israel’s Superiority Will Be Erased**

The Trump administration is considering approving Saudi Arabia’s purchase of 48 F-35 fighter jets, a potential multi-billion-dollar deal that has cleared a major Pentagon hurdle ahead of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s visit to the White House, two sources familiar with the matter told Reuters.

 

The sale would mark a significant policy shift, potentially altering the military balance in the Middle East and testing Washington’s definition of maintaining Israel’s “qualitative military edge.”

 

Saudi Arabia approached U.S. President Donald Trump earlier this year regarding the purchase. The Pentagon is now considering a possible sale of 48 aircraft, a U.S. official and a person familiar with the talks told Reuters.

 

Several additional steps are still required before final approval, including further cabinet-level approvals, President Trump’s sign-off, and notification to Congress. The F-35 features stealth technologies that allow it to evade detection. Israel is currently the only country in the Middle East that operates it.

 

The Saudi Air Force currently operates various older fighter jets from American and European manufacturers.

 

This report, based on a Reuters exclusive from November 4, 2025, has been widely covered in Israeli media, highlighting concerns over Israel’s air superiority. The deal remains in early stages and requires multiple approvals, but it signals Trump’s priority on arms sales to Riyadh.

[A] When the Holy One, blessed be He, decided to punish the inhabitants of Sodom and to destroy the city from the face of the earth, it is written: “And Hashem said, ‘Shall I conceal from Avraham what I am doing? etc. For I have known him in order that he may command his children etc. and they shall keep the way of Hashem’” (Genesis 18:17–19). And why was it necessary to inform him? Rashi’s grandson (Rashbam) answered: “Shall I conceal from Avraham what I intend to overturn in Sodom? And I know that his children will keep the way of Hashem and will merit bringing upon them what [Hashem] spoke to Avraham—to give them the land of Canaan. And these towns are part of the inheritance of his children, as it is written in the boundary of Canaan in Parashat Noach (10:19): ‘And the border of the Canaanite was from Sidon as you come to Gerar, as far as Gaza; as you come to Sodom and Amora (Gomorrah), Admah, and Zeboiim, as far as Lasha.’ So how could I destroy his land, or the land of his neighbors, without his knowledge?”

[B] Among the Ba’alei ha-Tosafot is Rabbenu Yosef Bechor Shor, who added to the above words of Rashbam and brought support from the continuation of the verse (v. 18): “And Avraham will surely become a great and mighty nation,” etc. His words are: “That is to say, I have given this land to Avraham, and now I wish to destroy these cities that belong to him? How could I conceal it from him without his knowledge? And if you say that nothing is lost to him in this, for the land is broad enough for him and his seed? Therefore it says [that this is not so]: ‘And Avraham will surely become a great and mighty nation,’ and the entire land (is needed) [will be needed] for him. Therefore it is not for him to destroy without his knowledge. And He revealed it to him and obtained his consent, that if there are not ten righteous people there, He should destroy [the place]—and so He did. And afterward Avraham could no longer complain, for it was done according to his own words.”

Rabbi Elazar bar Avina said: If you see kingdoms clashing with one another, you should anticipate the coming of the Messiah. You may know that it is so, as in the days of Abraham, as a result of the kingdoms clashing with one another, redemption came to Abraham.
(This was a translation of Midrash Breishit Rabba 42:4 by https://www.sefaria.org.il/Bereshit_Rabbah.42.4?lang=bi )

See also the related post:  Rabbi Yitzchak: “The year that Messiah is revealed, Persia (in our days, Iran) destroys the world and there is great fear in Israel”

Reprint of the post from Tue, 26 October 2021 = 20th of Cheshvan, 5782

Two years ago, Dr. Moti Kedar an Israeli scholar of Arabic culture and lecturer at Bar-Ilan University at a rally claimed that Yigal Amir did not shoot Prime Minister Yitzchak Rabin. Instead he claimed a man named Y.R. shot Rabin. See https://www.theyeshivaworld.com/news/israel-news/1795745/controversy-dr-moti-kedar-says-yigal-amir-did-not-assassinate-yitzchak-rabin-says-man-is-y-r.html
This year an article appeared in Hebrew at https://www.inn.co.il/news/529535 by Nachum Shachaf claiming that Amir was already in custody, when the real shooting according to medical analysis took place.
In any case in that article he mentions explicitly the name of Rabin’s guard, who it is claimed did the actual shooting. For those who are curious and read Hebrew, go to https://www.inn.co.il/news/529535 to read the name.

Vilnagaon.org prefers that others deal with the legal consequences of naming names.

Shachaf also claimed Leah Rabin mentions in her book that it appeared that Yitzchak was not hurt by Yigal Amir and was told by government “Shabak” agents that it was just a gimmick and he was being taken to Shabak headquarters and not to the hospital.

A summary of some of the problems with the official version of events can be found currently at Yitzhak Rabin assassination conspiracy theories

### In-Depth Summary: Breakthrough in Anti-Aging Research with Gene-Edited Stem Cells in Monkeys

 

The following is a Grok summary of a YouTube video with the title “HUMAN Stem Cells Have Reversed Age In Monkey’s with ZERO Side Effects”. Some people don’t want to take the spiritual risks of seeing material on YouTube. So below is a Grok AI summary.

A groundbreaking study conducted by scientists in Beijing has demonstrated systemic age reversal in monkeys using genetically engineered human stem cells. Published in the journal *Cell*, this primate study has sparked widespread discussion for its potential implications in anti-aging therapies for humans. By modifying human embryonic stem cells with a specific gene variant, researchers achieved significant rejuvenation in aged monkeys, raising exciting possibilities—and important questions—about the future of longevity science.

 

#### The Science Behind the Study

 

The study focused on **senescence-resistant mesenchymal progenitor cells (SRCs)**, derived from human embryonic stem cells (HESCs) genetically modified with a variant of the **FOXO3 gene**. The FOXO3 gene belongs to the FOXO family of transcription factors, which act as master regulators of cellular processes. Certain FOXO3 variants are linked to exceptional longevity in humans, as they help protect cells from stress and aging. In aged cells, FOXO3 tends to be less active in the nucleus, reducing its ability to activate protective genes. The researchers introduced mutations to the FOXO3 gene to ensure it remains in the nucleus, effectively creating a “super soldier” version of the gene that continuously activates stress-response mechanisms.

 

These modified SRCs exhibited youthful characteristics, including:

– **Reduced cellular senescence**: Fewer cells entered a dysfunctional, non-dividing state.

– **Longer telomeres**: Indicating better cellular health and division potential.

– **Stable heterochromatin**: Ensuring more stable gene expression.

– **Lower inflammation**: Reduced secretion of pro-inflammatory factors.

 

Additionally, SRCs produced **exosomes**—tiny vesicles enriched with antioxidants, anti-inflammatory molecules, and metabolites like spermine, known to delay brain aging in mice. These exosomes were shown to independently reduce inflammation, DNA damage, and aging markers in multiple organs, acting like messengers that enhance cellular performance.

 

#### The Primate Experiment

 

The study involved **monkeys aged 19 to 23 years**, equivalent to 60- to 70-year-old humans. The monkeys were divided into three groups, each receiving intravenous infusions every two weeks for 44 weeks:

1. 1. **Saline (control group)**: No active treatment.
2. 2. **Wild-type mesenchymal progenitor cells (WTCs)**: Unmodified stem cells as a baseline comparison.
3. 3. **FOXO3-enhanced SRCs**: The experimental gene-edited stem cells.

 

Each monkey received approximately **2 million cells per kilogram of body weight** per infusion, totaling around 200–300 million cells over the study period. This dosage aligns with safe limits for stem cell therapies, as higher doses could risk immune rejection, tumor formation, or vascular blockages (microemboli). Importantly, the monkeys tolerated the SRC treatment well, showing no signs of fever, immune rejection, metabolic issues, or tumor formation, suggesting the therapy’s safety for potential human trials.

 

#### Remarkable Results

 

The study yielded impressive results across multiple biological systems, as assessed through blood tests, MRIs, CT scans, and cognitive tasks:

 

1. 1. **Brain Rejuvenation**:

– Monkeys treated with SRCs performed significantly better on memory tasks compared to the control and WTC groups.

– MRI scans showed restored cortical thickness and volume in the frontal and parietal lobes, with improved connectivity in the hippocampus and other memory-critical regions.

– The brain exhibited a younger structural and functional profile.

 

1. 2. **Bone and Muscle Health**:

– Micro-CT imaging revealed reduced age-related bone loss and better preservation of bone structure in SRC-treated monkeys.

– Serum markers of bone formation improved, indicating stronger bones and reduced fracture risk.

– Skeletal muscle showed a transcriptomic age reduction of approximately **4.9 years** with SRCs, compared to **3.5 years** with WTCs.

 

1. 3. **Systemic Age Reversal**:

– Transcriptomic and DNA methylation clocks, which measure biological age, indicated an average age reversal of **3.4 years across 54% of 61 tissues** from 10 organ systems in SRC-treated monkeys, compared to **2.8 years across 31% of tissues** with WTCs.

– Standout tissues included:

– **Skin**: -5.6 years (vs. -4.4 years with WTCs)

– **Lungs**: -4.1 years (vs. -3.3 years)

– **Skeletal muscle**: -4.9 years (vs. -3.2 years)

– **Spleen**: -2.6 years (vs. -1.9 years)

– **Hippocampus**: -2 years (vs. -1.5 years)

 

1. 4. **Immune System Reset**:

– Peripheral blood mononuclear cells showed upregulated DNA repair and autophagy pathways, with downregulated pro-senescence and inflammatory genes.

– Inflammatory markers like IL-6, TNF-α, and CHIT1 (a neuroinflammation biomarker) decreased significantly.

 

1. 5. **Reproductive Organ Rejuvenation**:

– The ovaries exhibited the largest age reversal, with a reduction of approximately **4.5 years**, and granulosa cells showed over **6 years** of reversal.

– Other reproductive tissues, including the fallopian tubes, also showed significant rejuvenation.

 

These results suggest that SRCs orchestrate a **multi-system rejuvenation**, addressing multiple hallmarks of aging simultaneously. Even WTCs showed notable benefits, indicating that stem cell therapy alone has anti-aging potential, though SRCs were consistently more effective.

#### Implications for Human Longevity

The study’s findings are a significant step toward developing true anti-aging therapies. By targeting multiple aging mechanisms—stem cell exhaustion, DNA damage, inflammation, and oxidative stress—SRCs could shift the paradigm from treating age-related diseases (e.g., heart disease, arthritis, dementia) to preventing them by maintaining youthful resilience. The researchers estimate that the 3–5 years of biological age reversal in monkeys could translate to **9–15 years in humans**, though this is speculative due to differences in human and primate biology.

 

The study also highlights the role of **exosomes**, which could potentially be used as a standalone therapy to achieve similar effects without the need for cell infusions. This could simplify and reduce the cost of future treatments.

#### Challenges and Caveats

Despite the excitement, several challenges remain:

– **Long-Term Safety**: While no adverse effects were observed over 44 weeks, the long-term risks of gene-edited cell therapies, such as genomic instability or cancer, are unknown. Extended follow-up studies are needed.

– **Translatability to Humans**: Differences in immune systems, reproductive biology, and social factors may affect how SRCs perform in humans.

– **Cost and Accessibility**: Replicating the study’s protocol (bi-weekly infusions for nearly a year) would be prohibitively expensive, potentially costing hundreds of thousands of dollars. Early adopters with significant financial resources will likely drive initial development, but costs must decrease for broader accessibility.

– **Biodistribution and Durability**: Questions remain about where SRCs travel in the body, how long they survive, and whether their effects persist without continuous treatment.

– **Ethical and Regulatory Concerns**: The use of gene-edited human cells raises ethical questions, and regulatory approval for human trials will require rigorous safety data.

#### Broader Context and Future Directions

This study represents a leap forward in longevity science, moving closer to the dream of a single intervention that can measurably reverse aging. Unlike traditional approaches that target individual diseases, SRC therapy addresses aging itself, potentially preventing a range of age-related conditions. However, aging is a complex process driven by multiple intertwined factors, and no single therapy is likely to be a complete solution.

 

Future research will need to:

– Determine whether exosomes alone can replicate SRCs’ effects.

– Identify which tissues are less responsive and how to target them.

– Conduct human trials to validate safety and efficacy.

– Address scalability and cost to make the therapy accessible.

 

#### Conclusion

 

The Beijing study demonstrates that systemic age reversal is possible in primates using FOXO3-enhanced stem cells, with significant rejuvenation in the brain, bones, muscles, immune system, and reproductive organs. While not yet ready for clinical use, this research offers a tantalizing glimpse into the future of anti-aging therapies. For longevity enthusiasts, it’s a milestone worth celebrating, but for regulators and ethicists, it raises critical questions about safety, equity, and the societal implications of extending human lifespans. As the field progresses, this study could mark the beginning of a new era in combating aging, bringing us closer to a world where staying young is not just a dream but a reality.

 

For those eager to track their own biological markers, tools like the **Hume Body Pod** (mentioned in the video) can provide insights into metrics like body fat, muscle mass, and bone density, helping individuals monitor their aging process. As longevity science advances, such tools may become integral to personalized health strategies.

Commentary on the Video: The Value of this study from a Torah perspective

1) When people see the biological possibility of anti-aging technology, it makes it easier for some of them to believe in the ages of some of the key people in the book of Breishit (Genesis).
2) Yishayahu (Isaiah) 65:20 informs us that there will be a time in the future:

There shall be no more there an infant who lives a few days, nor an old man that has not filled his days: for the youngest shall die a hundred years old; and the sinner being a hundred years old shall be deemed accursed.

It is possible that some medical discovery will help us fulfill this prophecy in a natural way.
3) Based on this research and prophetic sources, it is not appropriate to bless someone that he or she lives to the age of 120.

Therefore, this research has value, even if in the end the results might be achieved through more effective or efficient methods!

 

Quote from https://machonmeir.net/rabbi-kook-on-war/

War is also Redemption (Tractate Megilla)

by Tzvi Fishman

While HaRav Avraham Yitzhal HaKohen Kook possessed a towering love for all people, and while his writings on love are often quoted during times of fraternal conflict and global war, one should not get the impression that Rabbi Kook was a screaming liberal who fostered the creed of turning the other cheek. For example, in the midst of World War One when the nations of the world were engaged in a savage outburst of killing and destruction, Rabbi Kook wrote the following:

“When there is a great war in the world, the power of the Mashiach awakens. The time of the songbird has come, the weeding away of tyrants… The present World War is filled with deep and awesome expectations which point to the Revealed End leading to the settlement of Eretz Yisrael. ‘Master of wars, the sower of righteousness, Who causes salvation to sprout… cause a new light to shine upon Zion. May we all be speedily privileged to enjoy its light.’”

During the midst of World War One, with his penetrating gaze and deep Torah wisdom, Rabbi Kook understood that Hashem, ‘the Master of War,’ was bringing about a new stage in the history-sweeping drama of the Redemption of Israel. Indeed, in the aftermath of the war, the Balfour Proclamation opened a path toward the creation of an internationally-recognized Jewish Homeland. Similarly, in the aftermath of World War Two, the State of Israel was established. Today, we can see how Rabbi Kook’s vision applies as well to the ongoing Russian-Ukrainian war. No doubt one of the outcomes will be a great influx of olim in the continuing ingathering of the exiles to the Promised Land.

In his essays concerning war in his book “Orot,” Rabbi Kook goes on to analyze the inner causes which led to the devastating world upheaval. He writes:

“The moral repression found in the profane culture which exerted vast dominion over the nations, brought oppression to their hearts, and caused evil traits, diseases, and anger to multiply and be pent up in the depths of their souls. And now these are erupting their fetters through the horrendously bloody and awesomely cruel battles, which are more in keeping with their still unrefined natures.”

Rabbi Kook sought to explain how an enlightened, industrialized, and cultured Europe could unleash such destructive barbaric forces that brought the world to a cataclysmic and death-filled war. Some 20,000,000 people were killed and another 21,000,000 wounded. What went wrong?

The “profane culture” he writes about which grew to dominate Western civilization is the outgrowth of Christianity, whose doctrines of repression burst through Christianity’s outer guise of gentility and brotherhood into a monstrous storm of violence and hate. Rabbi Kook explains that in denying the Torah and its commandments, Christianity separated mankind from Hashem. Unlike the constant self-correction and moral improvement demanded by the Torah, through the diligent work of perfecting character traits, Christianity’s false show of morals proved impotent in uplifting man’s baser traits. Only the Torah, Rabbi Kook explains, has the unique power to refine man’s nature. All other disciplines, whether religious, secular, philosophical, or scientific, can add to man’s quantitative knowledge, but they cannot effect any lasting inner change.

In his eye-opening essays, Rabbi Kook teaches that Christian civilization, and the profane secular culture which grew out from it, knows what is evil, but does not know how to correct it. It learned about morals from the Hebrew Bible, but in cutting itself off from Israel and the commandments of the Torah, requiring only a statement of belief in the Christian messiah, it separated mankind from the one and only path to Hashem and true morality. Rabbi Kook uses the expression, “Forgetters of Hashem in their innards and carrying His Name on the lips,” (Orot, 2:8). According to Rabbi Kook’s Torah worldview, Christianity left man simmering in secular and pseudo-religious darkness in a cauldron of unrefined passions and lusts which finally exploded in the devastating world war. He continues:

“The sin of those who shed blood is saturated with stain – the evil kings of the land and the murderers who bring terror on the earth. ‘The land will not be atoned for the blood which has been spilled upon it except through the blood of those who spilled it’ (Jeremiah, 2:22), and atonement is sure to come – the total annulment of all of today’s cultural edifices, with all of their lies and deceit, with all of their evil pollutions and venomous poisons. The entire culture which flatters itself with melodious lies must be erased from the world, and in their stead will be established the kingdom of the high holy ones.”

Here we can see that although Rabbi Kook loved all of humanity, he wasn’t blind to the evil which existed in the world and he demands, in the light of the Torah and Prophets of Israel, that the evil culture haunting mankind be obliterated from the earth. In its place will shine forth the light of Israel:

“The light of Israel will appear, to establish a world whose nations are possessed of a new spirit, nations who will no longer speak emptiness, and who will no longer act contemptuously against Hashem and against His Mashiach, against the life-light of the world, and against the perfection and belief embodied in the eternal covenant of the Torah… Then it will be known and proven that only in Him, in the G-d of Israel, is there salvation, and the salvation of Hashem will surely come.

“The dissipation of the powers of the heathens, who are drunk with a poisonous cup, is sure to come. Hashem has opened His arsenal and taken out His weapons of war. Then the present-day culture will be totally erased, with all of its foundations, libraries, and theaters. And all of the vain and cruel laws, and the evil and sinful customs of life, will all pass away to oblivion. And Hashem alone will be exalted above all on that day… ‘And it shall come to pass in the end of days, that the mountain of the Lord’s House shall be established on the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills, and all of the nations shall stream unto it’” (Orot, Chapter 2:8).

May it be soon.

[Based on the book, “War and Peace,” by Rabbi David Samson and Tzvi Fishman.]