Bülent Sezgin: Good night, we are starting our program “Pleasant Conversations”. Tonight, we have our highly esteemed guests with us; I would like to introduce them, Mr. Adnan Oktar. Rabbi Avraham Sherman from Israel. Rabbi Sherman is a senior Rabbi and a Rabbinical Judge. He retired from his Chief Justice position after having served in the Israel Supreme Rabbinical Court for 32 years. He also served as legal advisor for numerous organizations and at the Nurnberg [Nuremberg] Trials carried out against Nazis. Our other guest is Rabbi Jeffrey Seidel from Israel. He directs a Jewish student center in Jerusalem, where he actively organizes training programs to strengthen the Jewish youth's bonds with religion and their past. Known for his outgoing personality, Rabbi Seidel also writes weekly columns frequently covered in various Jewish newspapers and the social media. Our last guest is Mr. Todd William Kissam from Maryland, USA. He is a Freemason as well as a priest of the Anglican Church. He has served as a priest in Washington DC, Colorado, and New Jersey for over 20 years. Mr. Kissam currently continues to provide his priesthood services in the state of Maryland.
Adnan Oktar: Welcome, you have honored us with your presence. Your honoring us with your elating presence is a great blessing for us. I am seated at a higher level than you for the broadcast, but your place in our hearts is so high. This is a requirement that I am seated like this because of the shooting technique. In this regard, I apologize to you. If you like, you may translate into Hebrew also. We would like to benefit from your extremely valuable knowledge. We would like to benefit from your lectures. We would like to benefit from your holy light. Please you may have the first word as you are the respected elderly one amongst us.
Rabbi Abraham Sherman: In honor of all who are sitting here, together. The thing that unites us here is that we want to show that if we search how we can improve humanity, both the individual and all mankind, we can find it in the Holy Books. The main point is, it says that… I can say that the most important event [for mankind] happened on Mount Sinai. On Mount Sinai, the Almighty, the Holy Creator, is giving us the order (commandments) on how to shape all inhabitants, all facets of life. Especially in the point of the relationship between human beings: between each other, between nations. And the basic principle is to walk in His ways, as it is written, and I will quote it from the Holy Books, v’ata yisrael ma hashem elokecha shoel me’imach… (reads in Hebrew) “You know what He, the Creator of you, is asking from you. He wants you to walk in His ways…” (Deuteronomy 10:12). As it goes on to say, “to walk in all His ways and to love Him and worship [the Lord, your God, with all your heart and with all your soul]. About what is walking in “His ways”? And what is “His ways”? It is written, He is merciful, so you have to be merciful to the people. He wants that even if people do not do you good, you have to look on them, and not to be angry with them. To be with patience even if they do you a horror, be patient with them. If we see what He gives to us, the Two Tablets on which is written the Ten Commandments. You will see these are the two Tablets one against the other. On the right tablet it is written, ‘I am your Creator, I save you, I want that you should have life’. Opposite this it is written, ‘No murder’. And why is it written ‘No murder’ because every person has in his humanity a part of Him (His attribute of Divinity) that when He created you, He gave you a soul. He gave you a soul, it is a spiritual power that He gives to you. It is because of this spiritual power, that if you kill a man, you take God’s part of spirit [which He placed there] when you murder anyone. This applies to everyone, all of humanity.
It is written in the Old Testament that our sages said very important things. Every day, a voice is going from Mount Sinai. A voice is going every day. Not only once in one particular situation was it heard: Now you hear, now you don’t hear it. You hear it, but you do not continue to hear it. (Its not like this). They say every day is a voice going and saying: oy halem labriot m’elbonah shel torah (reads in Hebrew) [“A warning to all created beings is the criticism of Torah” (Mishnah Avot 6:2)] ‘All the creatures’ is ‘briot’. It means ‘all what I created in all the world’. Not only the Jewish people who are standing on the Mount Sinai, it is all of humanity, all My creatures’. It means, there is no difference if it is a Jew or not, black or white, even if an enemy of you. You have to believe that ‘Also about this enemy, there is a part of God (a Divine soul)’. Therefore, do not murder, do not harm.
And after it in the continuation of these tablets, it is written you have no other to worship. Only Him, not others. Opposite this is written lo tinaf [Thou shalt not commit adultery]. If we look on this, it is not only related to the connection between a man and a woman. As you see in the prophets, they do not use lo tinaf only in this sense. If you go to another one, he is mating with another against his wife. Why do you go to another? If you do so, you are also going against the commandment “Do not have another”, ‘Do not exchange Me.’ It means, not only not to exchange the One that you worship, but not to exchange the purpose of life. In our modern time, they say the main thing, the purpose of the life is to enjoy the life, to please the body, to have much money, to desire of the money and desire more and more. One of the Ten Commandments is do not desire the field of your friend, the building of your friend and the wife of your friend. What is it that brings a person to desire? The things that I can get. I want. The expression of a good life, pleasure for my body, in every way. And in this modern times make it like worship of another, This is the basis. That is to say, this is the “other god” of the modern times. Don’t walk on this path! Because if you walk this way, you will leave the way of God. You only want to get, you do not want to give. The Creator, He gives. What others have not, He gives to them. (We must walk in His ways.) Do not harm him, do not hate him. Help him to be happy so that he will have a life of good, do not be a taker of the world, be a giver to the world, the best kind of giving.
If you have hatred today, this means you are the center. If they don’t give what you want, you may fight with him. You make terror on him. If he is not like you, you make terror. You can even kill young children, you can kill even entire villages with all the children. You do not give them the right to life. All the women will be slaves, for all kinds of very ugly things. Why do you do it? Even the Creator, He has written ‘do not murder.’ Why do you murder? Do not harm a woman and do not take a woman and make her low, take her honor and all the things. Why do you do this? This is in our sources, in our Holy Books. This says to us, if you want to build a new world, a world there will be friendship, do not quarrel do not harm each other. Make all for peace, peace with each man, with his wife, children between them. I think even, as part of the modern life -- I am not against sports. Sports is good for health -- but the main point, who has power over the other? They try to win over the other and they enjoy seeing how this quarrel in boxing comes out, or in Roman times they brought some people to fight each other, to see the power of harming and they are excited about it. This is having another, they find it admiring the ‘heroes’ who have the power. We should not admire who grabs the most power, but who gives the the most to the other. This is the most important thing that we have to do. This is God’s ways, it is mercy, it is tolerance. It is written erech apayim (reads in Hebrew) do not be angry immediately. Even if he does you wrong, go slowly. We have to go His way, and we will build the whole world based on Holy Books. This will shape a new civilization, a new humanity of peace, humanity of not war, humanity of helping others to make them good and happy. This is God’s way, and this will be the way of all of us. I hope that this will be the outcome of our being here, and making this conversation. For this voice, this voice has to go every day. To go to all the places of the whole world, the voice of peace, the voice of tolerance, the voice against hatred and the voice of love.
Adnan Oktar: Masha'Allah, very beautiful. You have the strength of faith. God grants you this beautiful power of speaking. Your eagerness, your zeal is so amazing. You are full of tremendous enthusiasm. You set an example for many.
You are very pious and the purity of faith reflects on your face. You have a wonderful discourse that will gain the approval and admiration of every Muslim. People are terribly misunderstanding the Jews. In my opinion, your words about peace, love and friendship has been a slap in the face of the people who are against the Jews, while it enlivened and refreshed those with beautiful hearts. People see how sincere believers you are and you set a wonderful example. May God grant you a long and healthy life. May God grant you a healthy and prolonged life, so that you will see Moshiach come.
Rabbi Abraham Sherman: Thank you for all the blessings. May the blessings spread among all of us. May you continue with healthy life and all the spiritual power to continue until Salvation of the whole world. This will stop murder, stop the wars in every part of world. You see we do not hear the voice of love. I think that He will bless all, the ones with the real character of the Holy Books. And all Holy Books will give us the way. Thank you for all of us, thank you that you give me this means to be together and to give this voice.
Adnan Oktar: He is such a likeable person, masha’Allah
Adnan Oktar: Masha'Allah. When Moshiach appears in Jerusalem, and when we rebuild the Prayer House of the Prophet Solomon, and we will rebuild his palace as well, God willing, I wish from God that you would be among the great scholars who will anoint Moshiach with the holy olive oil.
Rabbi Abraham Sherman: I also want to end with a chapter. About this time of the Moshiach, mal’eah haretz de’ah et hashem kamayim layam m’chasim (reads in Hebrew) “for the land shall be full of knowledge of the Lord as water covers the sea bed.” This is the truth of Him, it will be all over the world. (Isaiah 11:9)
Adnan Oktar: Masha'Allah, he is adorable, masha’Allah.
Adnan Oktar: Yes, insha'Allah [God willing] I hope me, you and all of us will become the students of Moshiach. We will see the holy oil poured down his head, running down his beard, down on the collar of his clothes, insha'Allah.
Adnan Oktar: Masha’Allah. Please, go ahead, we are listening to you.
Rabbi Jeffrey Seidel: At first, I was not sure of coming to Turkey. Because right now it is summer time in Israel, these months the student groups are in universities and I am so busy. But my students encouraged me to come. They encouraged me to come and they said ‘you must come’ because the season we are in right now is just finishing in Israel. We have just finished the holiday of Shavuot. This is the time when Moses with the Jewish people received the Torah. And at that time one of the main ways of being able to receive the Torah was through unity. When the Jewish people stood by Mount Sinai, they were all one nation, one people. And that is part of the message that my students wanted me to come. Because they feel, by being here, I should give this message here in Istanbul, this message of unity. I said I have to come, and be a part of the real unity and the connection that we have between both of us. Jewish people and message of unity.
And they told me also one more thing before I go, that we just celebrated the Day of Jerusalem in Jerusalem. Jerusalem Day was the day of a modern miracle, a miracle in 1967, when Jerusalem became once again a united city. When Israel was against so many different odds of being destroyed, and at that moment in 1967 Israel was about to encounter another Holocaust. Another Holocaust could have happened, and then we got back to the areas and we unified it. We made it open for the whole world to come. It was a miracle, a miracle. And my students were explaining to me that they feel that miracle that happened in the sixties war, how the small little army of Israel with not many weapons and surrounded from all sides survived. And that miracle, they feel, is being forgotten. It is up to us, myself and other people, to realize that miracle happened to the Jewish people in Israel. But miracles happen to us every single day. We need to count the miracles that happen to us. We don’t always know and may not be aware of it, but they do happen. I am grateful to be here, and I am grateful that I was able after so many years to be here in the 50th year anniversary of Jerusalem, to once again realize the miracle that happened and to recognize it.
Adnan Oktar: Yes, you will be in the promised lands. This is the commandment of God; there is no other way. God clearly declares in the Qur'an that the Jews will reside in Israel. In Surat Al-Isra, verse 104, God reveals, I seek refuge in God from the accursed satan: “And We said unto the Children of Israel after him: Dwell in the land;” this is Israel, stay there, “but when the promise of the Hereafter come to pass We shall bring you as a crowd gathered out of various nations.” (Surat Al-Isra’, 104) “Remember Moses said to his people: "O my people! Call in remembrance the favor of God unto you, when He produced prophets among you, made you kings, and gave you what He had not given to any other among the peoples. O my people!”; these are the Children of Israel. “Enter the holy land which God has assigned unto you,” that is Jerusalem, “and turn not back ignominiously”; this means do not leave that land, “for then will you be overthrown, to your own ruin." (Surat Al-Maide, 20-21) God reveals that you [the Jews] will inhabit in Israel, and in Jerusalem also. You [the Jews] are the ornaments, the beauty of the region. The contrary is impossible.
Again in Surat al-Baqara, verse 58, I seek refuge in God from the accursed satan; “And remember We said: "Enter this town,” this is Quds al-Sharif, Jerusalem, “and eat of the plenty therein as ye wish; but enter the gate with humility, in posture and in words.” God reveals they should prostrate, and Jews also prostrate in prayers. “… and We shall forgive you your faults and increase (the portion of) those who do good." (Surat Al-Baqara, 58) In Surah Yunus, verse 93, God reveals; “We settled the Children of Israel in a beautiful dwelling-place,” this is Israel, “and provided for them sustenance of the best: it was after knowledge had been granted to them, that they fell into schisms. Verily God will judge between them as to the schisms amongst them, on the Day of Judgment.” (Surah Yunus, 93) There are conflicts between Muslims, believers and God teaches that this should not occur. There should be no conflict, and Israel should unite in one view and in one faith.
We are at a time where war and terror will be no more. We are in the End Times. We are at the time of Moshiach's appearance.
In Zechariah, 9:10, "I will take away the chariots from Ephraim and the war-horses from Jerusalem," in other words, tanks and artillery. "And the battle bow will be broken. He,” this is the King Messiah, your King, “will proclaim peace to the nations." (Zechariah 9:10) This person is Mahdi in our belief.
In Ezekiel, 39:9-10, “Burn them [the weapons] up—the small and large shields, the bows and arrows, the war clubs and spears... They will use them for fuel... declares the Sovereign Lord.” (Ezekiel, 39:9-10) Therefore, we are completely against war and terrorism. We would never brag about war and terror. For us, war and terrorism are terrible atrocities that should be avoided at all costs. This is mentioned in the Torah in great detail. In Hosea, 2:18, "Bow and sword and battle, I will abolish from the land, so that all may lie down in safety." (Hosea, 2:18) We are on the verge of entering this era of Moshiach.
In Psalms, 133:1, "How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity!" (Psalms, 133:1) says again Almighty God in the Torah.
"Instead of bronze, I will bring you gold, and silver in place of iron. Instead of wood I will bring you bronze, and iron in place of stones. I will make peace your governor and well-being your ruler." (Isaiah, 60:17) Therefore, in the near future, the reign of peace will spread to the entire world. We will go through days of hardship, but I believe that we will see Moshiach-Mahdi [eventually].
In Micah, 4:1-4, "In the last days," in other words, nowadays, "many nations will come and they will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore. Everyone will sit under their own vine and under their own fig tree, and no one will make them afraid, for the Lord Almighty has spoken." (Micah, 4:1-4) God will show us these days, insha'Allah.
Adnan Oktar: Please, go ahead; we are listening.
Priest Todd William Kissam: I think that for the continuity of the conversation last evening with Wafik Moustafa, we spoke about the situation in Qatar. This morning, since we’ve had an extended conversation, the government met in a special session this morning and that the good guys have supplied food from Turkey. Food and water, the basics for the citizens, the innocents, within all of the controversy, Turkey has responded to the needs of the people of Qatar despite the sanctions. I think that’s a beautiful gesture, it’s a gesture of love. And again, in this season of Ramadan that calls all of us to righteousness and awareness of a relationship with a Divine that we all share, it has been such a privilege to be here.
Adnan Oktar: You are a very valuable person. We will see this altogether in the coming months, in the coming years. You are a precious member of a very valuable community.
We have great respect for you. We cherish you. You honored us. You graced and delighted us with your presence. We are still filled with the excitement of that. Your words were so beautiful. Your piety and faith is exemplary. May God grant you a long and healthy life, and grant us the opportunity to be brothers with you in the Heaven.
You [Rabbi Jeffrey Seidel] too honored us with your presence. Thanks to your visit, Istanbul is now even more beautiful with your presence. You and your students are always welcome here. We would like to always benefit from your precious opinions. Your services and efforts for peace are truly commendable.
Bülent Sezgin: We continue our broadcast with a very spiritual song from Rabbi Avraham Sherman, insha'Allah.
Rabbi Abraham Sherman: (Singing)
May there be peace in your wall, tranquility in your palaces.
May there be peace in your wall, tranquility in your palaces.
For the sake of my brethren and my companions, I shall now speak of peace in you.
For the sake of the house of the Lord our God, I shall beg for goodness for you.
May there be peace in your wall, tranquility in your palaces.
May there be peace in your wall, tranquility in your palaces.
For the sake of my brethren and my companions, I shall now speak of peace in you.
For the sake of the house of the Lord our God, I shall beg for goodness for you.
(Psalm 122:7-9)
Adnan Oktar: Masha’Allah.
Rabbi Abraham Sherman: Now I want to translate into words. We hope that Shalom will be in your walls of Jerusalem. And it will be tranquility, not war, not voice of fighting in your walls. It is all for whom, our friendships and our brothers. For sake of God’s House, we pray that will bring Shalom to Jerusalem. Translate.
Adnan Oktar: It is very, very beautiful, masha'Allah.
Adnan Oktar: Yes, you know Yehuda Glick; he is an estimable brother of ours from Israel. He has a message from Israel. He is also a parliamentarian in Israel and a Rabbi, right?
Oktar Babuna: Yes.
Adnan Oktar: Can we watch and listen to his message?
Yehuda Glick’s video message: My dear friend, honorary Mr. Adnan Oktar. Champion of religious tolerance. Champion of love to all human beings. Champion of God in the world. All participants, Christians, Muslims, Jews who are participating this wonderful annual iftar event, from the city of Jerusalem, chosen by God to be a city of peace, allow me to wish each and every one of you, blessings of success in bringing God’s light to all. You were participating in this wonderful event. Leaders, religious leaders, political leaders from all over the world, the Middle East; please keep within your hearts a true prayer for Jerusalem as a city of peace. We hope to bring very soon the days where the Temple Mount, which was chosen by God to rest His divine presence, shall be a House of Prayer to all Christians, Jews, Muslims people from all over the world; from America, from Europe, from Asia, from Africa, from Australia. People who connect to God and we shall see on the Temple Mount a House of prayer that unites all nations to the One and Only God. From Jerusalem allow me to wish you all Ramadan Kareem, Allah Akram, all of you, everyone of you should be blessed by God. From Jerusalem, the city of peace, city of Shalom.
Adnan Oktar: Masha'Allah, he is very sweet. All right, we can end our broadcast now.
