Wednesday, April 2, 2008

On the Brink

Brothers, Am Yisrael is in dire straits. The sword of heavenly judgement is on our necks. Our people is in grave danger and our lives literally are held in the balance.

- The Hezbollah have around 30,000 rockets (according to the minister of security advertised on the news) and Iran and Syria are continuing to supply them with weaponry.

- Among the weapons are advanced, long-ranged Iranian rockets that are a threat to all major populated areas in Israel; power stations, airports, harbors, etc. the range extends all the way to the nuclear plant in Dimona ("Ha'aretz", March 2, 2008).

- There is an even greater threat from Iranian and Syrian missiles carrying biological or chemical weapons, something for which Israel is completely unprepared.

- Syria is boosting up forces along its northern border and calling up reserves in anticipation of a possible conflict with Israel. On Wednesday, the London-based Al-Quds al-Arabi reported that Damascus was preparing for a large-scale Israeli attack against Syria and Hizbullah and has begun increasing its presence along its border with Lebanon, as well as calling up reserve forces.

- Al-Qaeda No. 2, Ayman al-Zawahiri, pledged Wednesday night to do his utmost to strike Jews all over the world and to extend the Jihad to Jerusalem. "We promise our Muslim brothers that we will do the best we can to harm Jews in Israel and the world over, with Allah's help and according to his command," he said.

- Israel's leaders are still exhibiting suicidal tendencies in a misguided "peace" process, wanting to tear tens of thousands of Jews out of Judea and Samaria and to bring Arab rockets even closer to Israeli cities.

What can we do? How can we save ourselves from these threats of destruction?

Let us recognize that we have no one to rely on except HaShem. The US cannot save us, and neither can the Israeli army. Our only strength and protector is the Rock of Israel, HaShem.

We are taught that whenever evil decrees are upon Am Yisrael, we must all don sackcloth and ashes, fast and most importantly, pray for salvation and do teshuva. We must immediately return to HaShem, do complete teshuva, confess our sins and recommit to HaShem's Torah. The sword is upon Israel's neck, slated for destruction, G-d forbid, and nobody has any answers. The government has admitted that Israel is completely unprepared for an Iranian or Syrian biological or chemical attack. Our lives are in danger! There is no time to lose!

Simulataneous prayer services are being help in 40 cities in Israel and in Monsey, NY, Thursday. Traditionally, whenever the Jewish people have suffered tremendous tribulations, we have put on sack and ashes and fasted. The Patriarch Jacob, Moses, the nation as a whole several times during the period of the Judges, Mordechai and Esther- these are but a few examples of the proper response to divine judgement.

This is also what is written in Shulchan Aruch:

"All the people [of Israel] gather together, covering themselves in sacks… one of the people takes the ashes… each and every person takes from the ashes and places it upon his head. After that they bring one of their older wise men… and he says capturing words (words that capture the hearts of the listeners and arouse them to teshuva)… until their hearts surrender (to HaShem) and they then do complete teshuva."

Please my brothers, we have no time to lose. We have tried every secular option- of surrendering 'land for peace', of fighting the terrorists, of negotiating, of bombing our enemies- yet all have failed. We cannot make peace without HaShem.

"Oh that My people would hearken unto Me, that Israel would walk in My ways! I would soon subdue their enemies, and turn My hand against their adversaries." (Psalm 81:14-15)

While most of us cannot pick up a weapon and fight against our enemies, there is something that we each can do. The strength and weapon on Israel is prayer and mitzvot. The Arabs may have tilim (rockets) but we have a far greater power: tehillim (Psalms). A mitzvah, a G-dly deed, has the power to reach deep into the core of our being--where we are all one, and the physical distance between us is of no consequence. At this core, a positive deed on our part will help bring salvation to a brother and sister in distress. As the Rambam taught, a single good deed is enough to tip the scale in our favour and turn the tide.

Here are some suggestions. You can make a difference.

- Torah Study: The Torah is our true strength. HaShem promised that if we study and follow the Torah, our enemies will have no power over us. (Daily study)

- Heartfelt prayer: Say some Tehillim, pour out your heart and beg HaShem to have mercy on His people. "Some trust in chariots, and some in horses; but we will make mention of the name of the LORD our God." (Psalm 20:8)

- Charity and acts of kindness: Put a coin in a charity box, give a gift of money to a fellow in need or to a charitable cause, or extend a helping hand to someone who needs it. G-d loves nothing better than Jewish unity.

- Tefillin: The Torah promises that in the merit of the mitzvah of tefillin, "all the nations of the world will see that the name of G-d is called upon you, and they will fear you" (Deuteronomy 28:10). Every Jewish male must don tefillin every morning when praying.

- Mezuzah: If you have not placed mezuzot on your doors, do so. As our Sages have said: "A human king sits inside his palace and his servants guard him from the outside. But you sleep on your beds, and G-d guards you (i.e. through the Mezuzah on your doorposts) from the outside." (Babylonian Talmud, Tractate Avoda Zara 11a.)

- Shabbat candles: We are told by HaShem: "If you kindle for me the lights of shabbat, I will kindle for you the lights of Zion". Before sunset on Friday nights, every Jewish woman must light candles in honour of the holy shabbat.

"Bring us to Zion, Your city, with joy and to Jerusalem, Your Holy Temple with the joy of the world."





*** Please help publicize this important message.

Cross-posted to Jewish Vengeance

13 comments:

Yehudi said...

I can and I will. I am terrified when considering the future of our people.

WomanHonorThyself said...

thanks for the chizuk bro!..if only if only.............but youre right..every one matters and every mitzva counts!

Big Daddy Jew said...

Doing one more mitzvah, or 1 more hour of Torah study will not soothe G-d's anger. The fact that His people have rejected His Mashiach and continued to be obstinate about it...that is why the sword is at our neck! It is not a matter of giving a little bit more to charity...though these are all very good things. It is recognizing that Hashem has sent His Messiah, and we must repent for our arrogance...
"Hashem forgive us for missing the One You sent! Forgive us for refusing to place our trust in Yeshua, the One who died so that we may live. Restore Your people to a nation of priests back to Eretz Yisrael, and allow us to find favor in Your eyes. Withdraw the sword that is at our necks, King of the Universe, and accept our prayer of forgiveness. Destroy our enemies for Your name's sake and do not allow us to be put to shame, for we are You Inheritance. Amen."

Avi said...

BDJ- I do not want your treif. This is about returning to HaShem, the one whom you have abandonned. The name of that man, yimach shemo vezichrono, shall never again be mentionned here. I want no association with idolaters. Go away!

I suppose that the Holocaust was also because we rejected that wicked man. We actually deserved it, being C-killers. Go away!

Judah HaKohain said...

With your permission and full credit, I reprinted your message on Ha-Mikdash.

Anonymous said...

BK, does this mean you are finally breaking with the Notsrim?

Anonymous said...

Shimshi: I realize Hizbollah have a lot more rockets and men now than they did towards the end of the IDF's latest campaign in Lebanon, I know all about Iran and Syria, I realize el-Fatah are stronger than ever but things have been bad ever since Oslo. They've been on a steady decline for the last 13 years or so and I've seen no signs of panick. It seems to me like you're panicking in this post. Why now? Things have been worse. During the hamtana in '67 and in the days leading up to the Declaration of Israel's Independence it was a lot tougher for us.

Anonymous said...

Eitan, that is correct, but the powers that be were far better men than those we are saddled with today.

Anonymous said...

The last Pasukim of Sefer Daniel tell us 2 numbers.
1,290 and 1,335. Add them up and you get 2,625.
Assuming that Bush is in fact Gog...his 2,625th day
of his presidency was March 28th. On the very next day
Condi landed in Israel. Who really knows what she's making
Olmert do? Who really knows what theyve decided to
give away?

What we do know is..."Ashrei Hamichakeh..."

Chaim

Avi said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Avi said...

Eitan, every sign or event is a wake-up call for us to do teshuva. It is an inevitability. If we do teshuva now, we save ourselves from even harsher decrees laters.

The Torah (Vayikra/Leviticus 26:21, a total of 7 times):


"If you walk with me in happenstance, and you do not listen, I will add to you plagues, sevenfold for your sins".

The key word is 'keri', happenstance. When we say that our tribulations are mere happenstance rather than divine calls for teshuva, we invite HaShem's anger. I beg you that you stay resolute and committed in your goals, namely shabbat and kashrut and that you do them with a full heart. Mitzbot are not measure quantitatively but qualitatively.

Michael said...

What can we do?

What Israel needs to do is strike first. How about beating down the rocket-shooting scuz in Gaza, with enough force to put the fear of G-d (and F-16s and Merkava IVs) into the Hezbys up in Lebanon.

Sadly, we have Olmert at the helm...

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