Misplaced Mercy

Who is like Your people, Israel, one nation on the Earth? Such a foolish nation. Such a beautiful nation. Such a good-hearted and merciful nation. Such a stupid nation.

100 years ago, the Jews, fed up with their puny shtetl existence, championned the cause of Communism which promised to spread freedom and equality around the world. They broke down the shtetl walls, cut themselves off from their traditions and raised high the banner of the Worker's Revolution. The Jews dedicated themselves to creating the utopian world of the Worker's Paradise in which exploitatation, hatred, inequality and corruption would disappear forever. Not bad for the heirs of the Prophet's promise that "they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more." (Isaiah 2:4) Ironically, the Jews soon found themselves to be the first victims of the Communists. Under Stalin's brutal hand, the Jews suffered intense persecutions and oppression.

Judaism is a particularistic religion with a universal message. The laws and commandments of the Torah are the unique property of the Jewish people, one nation out of seventy. And yet, the Torah demands that all of G-d's creations abide by basic laws of morality. It promises an era of peace and prosperity for all nations. The Temple in Jerusalem will be the center of pilgrimage for all peoples to come and worship HaShem, the G-d of Israel.

The longed-for age of world peace can only come about once Israel is firmly planted in her land and living by the laws of the Torah. The prophecies of being a "light unto the nations" will only be fulfilled when Israel lives as an example to other nations, in the Land of Israel and follows G-d's commandments. Many Jews, either out of misplaced goodness or foolishness, seem to interpret the commandments to be merciful and kind at the expense of the Jewish nation. When Israel defends itself against attacks by its Arab neighbours, they are quick to cite the Torah's commandments to be forgiving. Whenever Israel retaliates, they quote psukim that command us not to take vengeance against our enemies.

Having lived in exile for so long, many Jews are uncomfortable with the idea of strong Jews. They have grown much more accustomed to seeing weak and crying Jews, rather than Jews making their enemies cry. Because of gentile influences in the exile, the Torah's concept of mercy has been perverted and we have been left with a flase mercy, the mercy of fools. The Sages say that we must imitate G-d; just as He is merciful, so must we be merciful. This also means that just as He defines mercy, so should we define mercy. The Midrash asks why the Torah uses the words: "when you go to war against your enemies". It explains: "Fight against them as enemies. Just as they would have no mercy on you, have no mercy on them.". No mercy? Certainly that is not the Torah's way. For its ways are ways of pleasantness and all its paths are peace. How can such a cruel and harsh passage square with the Torah's commandment of "'You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the sons of your people" (Lev. 19:18). The key to this passage is the context, the words "against the sons of your people". It is forbidden to take revenge against fellow Jews in personal matters. Whoever was wronged by a fellow Jew must forgo his anger and forgive him. However, against non-Jews who threaten the pride of Israel, we must certainly take revenge. Our sages said (Berachot 33a), "Shall we say that even revenge is great because it appears between two names of G-d? 'A G-d of vengeance is the L-rd' (Psalms 94:1). Rabbi Elazar responded, 'Indeed. Where revenge is necessary, it is a great thing.'" When a Jew takes revenge against the wicked, (Psalms 58:11-12): The righteous man shall rejoice when he sees the vengeance. He shall wash his feet in the blood of the wicked. Men shall say, "Verily there is a reward for the righteous. Verily there is a G-d Who judges on earth." By avenging the pride of Israel, G-d's pride is raised up and proven to the world.

By having mercy on the cruel and wicked terrorists and those who wish to destroy the nation of Israel, we permit them to continue murdering and maiming innocent Jews. Israel's physical return to the Land heralds G-d's kingdom on earth and vindicates the enemies of Israel who taunted her that her G-d had forsaken her. In essence, the State of Israel, despite all of its flaws and heresies, proves that G-d still loves His people and will yet redeem them. That is the reason for the urgency of the settlement of the Land of Israel. Our enemies who oppose Israel's return must be wiped out. The Sages say that he who has mercy on the cruel will eventually be cruel to the merciful. There is no room for misplaced mercy which can only harm Jews in this struggle between Israel and the nations. Have faith, Israel. HaShem will take His harsh vengeance against the nations. And then we will sit in peace and live in His light.

The Golan was already RETURNED!!

Ehud Olmert, in his dillusional fantasy world in which he is much more popular than mosquitoes and ear infections, still entertains the idea of relinquishing Israeli control over the Golan Heights and giving it to Syria. Surrendering the Golan Heights would be a step towards peace with Syria and as we all know, the concept of "land for peace" has worked brilliantly whenever Israel has applied it. I recently took a 4 day tour throught the Golan and would like to share some reasons why giving up this valuable piece of land would be suicide for Israel.

Security: Americans, Canadians and even Europeans, who all live in coutries blessed with wide open spaces and great amounts of living room cannot fathom Israel's predicament. If Canada were to give up all of its territorial holdings West of Toronto, a person living in Montreal would barely be affected. They carelessly wave their hands and expect that Israel give up Judea, Samaria, the Golan, Jerusalem, etc. Let them eat cake. Everybody can live in Tel-Aviv. Little do they realize that in reality, Israel is so small that if it were to be dropped in the Great Lakes, the waters would barely rise a few centimeters. It is about the size of a frozen lake in Manitoba. There is simply no distance between Israel and its friendly neighbours. One can stand on a hill in Eilat and see clearly into Jordan, Egypt and Saudi Arabia. In the Golan, every mountain overlooks Lebanon and Syria. Giving up this vital place would bring Syrian and Hizbullah guns even closer to Israel's heartland.

From atop Mount Hermon, one can see with a pair of binoculars directly into homes in Damascus. By retaining control over the Golan, Israel wields enormous deterrance power over Syria, a regime that is wholly unfriendly and that does not seek Israel's welfare. When Syria controlled the Golan, from '47 to '67, Syrian snipers would shoot Jewish farms and houses in the Galilee. Israel must learn from history and never allow such a situation to occur again. The Golan is crucial to Israel's security, to its military capacities and power of deterrance and to give it to the Syrians would be suicidal folly.

Demography: Ariel Sharon's argument in support of the Disengagement plan from Gaza was that 7 000 Jews cannot rule over a million Arabs. A similar claim is repeated with regards to Judea and Samaria, that it is majority Arab and it would therefore be wrong to retain control over it. Such a thing cannot be said about the Golan. The Golan is home to over 30 000 Jews, a few thousand Druze living in 5 northern villages, and absolutely no Arabs (did I mention that the Golan is one of my favourite places in Israel?). The Golan is firmly Jewish.

Economy: The Golan has a tropical climate and is perfectly suited for many types of fruits that cannot be grown in Israel's center, due to the occasionnal chills in the winter. It is full of blooming mango, banana and other exotic fruit orchards. A very significant portion of Israel's produce comes from the Golan. It has a booming industry and every city and town has signs offering tzimmers, lodges for rent, at cheap prices. Israeli tourists flock to the Golan, whose vegetation and weather is very different from the south of the country. Uprooting the Golan's 30 000 Jews and destorying the flourishing industry would be a great blow to Israel's economy, one that is certainly not worth a false "peace" with a country that has not launched a shot at Israel since '73.

History: All of the countries of the Middle-East were artificially carved up by the colonialist powers of Britain and France in the 1920s, 30s and 40s. Syria was created out of several ethnic groups and French Mandatory rule ended in 1947. From 1947 until 1967, Syria ruled the Golan. Keep in mind that before 1947, there was no such country as Syria. For those who can do basic math, Syria's hold on the Golan lasted for 20 years. It has been over 40 years since Israel liberated the Golan, capturing it in a defensive war which Syria initiated. Seeing as Israel has controlled the Golan for twice as long as Syria, it seems rather ridiculous to speak of "giving the Golan back".

Of course, Israel's connection to the Golan goes back much longer than 40 years. After the Destruction of the Second Temple in Jerusalem in 70 CE, the Jewish center of life shifted to Yavne in the Galilee and then eventually into the Golan. Much of the Jerusalem Talmud was in fact written in the Jewish communities of the Golan. Over 22 ancient synagogues have been excavated in the Golan. Two thousand years ago, long before the Ishmaelites ever burst out of the Arabian peninsula, before a certain Muhammad had an epiphany in a cave, Jews were already praying towards Jerusalem, praying to be redeemed.

In 67 CE, the Romans, under the command of Vespasian, were brutally supressing the Jewish revolt in Judea. They besieged the large Jewish fortress city of Gamla, in the Golan mountains, a city of 9 000, swelled with refugees from all over Judea. Afetr a lenghty siege, the Romans burst through the walls and slaughtered 4 000 of the defenders. In desperation, the 5 000 remaining inhabitants flung themselves into the deep ravine on the side of the city, committing suicide rather than fall into Roman hands. The deep commitment of thse brave Jews not to fall into enemy hands and to preserve the freedom of Israel deeply inspires us.

Gamla will not fall again!

Cross-posted to Goat's Barnyard

Dust at our Feet

The other day, while we were touring the Kotel tunnels, our guide told us a fascinating story. A famous Israeli archaeologist (whose name escapes me) had a very peculiar Tish Be'Av ritual. Every Tisha Be'Av, he would go to the Israel Museum and scream. At this museum stands a very large statue of the victorious emperor Vespasian standing arrogantly in his triumph over the Jewish rebels. The archaeologist would yell at the statue, taunting him over the disappearance of the mighty Roman Empire. He would ask him where his people vanished to. While all that is left of Vespasian is this statue, the Jewish people once again live in their land.

Today, we toured the Crusader fortress of Akko. I soon thought of how strong the Crusaders were and how they no longer exist. Besides a few piles of stones and artifacts, there are no traces of them. How much Jewish blood has been spilled by the hands that built Akko? Before setting off to battle the heathens in the East, they decided to massacre the christ-killers among them. The Crusaders massacred entire Jewish communities in the Rhineland, in Germany and France. The massacres were so traumatic that the Jews wrote a special memorial prayer, "Av HaRachamim", that is still recited every Shabbat morning, 900 years later. When the Crusaders finally reached the Holy Land, they slaughtered the entire Jewish community of Jerusalem. Blood ran through the streets up to their knees. These marauders who seemed so powerful, so mighty, are but dust. The irony is that today, their christ-killing victims, the Jewish people, tour their empty sites.

Every people that has opposed the Jewish people has disappeared. The Egyptians, Babylonians, Assyrians, Persians, Greeks, Romans, Nazis and Communists are gone. All is temporary, except for the nation of Israel. Very soon indeed, we will walk in the ruins of Hamas and Hizbullah. Ahmadinejad and Nasrallah will be names in a history book, while the Jewish people dwells firmly in its own land. We will tour museums full of "Palestinian" flags, suicide belts and other Islamic weapons of terror. They will be gone, dust and ashes, wiped away and relegated to the dustbin of history and the Jews will remain.

May it happen speedily in our days. Shabbat Shalom.

Bought with Suffering

Not again, I thought as I saw the ambulances and policemen racing to the scene. We quickly ran back to our hotel and, looking out our window, we could see overturned cars and a tractor. In a copycat attack, an Arab tractor driver ran amok on a crowded Jerusalem street, attempting to kill and maim as many Jews as he could. All the Israelis had already grown used to such attacks and after initial shock, they continued with their lives, undaunted by the acts of a homicide terrorist.

Reading the newspaper and watching the news, my heart breaks. Why does this one little people deserve so much suffering and pain? This legacy of loss is written deeply on the face of every Israeli. Unfortunately, they are no strangers to hardship. Sitting in a restaurant in Jaffa, the waitress, along with everybody in the restaurant, was glued to the TV, watching a tearful Karnit Goldwasser mourn over the coffin of her husband. The mood in the air was tense and tragic. The waitress looked at us with pained eyes and said: "this is a sad day for Israel." Across the border, our enemies were celebrating the release of a vile child murderer, praising his "heroic" act of bashing in the skull of a 4-year old. Such good people are surrounded in a sea of bastards who only wish them bad. The lives of many more Jewish children have certainly been endangered by the release of this unrepentant monster.

Some Jews in the Diaspora, fed up with Israeli scandals and problems, are ready to wash their hands of the Zionist experiment. Speaking with the people of Israel, living proudly in the land of Israel, I say that I will never do that. Yes, I know that the Israeli leadership is inept and completely corrupt. I am aware that Israel is suffering from serious drought and that the waters of the Kinneret are receding at an alarming rate. I am conscious of the fact that Israel finds itself alone in a world of suicide bombers, terrorists and nuclear-bent mullahs and that its "friends" are adamant that Israel surrender large chunks of Jewish land and effectively commit suicide. Israel has no shortage of problems and Israeli society has many fractures and fault lines. Nonetheless, the strength and resilience of the nation that dwells in Zion is endless. While the government may be living in a fantasy world, the average person is beginning to get it. Israelis are committed ad determined to live in their own land in safety and security,

What did the kind lady working at the Falafel shop do to deserve all of the pain inflicted upon her by cruel enemies? What about the Russian immigrant, with his kids, who was injured in a terrorist attack? The little boy who wakes up every night screaming from the constant bombardment of his homes in Sderot? The old lad who survived the Holocaust only to be murdered in her own country by Islamic terrorists? Israel is filled with amazing and strong people. The nation that dreamed for 2000 years of returning home is not about to call it quits because of some terrorists. The Talmud teaches us that the land of Israel is bought with suffering. Sadly, every inch of our holy land has been purchased with the blood, sweat and tears of the citizens of the state of Israel. It is simply naive on the part of anyone in the Diaspora, or any non-Jew, to think that the people of Israel is ready to forfeit so easily.

Same Old Deceiver

The wicked Esau was a very cunning and manipulative man. The Torah tell us that his father Isaac loved him over Jacob ki tzayid be'fiv (Gen.25:28). Literally, this means that that he would ensnare him with his mouth. Esau would pretend to be ultra-devout and asked Isaac questions to which he knew the answers, such as how much tithes must be given on salt and straw, already aware that these are exempt from tithing. Isaac believed that Esau was very pious and interested in the minutia of observance. This blinded him to the idolatry of Esau, his murder and rape. He could not believe that his son, who mouthed all the words of righteousness and payed them lip service, could be so cruel and evil.

It seems like Esau has never stopped being a deceiver. On Monday, French President Nicholas Sarkozy spoke before the Knessey, reassuring Israel that France stood by her and was a true friend. Sarkozy vowed, "France will always be Israel's friend and will always stand in the way of those calling to destroy it." Once he gained the trust of the members of the Knesset, he prompty said that Israel must stop building in Judea and Samaria, pass a Knesset bill to compensate the Jews living in these lands, and to deport them all. Aparently, a good friend of Israel is one who firmly believes that portions of Israel's territory must be judenrein. While Sarkozy said "Israel will always be every Jewish person's sanctuary. It is the only place where Jews will always be safe," he clarified that of course he did not mean that as a good thing, but rather would like to divide Jerusalem and ensure that Jews have no where to be safe. (France certainly doesn't cut it. Just the other day, a Jewish teen was brutally attacked in a Paris suburb by "immigrants"-- Chinese immigrants? I don't think so.) Sarkozy visited Yad VaShem museum this morning yet he seems to have learnt no lesson. In a report by the New York Time, Sarkozy pledged French aid for Israel. "France is ready to provide its guarantee, ready to mobilize its diplomatic services, its resources, its soldiers. You can trust France." Israel has no need for France's help on the battlefield. History has shown the French to be pretty useless in this department. However, the French have traditionally excelled in deporting Jews, a skill that could come in handy in Judea and Samaria. On July 16-17, 1942, the infamous "Round-Up of Paris", French police captured 12 000 Parisian Jews and whisked them off to Drancy, only to meet their ends in the gas chambers at Auschwitz. While the Nazis asked for 8 000 Jews, the French, not known for their proficiency, added a bonus 4 000 Jews for the German crematorium, and herded them off in cattle cars. In light of this horrendous history, France, while claiming to have turned over a new leaf, demands that Israel carve itself in half, deport 100 000 Jews to the greater Tel-Aviv ghetto, and effectively surrended to the genocidal forces of barbarism, Islam. But we shouldn't worry- he promised as that he's a good friend of Israel. The same old Esau, luring us to our deaths with his promises and flowery praises.

Just think of Barack Obama firmly stating that Jerusalem is the individed capital of Israel, only to explain that what he meant by that is that Jerusalem should be divided and should be the capital of "Palestine". But Obama has a lot of Jewish friends... go back to sleep. Unfortunately, Israel is so quick to find friends that it doesn't listen in between the lines. No true lover of Israel would demand that it carve itself in half and create a terrorist state on the outskirts of Jerusalem. There is already one Arab State in "Palestine". Its called Jordan. It is very unwise for Sarkozy to get into the habit of capitulating to Islam, especially since his banlieues and suburbs are fast becoming the newest provinces of the House of Islam. But Esau and Ishmael are often able to set aside any difference in their desire to destroy Jacob. Actions speak louder than words. Saying that you are a friend of Israel is meaningless when that really means that you promise to lead the funeral procession and will pay the funds for the next museum dedicated to the murdered Jews. If Sarkozy's friendship, or that of anyone else, mandates putting ourselves at risk, it is no deal. Let him save his lofty words. They are meaningless. The world did not love us in the 1500s as hot irons combed our skin, nor did they love us in 1945 when the evil poison filled our lungs. They may cry crocodile tears when Israel is overrun by massacring Arabs (G-d forbid), but they mean nothing. It is an eternal rule: Esav soneh et Yaakov. Esau hates Jacob. The world hates the Jews. The end. Period. Point final.

We must not carried away by the offers of friendship by the murderous Esau. He is treacherous and wants only to see the end of the nation of Israel. We must remember that we are always but a handsbreath away from annhilation and we have ourselves ourselves (and HK"BH) to rely on. As for Esau, G-d has already decreed his end. "And the house of Jacob shall be a fire, and the house of Joseph a flame, and the house of Esau for stubble, and they shall kindle in them, and devour them; and there shall not be any remaining of the house of Esau; for the LORD hath spoken... And saviours shall come up on mount Zion to judge the mount of Esau; and the kingdom shall be the LORD'S." (Ob. 1:19-21) Amen, speedily in our days.

What did we do to deserve this?

The 'Why do the Hate us?' club has a new member. Rabbi Menachem Froman, chief rabbi of Tekoa, explains that since Hamas is a religious movement, rabbis can use their status to negotiate with them. You heard correctly. The basis of this claim is that Hamas hates secular Israel but will respect fellow religious leaders of another Abrahamitic faith. This claim has been repeated many times before. Dinesh D'Souza, in his book 'The Enemy At Home', he argues that "the cultural left in this country is responsible for causing 9/11 … the cultural left and its allies in Congress, the media, Hollywood, the non-profit sector and the universities are the primary cause of the volcano of anger toward America that is erupting from the Islamic world." The Islamic world views the West as a land of debauchery, immorality and sin and for that reason they must impose Islam's purity.

This is ludicrous. Islam does not hate the West because of its abortion on demand, MTV or premarital sex. Islam wants to subjugate the West because of its Judeo-Christian foundation. The Qur'an mandates Muslims to conquer non-Muslims not because they are immoral but because they are non-Muslims. Jihadist ired is focused equally on G-dless Hollywood, church-going Poland, Bible-thumping Texas or morally relativist Sweden. Rabbi Froman's argument misses the point. Hamas is not committed to Israel's destruction because its Jews break shabbat or eat pork. Islamic fundamentalists cannot accept an independent Infidel, especially Jewish Infidel, state in the heart of the Arab world. The Hamas charter relates the words of Muhammad as recorded by the Sahi Bukhari: "The Day of Judgement will not come about until Moslems fight the Jews (killing the Jews), when the Jew will hide behind stones and trees. The stones and trees will say O Moslems, O Abdulla, there is a Jew behind me, come and kill him." Nowhere in this verse does it say that religious Jews will be spared this longed-for genocide. As evident by the targets of terrorist attacks, Hamas and other terrorist groups attack secular and religious Jews. Teenagers studying in a yeshiva and worshippers in a Meah Shearim synagogue have been attacked just as teenagers in a discotheque erev shabbat. Islam's anger will not abate as long as we insist on being proud and free and refuse to submit to dhimmitude.

It is frequently said that Islam is a fellow Abrahamitic religion with Judaism and Christianity. That is really a misnomer. According to Islam, it is the only Abrahamitic religion. Abraham was a Muslim, thereby making Judaism and Christianity illegitimate. "Ibrahim was not a Jew nor a Christian but he was (an) upright (man), a Muslim, and he was not one of the polytheists. Most surely the nearest of people to Ibrahim are those who followed him and this Prophet and those who believe and Allah is the guardian of the believers." (Qur'an 3:66-67) All of these calls for universal love and brotherhood are completely silly. Islam has no such pretensions. It believes itself to be the only religion of Abraham and that all others are deviant. It does not view itself as one of three brother religions which share beliefs and values but rather as a ruler and conqueror over these false faiths. We cannot expect Hamas or al-Qaeda to accord a rabbi any sort of respect since he is following a corruption of Allah's original message. Islam holds that the Torah originally contained references to Muhammad's coming but that the Jews conspired to "extinguish the lights of Allah".

Rabbi Froman's suggestion is not only idiotic but dangerous. Think about the horror that the Jewish world felt as it saw Neturai Karta members clad in chassidic garb shaking hands with Iran's president at his Holocaust-denial hate-fest. Neturai Karta is a fringe group with several hundred supporters. Imagine the incredible amount of legitimacy that would be bestowed upon Hamas if well-respected rabbis met and discussed with them. It would be tantamount to negotiating with murderers. This suggestion perpetuates the theme of Western or Israeli guilt in terrorist attacks. Islam is responsible for terrorism, not its victims. Even if Israel became the most observant and moral country (speedily in our days, amen!), Arab and Muslim hatred would not be reduced one iota. It is not our secularism or immorality that is to blame but the very text of the Qur'an. Once they tear out the offending passages, I'm sure my rabbi would happy to give their imams a call.

Cross-posted to Goat's Barnyard

Reclaiming "Zionism" - Part II

The Holy Land: full of synagogues, history, scenery, McDonald's cheeseburgers, discotheques and Gay "Pride" Parades. The rampant secularism promoted by a small but influential minority of extremists has long been a point of contention for more traditional and observant Jews. Many often bemoan the lack of observance among some Israelis and their pitiful ignorance of Judaism. Coupled with successive self-loathing, post-Zionist governments, many religious and nationalist Jews no longer identify with the State of Israel. One reaction to the Disengagement from Gaza in summer 2005 was to disengage from the State. In certain synagogues, the Prayer for the Welfare of the State of Israel was omitted and the blue and white flags taken down. In the minds of many, Zionism is associated with the post-Jewish "new Jew", with secularism, with clubbing on Erev Shabbat and land-for-peace deals.

In the 2nd century BCE, the oppressed Jews led a revolt against the mighty Seleucid empire. After 7 long years of intense struggle, the people of Judeah drove out the cruel Greeks and rededicated the Holy Temple in Jerusalem to G-d's service. To commemorate this amazing victory, the holiday of Chanukkah was established. What began as an idealistic revolt in the name of religious freedom and self-determination soon became corrupt. Subsequent Hasmonean rulers, descendants of the brave revolutionaries, were more interested in pride and greed than in perpetuating the ideals that their fathers had fought for. Divided into squabbling religious sects, the Jews fought amongst one another and internal hatred weakened them. Ironically, while the early Hasmoneans fought against assimilation and suppression of Judaism, the later Hasmonean kings brought Roman influence into the the Land and assisted greatly in its Hellenization. Eventually, through a combination of civil war, corruption and obsession with materialism, the Hamonean kingdom was brought to an end by the conquering Romans. 70 years of Jewish independence was crushed by Roman legions. Despite the complete assimilation in the final days of the Hasmonean kingdom, Jews until this day observe the holiday of Chanukkah and sing Hallel to remember the miraculous victory. Even when the rulers of the independent Judea brought in foreign philosophies and cultures and tried to erase Judaism, nobody even suggested that Chanukkah be abolished.

Some religious Jews who support the IDF and our Jewish brethren in the Israel tend to shy away from the word "Zionist" as they associate it with the secularism of the early Chalutzim and Zionist leaders. It is not common knowledge that a hundred or so years before Herzl, great rabbis such as the Baal Shem Tov or the Vilna Gaon were encouraging their disciples to make aliyah so as to build up the Land. Zionism did is not a 19th century imperialist movement or a new ideology founded by Herzl or Weitzman. Zionism has its origins in G-d's promise to Avraham Avinu that to his descendants He would give the Land of Israel. Zionism is the thrice-daily prayer for the rebuilding of Jerusalem, and our declaration at the end of our Pesach seder. It is the dictum of our Sages that living in Israel is equivalent to the entire Torah. Zionism is the essential component of Judaism which teaches that Jews must form a G-dly society in the Holy Land. By rejecting the so-called "Zionists", these people are perpetuating the sin of the Meraglim who slandered the Land and caused Israel to wander in the desert for 40 years.

When asked if they recite Hallel on Yom HaAtzmaut, some will jokingly reply that they follow Ben Gurion's custom: they don't say Hallel, but they don't say Tachanun either. Behind this witty quip is the insinuation that because the State was founded by secular Jews, it is worthless. Little do they know that oftentimes, the most lofty of ideas has very humble origins. The Moshiach's ancestry, that of the most noble king ever to rule Israel, will be descended of the debauchery of Moav which was conceived through incest, and from the adultery of David and Bathshevah. G-d conceals the Redemption through natural and ignoble means so as to confuse the klipah. As king Chizikiyahu lay on his deathbed, the prophet Yishayahu came to visit him. He explained to him that his death had been decreed for the sin of not having children. Chizikiyahu protested and defended himself by saying that he had known through prophesy that his children would be wicked and that he prefered not having them. Yishayahu answered him: "Why do you involved yourself with the Merciful One's matters? You must do as you are commanded and the Holy One, Blessed be He, will do as He sees fit." Why should these "super-frum" Jews involve themselves with G-d's matters? Let them fulfill the mitzvah of the conquest and settling of the Land and let HaShem do as He sees fit. Do they really imagine the Moshiach to come to a deserted and empty land? Rather, every single house built and tree planted in Israel hastens the Geula.

The State of Israel, Reishit Tzmichat Geulateinu, the Dawn of our Deliverance, has certainly fallen short of the promises of the Neviim. However, it is out of the husk of this secularism that our redemption will sprout. Just as I will continue to light Chanukkah candles even though the Hasmonean kingdom eventually persectued the rabbis, I will continue to dance on Yom HaAtzmaut and thank G-d for His miracles. The proper response to such secularism is not to isolate ourselves but rather to get involved and to change the State from within. Any Jew who accepts G-d's promise to the Avot, who affirm's the central mitzvah of the settlement and conquest of the Land, who prays for G-d to return His people to Israel and who proudly declares every Passover, "Next Year in Jerusalem!", is a Zionist. Zionism cannot be separated from Judaism just as Israel cannot be removed from the Torah. Israel does not depend on the religiosity of its people or leaders but rather on HaShem's promise to avenge His great and holy Name that was desecrated among the nations. And HaShem is a G-d who keeps His word.

Cross-posted to Jewish Vengeance

Reclaiming "Zionism" - Part I

Over 60 years ago, when the Jews were a beaten and broken nation, Zionism resotred pride to the name "Jew". To be a Zionist was a source of inspiration, to be associated with a little David state fighting an enormous Arab Goliath, the people that had returned to their ancient homeland and against all odds, made her blossom and bloom. Unfortunately, today, the term "Zionist" is often villified and smeared. The slander directed towards Zionism is absolutely disgusting and must be refuted by all decent and good-hearted people.

Zionism is the most natural expression of a Jew to return to his homeland and to control his own destiny with a sovereign state of his own. After suffering 2000 years of wandering, exile, oppression, degradation and outright extermination attempts, the Jew resolved never again to exist on the sufferance of the gentiles, but to live as a free people in his own land. The exiles by the rivers of Babylon lamented, "How can we sing the song of the Lord on foreign soil?" Truly, Judaism in exile was incomplete, missing its glorious redemptive component. Only in the Land of Israel can the Jewish people attain their full potential and develop its culture, religion and language. In a majority gentile society, Judaism is under constant threat from the twin demons of anti-semitism and assimilation. It is only in an independent and free Jewish state where these fears disappear.

Any attempt to make a distinction between anti-Zionism and anti-semitism is artificial and contrived. Since its inception, the national component of Judaism has been essential to its theology and beliefs. Especially today, when most Jews no longer follow the traditional Jewish faith in its authenticity, the identification with the people of Israel has grown more important. Somebody who denies the legitimate right of the Jewish people to their land, claiming to simply be anti-Zionist, is an enemy of the Jewish people. The singular reason for the denial of this principal right of self-determination which is accorded to all other peoples of the world is anti-semitism. Let every opponent of Israel who claims not be an anti-semite realize that the only final result for the Jews of Israel, upon Israel's (G-d forbid) destruction, will be nothing other than death. Many hold the mistaken worldview of a Zionist imperialism threatening the peace of the region. This view is unfounded and the complete opposite of reality. Zionism is a national liberation movement with the intention of impowering an oppressed people. It is opposed by a very poweful and violent Arabic and Islamic imperialism dedicated to cleansing the Middle-East of non-Arabs and non-Muslims. Any person who claims to be a liberal and support the rights of indigenous peoples against aggression should rally to the cause of Israel, the only nation in the world to be living, 4000 years later, in the same country, called by the same name, speaking the same language and following the same faith.

When so many defame and accuse Israel of the most vile of things, it is our duty to defend her. Just as Zionism once restored pride to the title "Jew", every Jew must restore pride to the title "Zionist". Zionism and Judaism are inseperable, being conceived at the same time. Judaism was created when G-d called our forefather Avraham from Haran and Zionism came into being when He promised his descendants the entire Land of Canaan. Zionism has contributed so much good to the world, from scientific advances to democracy and tolerance. It is faced by the cruel and genocidal forces of barbarism and savagery. Should Israel fall, the rest of the civilized world will shortly follow.

Cross-posted to Goat's Barnyard and Jewish Vengeance

No one else to rely on!

This video is beautiful. The words are:

"We are believers, the sons of believers, that we have no one else to rely on besides our Father in Heaven. Israel, trust in G-d, you Helper and Shield!"

Pride at 60

In anticipation of Israel's 60th birthday on Yom HaAtzmaut, the writers at Tzipiyah have envisioned an amazing project which they have asked me to contribute to. I have been asked to write about the 4 accomplishments of the State of Israel of which I am most proud. Since I will be leaving in a week, and it will be yom tov in a few days, I have decided to post them now and leave them until Yom HaAtzmaut.

1) JEWISH PRIDE

They came running through the streets like lions, dropping from the skies, guns blaring, fire burning. They ran, in the spirit of David and Joshua, Judah the Maccabee and Bar Kochba, full of courage and bravery. Their enemies fell before their in fear and shame, as they streamed towards the Kotel, the most holy and awesome place which had been denied to them for so long. Who were these men? What sort of people were they? Were they the Jews, the people of the gas chambers and ovens? Were they the same people that had long been associated with death and persecution, with helplessness and passivity, fighting their enemies? Is it possible that a nation that had been taunted for so long, that was rounded up from all of Europe for annhilation, asserted itself and stood up strong?

The establishment of the State of Israel and the amazing turn-about of Jewish fortune following the Holocaust is nothing short of miraculous. There is no parallel to this sort of reversal in all of the annals of human history. One third of the Jewish People had been consumed in the cruel fires of the Nazi war machine. The survivors were downtrodden and ashamed. "Even all the nations shall say 'Wherefore Why has HaShem done this to His land? What is the meaning of the heat of this great anger?'"(Deut 29:24) From this crushing defeat there would be no respite. The downtrodden Jew would finally disappear into the dust of history. And yet in the ashes of such an evil blaze, like a phoenix, the Jewish nations rose again. "'Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel; behold, they say: Our bones are dried up, and our hope is lost; we are clean cut off... Thus saith the Lord G-D: Behold, I will open your graves, and cause you to come up out of your graves, O My people; and I will bring you into the land of Israel. And ye shall know that I am the LORD, when I have opened your graves, and caused you to come up out of your graves, O My people. And I will put My spirit in you, and ye shall live, and I will place you in your own land; and ye shall know that I the LORD have spoken, and performed it, saith the LORD." (Ezek. 37:10-12) The Jewish nation arose once again, and like a firebrand plucked from the fires of the Holocaust, defeated a mighty army of one million well-trained Arab soldiers committed to driving the fledgling state into the sea. The world saw with crystal clear vision, and again in 1967, that G-d had never divorced Israel. For two thousand years of exile, the Catholic Church had taught the hideous doctrine of the Witness, that the Jewish People were designated to be a sign to show how wretched life would be for those who rejected their god. G-d had replaced Israel and now they were dejected and low. The miracles and triumphs of 1967 was the best refutation of such a perversion ever. The State of Israel shows that G-d still loves His people and that He has great things in store for them.


2) THE INGATHERING OF THE EXILES

As we head towards the Kotel, we are joined by thousands of our brethren from hundreds of dispersions, from Poland and Russia, Morocco and Tunisis, Ethiopia and India, all going towards the same place, the Holy Wall. Three times a day for two thousands years, Jews in the cramped ghettos of Warsaw and Lublin, the squalor of the Pale of Settlment, the melahs of Casablanca and Fez, had turned like spiritual magnets towards Jerusalem to beseech the Holy One, Blessed be He that "our eyes may behold Your return to Zion in mercy." Never did they forget to pledge "Next year in Jerusalem!" at the close of every Passover seder and Yom Kippur feast. Despite promises of emancipation and acceptance, we never forget that we were but strangers in a strange land, ever waiting the day when we would come home.

Following the Establishment of the State of Israel, one millions Jews from Arab lands who had lived there since time immemorial were expelled, leaving behind many millions of dollars in property and goods. The State of Israel took them in and despite many problems and setbacks along the way, successfully integrated them into society. On the streets on Israel, one can see the most amazing diversity: black-hatted hareidim with Yiddish accents alongside gutteral Sepharadim, Jews from America and the UK with native born Sabras, Jews from the former Soviet Union, liberated from Communist oppression with the Jews who worked so hard to ensure their freedom, fine-featured and delicate Ethiopian Jews with lily-white Ashkenazim. Oh, the Jewish nation has come home!

3) TORAH AND JEWISH RENEWAL

In the Diaspora, Judaism is in a very dangerous lethargic state. With rampant assimilation and intermarriage, great ignorance, a proliferation of cults and missionaries and rising anti-semitism, prospects are not looking good. Despite all of the problems in Israel, it is the only Jewish community that is growing, and flourishing. The Torah community is very strong and the land is full of yeshivot and Torah learning. There is truly a fulfillment of the verse: "For out of Zion will go forth Torah and the word of G-d from Jerusalem." Israel is the only place in the world where a committed Jew can live a full Jewish life instead of compartmentalizing his identity to when it is most appropriate.


4) ISRAEL'S TECHNOLOGICAL ADVANCES

Israel is one the world's most technologically advanced societies. Just the other day, a scientist invented a method of being able to write halachically on Shabbat. Since the prohibition is on writing permanently, this shabbos pen allows you to write something down and it will disappear three days later, once one has had enough time to photocopy the info.

Here are some facts about Israel's scientific advances:

Israel has more museums per capita than any other country.

Medicine... Israeli scientists developed the first fully computerized,no-radiation, diagnostic instrumentation for breast cancer.

An Israeli company developed a computerized system for ensuring proper administration of medications, thus removing human error from medical treatment. Every year in U. S. hospitals 7,000 patients die from treatment mistakes.

Israel's Givun imaging developed the first ingestible video camera, so small it fits inside a pill. Used to view the small intestine from the inside, the camera helps doctors diagnose cancer and digestive disorders.

Researchers in Israel developed a new device that directly helps the heart pump blood, an innovation with the potential to save lives among those with heart failure. The new device is synchronized with the heart's mechanical operations through a sophisticated system of sensors.

Technology... With more than 3,000 high-tech companies and start-ups, Israel has the highest concentration of hi-tech companies in the world (apart from the Silicon Valley).

In response to serious water shortages, Israeli engineers and agriculturalists developed a revolutionary drip irrigation system to minimize the amount of water used to grow crops.

Israel has the highest percentage in the world of home computers per capita.

Israel leads the world in the number of scientists and technicians in the workforce, with 145 per 10,000, as opposed to 85 in the U. S., over 70 in Japan, and less than 60 in Germany. With over 25% of its work force employed in technical professions. Israel places first in this category as well.

The cell phone was developed in Israel by Motorola, which has its largest development center in Israel.

Most of the Windows NT operating system was developed by Microsoft-Israel.

The Pentium MMX Chip technology was designed in Israel at Intel.

Voice mail technology was developed in Israel.

Both Microsoft and Cisco built their only R&D facilities outside the US in Israel.

The AOL Instant Messenger was developed in 1996 by four young Israelis.

A new acne treatment developed in Israel, the ClearLight device,produces a high-intensity, ultraviolet-light-free, narrow-band blue light that causes acne bacteria to self-destruct - all without damaging surroundings skin or tissue.

An Israeli company was the first to develop and install a large-scale solar-powered and fully functional electricity generating plant, in southern California's Mojave desert."

Am Yisrael Chai!

Cross-posted to Goat's Barnyard

Masada Will Not Fall Again!

According to reports, President Bush is shying away from visiting the Western Wall in Jerusalem, when he is in Israel for its 60th Yom HaAtzmaut, Independence Day. The Western Walll, the only remaining defensive wall of the First and Second Temples, was deemed too controversial for Bush.

What is it that is so controversial? The Western Wall, since Jewish prayer on its holiest site, the Temple Mount, is severely restricted, has been the focal point of Jewish worship during the most recent return to Zion. Jews have worshipped there since the destruction of the Second Temple. It was off-limits to Jews under Jordanian rule following the 1949 armistice and was liberated in the 1967 Six Day War. This is where the famous picture of Israeli paratroopers looking up at the Wall in awe comes from.

Muslims have recently been staking a claim not only to the Temple Mount, but to the Western Wall as well. They call it Al-Burak and say the religion's founder, Mohammad, tied his horse there during a midnight journey that took him to "the farthest mosque" - which they say is a reference to the Jerusalem mosque later given that name. However, such a claim is extremely weak compared to the millenia of unbroken Jewish worship on the Temple Mount and later the Western Wall. The Qur'an's Night Journey was only associated with Jerusalem decades after the Mosque of Omar was built. The Mosques on the Mount are inscribed with beautiful Arabic caligraphy with many verses from the Qur'an and yet the Night Journey is conspicuously missing.

The Tomb of the Patriarchs, Mearat HaMachpela, in Hevron, is also mentionned explicitly as being too controversial for Bush to visit. He would certainly not want to upset the Arabs by giving the impression that the Tomb of the founders of the Jewish Nation, of Avraham, Yitzhak and Yaakov, and legal inheritors of that parcel of land, has any connection to Jews. Hevron is the second holiest Jewish site and a hallowed place of prayer beginning with Calev, who prayed there during his touring of the Land, that he should not fall into the conspiracy of the Spies. Under Ottoman rule, Jews were not allowed to pray past the 7th step leading to the Tomb. Certainly, such a thing would be too controversial and offensive to Arab sensibilities.

Instead, Bush has opted to visit the fortress of Masada, where one thousand Jews chose to commit suicide rather than fall into the hands of the Romans.

According to the Jewish Virtual Library:

The only written source about Masada is Josephus Flavius’ The Jewish War. Born Joseph ben Matityahu of a priestly family, he was a young leader at the outbreak of the Great Jewish Rebellion against Rome (66 CE) when he was appointed governor of Galilee. He managed to survive the suicide pact of the last defenders of Jodfat and surrendered to Vespasian (who shortly thereafter was proclaimed emperor) – events he described in detail. Calling himself Josephus Flavius, he became a Roman citizen and a successful historian. Moral judgment aside, his accounts have been proved largely accurate.

According to Josephus Flavius, Herod the Great built the fortress of Masada between 37 and 31 BCE. Herod, an Idumean, had been made King of Judea by his Roman overlords and was hated by his Jewish subjects. Herod, the master builder, “furnished this fortress as a refuge for himself.” It included a casemate wall around the plateau, storehouses, large cisterns ingeniously filled with rainwater, barracks, palaces and an armory.

Some 75 years after Herod’s death, at the beginning of the Revolt of the Jews against the Romans in 66 CE, a group of Jewish rebels overcame the Roman garrison of Masada. After the fall of Jerusalem and the destruction of the Temple (70 CE) they were joined by zealots and their families who had fled from Jerusalem. With Masada as their base, they raided and harassed the Romans for two years. Then, in 73 CE, the Roman governor Flavius Silva marched against Masada with the Tenth Legion, auxiliary units and thousands of Jewish prisoners-of-war. The Romans established camps at the base of Masada, laid siege to it and built a circumvallation wall. They then constructed a rampart of thousands of tons of stones and beaten earth against the western approaches of the fortress and, in the spring of the year 74 CE, moved a battering ram up the ramp and breached the wall of the fortress.

Josephus Flavius dramatically recounts the story told him by two surviving women. The defenders – almost one thousand men, women and children – led by Eleazar ben Ya’ir, decided to burn the fortress and end their own lives, rather than be taken alive. “And so met (the Romans) with the multitude of the slain, but could take no pleasure in the fact, though it were done to their enemies. Nor could they do other than wonder at the courage of their resolution, and at the immovable contempt of death which so great a number of them had shown, when they went through with such an action as that was.”

The Zealots cast lots to choose 10 men to kill the remainder. They then chose among themselves the one man who would kill the survivors. That last Jew then killed himself.

It is quite telling that Bush, instead of visiting sites associated with Jewish renewal and connection to Israel, chose to visit a fortress where the Jews took their own lives, determined not to fall into enemy hands. Especially on the heels of Bush's suicidal policies towards the State of Israel, he could not make a more symbolic choice. Hopefully, Bush will learn the lesson of Masada and realize the determination of the Jewish people to be a free nation in our own land. Let him know that Masada will not fall again!

Cross-posted to Goat's Barnyard

The Ariel Blood Libel

A few weeks ago, before Purim, the son of an Israeli missionary in the city of Ariel was hurt in a bomb blast, disguised in a Purim basket. While this attack is certainly disgusting and cannot be justified, without any shred of proof, members of the Evangelical, Baptist, Anglican and Messianic churches have leveled a number of serious and anti-semitic accusation against the Torah-observant community.

Pat Robertson's, our supposed "friend", newspaper, Christian World News, has published an article accusing Orthodox Jewry of attacking the missionary's son and other attacks against Christians in Israel.

(excerpt from CBN):

News of this terror attack has reverberated throughout Israel and around the world.
...
Some see the bombing against the Ortiz family as an unprecedented attack on Messianic believers - Jews who believe Jesus - or Yeshua - is the Jewish Messiah and see no contradiction between being Jewish and believing Jesus was the Son of God.

"One of the most difficult things for the family is that when the press originally brought the story out in Israel in Hebrew, they said that someone from a radical missionary cult was injured," said Calev Meyers of the Jerusalem Institute of Justice.

The Ortiz family asked Meyers to act as a family spokesman.

"The reason the press treated it this way is that the Messianic community in Israel are the victims of ongoing vicious propaganda against the community - especially in the ultra-religious media," Meyers said.

"The ongoing vicious propaganda that comes against families like this and against the Messianic Jewish community lays the basis for radical events or attacks like this against the community and that's what we're really trying to fight," he said.
...
Meyers said, "One of their messages would be, 'We're not giving up and we're going to continue to build the Kingdom of God in Israel, even in the face of this kind of aggression."

Not one of these libels are true. Fatah terrorists have already taken credit for the attack, according to the Bethlehem-based Maan news agency. Of course, this hasn't stopped our "friends" from repeating vicious slander against the Jewish people. The article mentions the Narkiss church fire of last October, and a few other church attacks, and points a finger at the Jews. Despite all of the attacks, police are yet to have any suspects or leads. These accusations are nothing short of a blood libel. Pat Robertson is publicly accusing Orthodox Jews of plotting to murder the son of a pastor.

It is reprehendible how the Christian community has twisted this attack to serve their purposes, to demonstate how "oppressed" they are. They neglect to mention their total disregard for Jewish faith and beliefs. In fact, this month, the World Evangelical Alliance launched a major campaign calling for renewed efforts at Jewish conversion. They took out full page ads the New York Times and other major newspapers. That organization claims 420 million evangelicals in 128 countries. Christian money continues to pour into Israel, to build houses, communities, and most importantly, to "witness" to Jews. There is a veritable epidemic in Israel of Christian missionization, a plague that we have brought upon ourselves. The Jewish nation, parallel to the physical threat, faces the danger of shmad, spiritual annhilation. Let's see how fast the money vanishes when we state that we are not interested in their false messiah.

Watch this video about "persecution" of cultists in Arad. Notice how the Christians refer to Torah-observant Jews as "Pharisees" and mock their black coats and beards, taunts which they learnt from their god.



And look how soon Christian "love" turns on us when we demand respect for our faith. The missionary is attempting to run over a Jew while wearing a t-shirt that says 'J lives me'!



It is time to make fences around the Torah. No more missionaries! Any friend of Israel must respect our Jewish faith. That is our condition.

Separation and Redemption

As history has shown, the natural trend of the Jews is towards assimilation. We don't want to be different. We want to fit it, to belong, to be like everyone else. Even when Jews are prepared to assert themselves, we want allies and friends. Many Jews do not see themselves as members of the Jewish nation but rather "Americans (or Canadians, or British, or French) of the Mosaic Persuasion". As the old saying goes, be a man on the street and a Jew at home. Such was the tragic thinking of the Jews in Egypt.

On Pasuk, (Shemot 1:7) "And the land was filled with them (the Jews)," the Yalkut stated: "If the Egyptians went to the theater, it was full of Jews; if they went to the circus, again, the place was full of Jews." As soon as Levi, the last surviving brother, passed away, the Jews moved away from the customs and ways of Ya'akov and moved out of the shtetl, into cosmopolitain Egypt. The Jews began assimilating in ernest. Pharaoh used their desire for integration and acceptance to his own benefit, as he said (1:10), "Come, let us outsmart them." Pharaoh announced a new public works project for the good of Egypt and invited all of the Jews and native Egyptians to participate. Being loyal citizens, the Jews joined with the Egyptians in this new and glorious project. Pharaoh even set the first brick! As all the Jews had gathered to work, free of charge in order to gain acceptance, Pharaoh brought in the taskmasters who forbade the Jews to stop working. He tricked Am Yisrael into slavery!

To the degree which the Israelites tried to integrate into Egyptian society, they were violently thrown out. Being rejected, they turned insular and returned to their roots. The Midrash tells us that in the merit of the Jews keeping their Jewish names, Jewish language and Jewish garb, they merited the Redemption. Assimilation brought slavery and oppression while separation and self-identification heralded divine compassion and great miracles. G-d took the Jewish people out of Israel to separate us from the other nations, to remove us from the influence of idolatry and of wickedness, to end the foreign influence over us.

"And you shall be holy to Me, for I, the Lord, am holy, and I have distinguished you from the peoples, to be Mine." (Vayikra 20:26)

"So I said to you, You shall inherit their land, and I shall give it to you to possess it a land flowing with milk and honey. I am the Lord your G-d, Who has separated you from the peoples." (Vayikra 20:24)

Sadly, the nation of Israel seems intent today on committing the same foolish sin. Hillel, the Jewish organization on campus, has recently announced that it is opening its doors to non-Jews for membership. According to the report, "the organization is throwing open its doors to everyone, designing programs that appeal to Jews and non-Jews and hyping its contribution to university -- not only Jewish – life." Reportedly, more and more non-Jews are serving on Hillel boards. Whereas the group's mission statement before 2006 was to increase the number of Jews "doing Jewish with other Jews," it now seeks to "enrich" Jewish student life, the Jewish people and the world.

"Most of the students that we have are not interested in doing Jewish with other Jews," a Hillel campus head told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency. "They're interested in doing Jewish with their friends who are doing Catholic and Puerto Rican and Turkish -- their friends and their family. The challenge for us is how do you create expressions of Jewish life that students will deem to be authentic at the same time as they are not exclusive or tribal."

Hillel, which purportedly claims to seek to enrich Jewish life on campus and to bring Jews together, is opening the door to assimilation and spiritual destruction. Already, in the United States, every second Jew that gets married is opting out of Judaism, and marries a non-Jew. What is it about Jews that we want to seem tolerant and accepting at all costs, even putting ourselves at jeopardy? (Could it be that being in exile too long has led us to forget that we too have rights?) This is the same dangerous thinking that leads Jews to shun Jewish schools because they are too "sheltered", for the Israeli government to continue its suicidal tendencies at the behest of the United States or to persue policies that put Jewish life in danger in order to gain acceptance by the anti-semitic United Nations. It is this mindset that demands that we continue to allow non-Jews, Evangelical Christians, to support us, even though this gives them a foothold in the Land and brings on the more serious problem of missionization and spiritual erosion.

Jews, we cannot be part of the United Nations, to assimilate among the goyyim. We are a "people that dwells alone and among the peoples is not reckoned" (BaMidbar, 23:9). This is a mitzvah! By relying on non-Jews, we postpone the Ultimate Redemption which will only when we are so pitifully alone, when it will be obvious that Israel has no one to rely on except for HaShem. Rabbi Meir Kahane HY"D wrote: "For so long as the Jew has even one ally, he will be convinced - in his smallness of mind - that his salvation came from that ally. It is only when he is alone - against all of his own efforts and frantic attempts - that he will, through no choice, be compelled to turn to G-d." We do not want acceptance or to integrate. We do not want to be the same or to fit in. Jews, we cannot give up our heritage. Such is a crime and postpones the coming of the Righteous Moshiach. The Redemption from Egypt only occured when it was clear that no one would stand up for the Jews, when Pharaoh arrogantly boasted: "Who is HaShem that I should obey Him and let Israel go?" (Shemot 5:2). Only then did HaShem unleash His full fury and wrath against Egypt and humble the wicked. The plagues and the splitting of the Sea proclaimed to the entire world "There is none like Me on all the earth! (9:14)"

"Blessed are You, Hashem our G-d, King of the universe, Who separates between holy and secular, between light and darkness, between Israel and the nations, between the seventh day and the six days of labor. Blessed are You, Hashem, who separates between the holy and the secular."

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

A Jewish State

There are over a hundred nations of Christian background, slightly less Muslim nations, and only one extremely small Jewish nation sitting on a narrow strip of land along the Mediterranean. While nobody seems to have a problem that the Queen of England, its head of state, is also the head of the Church of England, or that non-Muslims are forbidden from publicly worshipping in Saudi Arabia, the world nods in agreement that the idea of a Jewish state, a democratic, free state of Jews built on Jewish principles (hopefully), is something primitive, wrong or artificial. (As if a state of French people in France or Chinese in China is offensive!) Many believe it to be charitable for another leader or country to acknowledge Israel's right to exist, as if Israel's right to exist is suspended in mid-air until someone allows us to live. Nobody challenges the rights of Canada, Chad or Australia to exist but to the self-righteous liberals of the world, a Jewish state is intolerant and racist. One need not look far to hear calls for the dismantling of Israel, branding the state as illegitimate, born in sin. Such calls are not only dangerous, but they are plain anti-semitic, to deny Jews the right of self-determination which is extended to all peoples. It is also genocidal in nature because by marking the Jews in Israel as squatters, they give liscence to Arab excesses and murder in the attempt to "liberate" their land.


The Jewish people arose in the Land of Israel and since the time of the Conquest by Joshua, Jews have maintained a constant presence there. In 70 CE, the Roman armies of Titus and Hadrian marched through Judea, massacred its people, enslaved and exiled the remnants, razed Jerusalem and burnt the Holy Temple, rebuilt on its site a pagan city, and renamed the land Palastina. Millions of Jews, of Zionists, slaughtered, and the survivors were scattered to the four corners of the globe for two millenium. During these bitter years, the Jewish people suffered intense persecution, humilation, oppression, pogroms, Crusades, Inquistions, forced conversions and Holocausts. Thousands of Jews gave their lives in order to remain Jewish, as Muslim and Christian mobds demanded that they accept the truth of the revelations of Jesus or Muhammad. The Jews endured ridicule and ostracism, being a minority in hostile lands. It is little over 60 years ago when the Jews were taken from all over Europe (and the Jews of North Africa were only saved miraculously) and killed by the Nazis. The Jewish nation was weak, dispersed and defenseless. As the Jews suffocated and burned in Auschwitz, the world sat silently. The Pope turned a blind eye as all of the Jews of Rome were rounded up from beneath his very window. The message was painfully clear: never again to be a minority. We must be the masters in our own house.

From these ashes of the horrid destruction that engulfed the Jewish people 60 years ago, the nation regathered in its ancient homeland and reestablished itself. Jews had been living there since biblical times, and in the previous two centuries, settlements and aliyah flourished. Land that had been desolate and malaria-infested under the Arabs for hundreds of years suddenly bloomed when its rightful owners returned to reclaim it. Jerusalem, the ancient and eternal capital of Israel, which had been a backwater outpost in the Ottoman Empite, had a thriving Jewish population. In 1948, the state of Israel was declared and it quickly accepted 600 000 Holocaust surivors and close to a million Jews from Arab lands who were expelled from lands which they had lived in for millenium. The state grew and in 1967, following Arab threats and belligerence, Israel liberated Judea and Samaria, Sinai and the Golan and the Jews were finally reunited with their ancient and eternal capital Jerusalem, which was forbidden to Jews under Jordanian rule. The Israeli army ran towards the Kotel and towards the Temple Mount, which has been used as a garbage dump by the Arabs, and the tears of the soldiers poured over the holy stones. The Jewish people had come home.

Some people naively argue today that since most countries guarantee Jews equal rights for the moment, we should waltz right back into exile. Little do they know that anti-Semitic acts are quite common in Europe, Canada and even the United States as synagogues are firebombed, Jewish schools and cemetaries vandalized, and Jews beaten up regularly. Anti-semitism is far from gone and is on a frightening increase. Nonetheless, even without anti-semitism or Jew-hatred, Israel is essential. The Jews are entitled, as are the Swiss, the Italians and the Cambodians, to self-rule, to have a country of their own in which to practice their faith freely, to develop their culture and to shape their own destiny.


Israel has always been at the center of Jewish conscious. Jews pray three times a day that "our eyes behold Your return to Zion in mercy". We have ended every Passover seder with the words, "Next Year in Jerusalem!". The Land of Israel is the heart of the nation (Or Ne’erav 5:4). All of the Jewish pilgrimage festivals are based on the agricultural cycle of Israel. "See how dear the Land of Israel is before the Holy One Blessed Be He, that most of the commandments are determined there" (Batei Midrashot 1). Judaism in exile is unnatural, existing like a spirit without a body. Only in Israel is Judaism healthy, natural, complete and uncompartmentalized. The Jewish communities in the Diaspora are shrinking, plagued by a 50% assimilation and intermarriage rate. The American Jew is quickly vanishing, through assimilation, country clubs, pork chops, intermarriage and public schools. Israel is the only Jewish community that is thriving and flourishing because it is where Judaism belongs. "There is no Torah like the Torah of the Land of Israel And no wisdom like the wisdom of the Land of Israel." (Sifri, Ekev) Just as the Swede is connected to Sweden, so to is the Jew connected with his heart and soul in Israel. "The Land of Israel is our inheritance from our forefathers" (Baba Batra 119:B) It belongs to us by virtue of inheritance, by Divine promise, by our never ending love-affair with this land. It is in Israel that the Jew is meant to create a holy society, to be able to practice the mitzvot freely, which is impossible in exile. Our Jewish destiny is to become a "light unto the nations", to teach the world of the Truth of HaShem, that there is none but Him, which cannot be done living in the humilation and enslavement of exile.


G-d said: The Land is Mine, and the People of Israel is Mine. I will give My Land to My People (Tanchumah, Bamidbar 34). Who dares fight against the Master of the Universe?

Cross-posted to Goat's Barnyard and Jewish Vengeance

Our Real Enemies

German Chancellor Angela Merkel is on her way to Israel and will be the first non-President/king to speak in the Knesset- in German. Her proposed German speech has ingited protests from numerous quarters and five MKs plan to boycott it. A surprising threat to boycott the Tuesday afternoon session has come from left-wing MK Shelly Yechimovitch (Labor), daughter of Holocaust survivors.

"I will not be present when Merkel speaks." Yechimovitch said. "A speech in German from the Knesset podium, when it is not an absolute must, is very insensitive towards the Holocaust survivors, for whom German is the language of their torturers."

MK Aryeh Eldad (National Union), as well as Likud MKs Limor Livnat, Yisrael Katz, and MK Yitzchak Levy (National Union) also plan to boycott the event.

This seems pretty pety and pointless. Merkel is very supportive of Israel, at least for a European. I am in no way trying to demean or minimize the Holocaust and yet, these boycotts do nothing but endanger the good relations between Israel and Germany. 60 years since the Holocaust, most of the criminals who killed Jews, as well as practically the entire shameful generation that supported Hitler and Nazism, are either dead or very old. Why should it offend these MKs if a German chancellor, repentant and regretful for the Holocaust, and supportive of Israel, speaks before the Knesset in German?

It seems like the Jewish people are stuck in the past and while this has often been one of our great strengths, today it seems to be a weakness. Today, there exist large groups and organizations devoted to our destruction, to bringing about a Second Holocaust with suicide bombings, hatchets, machine guns and terror attacks. The hatred of the Arabs, of Hamas and of Hizbullah, towards the Jews is no less than that of the Nazis. It is time for us not to forget about the Holocaust, but to concentrate on preventing it from happening again. If these MKs are upset about Merkel speaking before the Knesset in German, why do they not react when:

- Israel's first Muslim Arab government member - Minister of Science, Culture and Sports Raleb Majadle - refuses to sing Israel's national anthem, HaTikvah?

- No Arab member of the Knesset has condemned the massacre in the Mercaz HaRav yeshiva on Rosh Chodesh Adar? (Incidentally, the Nazis often waited for Jewish holy days to murder Jews.)

- Founder of the Balad Party (National Democratic Assembly) Azmi Bishara fled to Syria for supporting Hizbullah during the Second Lebanon War?

- Balad leader, Jamal Zahalka, said, "Anyone who chooses to volunteer to the National Service will be considered (by the Israeli Arab society) a leper and the Arab society will have nothing to do with them." ?

Knesset members, instead of boycotting the speech of a foreign leader who in no way participated in the Holocaust, should demand the expulsion of Arab members of Knesset, many of whom have made statements against the Israel, incited Arabs to murder and shown quite clearly where their loyalties lie. We cannot bring the 6 million who perished in the Holocaust back but the best tribute to their memories would be to prevent more Jews from being murdered and by prosecuting those who encourage anti-Jewish attacks. No Arab member of Knesset has denounced the slaying of teenagers studying Torah in Mercaz HaRav. Such damning silence should ring loug and clear and prove without a shadow of a doubt that the Arab MKs are not loyal to the state and are instruments of terror and jihad. Merkel is no Nazi and it is really disgraceful to prevent her from speaking in her native tongue, despite any unpleasant mental associations. (I freely admit that the sound of spoken German sets my skin on fire.) Israel has permitted Arab leaders and permits Arab MKs to speak in Arabic, the language that thousands of Jews heard being screamed at them, Allah being praised, before being machine-gunned to death or blown up. Arabic is one of the official languages of Israel!

As I write this, Rabbi Yechezkel Greenwald, father of four, is in Hadassah Ein Karem Hospital after being stabbed in the neck by an Arab terrorist near the Damascus Gate in Jerusalem’s Old City on Tuesday morning. There are also warnings of attacks during the Purim holidays by Hizbullah since it coincides with the close of the 40-day Muslim mourning period for the Hizbullah terror organization’s second-in-command, Imad Mughniyeh. Mughniyeh was assassinated in Syria. The 40-day mark is a favorite among terrorists for carrying out revenge attacks.

Ban Arabic from the Knesset. Do not let any non-Jew serve in Israel's government and expel the Arab fifth-column from the State. While the Holocaust is still very painful for us, we must destroy the new Nazis, those who danced and gave out sweets after hearing of the "glorious martyrdom operation" in Jerusalem. Let these MKs stop protesting symbols and save their outrage for our real enemies. "Never Again" does not just mean never again in Germany; "Never Again" means never again will we allow Jews to be murdered because they are Jews, for us to be demonized and dehumanized, for Jewish blood to be cheap. Let us recognize our foes: the modern day Nazis are the Islamofascist terror groups. They are the ones we should reserve our fury for.

The Arab Fifth-Column

The shiva week of mourning for the boys slain in the yeshiva massacre has ended and the home of the terrorist and his family's mourning tent is still standing. How is it possible that the government of Israel, which has destroyed thousands of Jewish homes in Gaza and plans, G-d forbid, to destroy thousands in Judea and Samaria, cannot bring itself to raze the home of this animal? No attack happens in a vacuum; the terrorist could only perpetrate this wanton slaughter in an atmosphere of hatred and violence. He was certainly raise by his parents to believe that a heavenly reward of 72 virgins to abuse and rape for all eternity would be his if he killed Jews. He grew up in a perverted society where the highest aspiration is death and murder, a society which emphasizes destroying others rather than helping or building.

Neither was the terrorist from a "Palestinian". He was a resident of East Jerusalem, with near-citizen rights. And yet it is painfully obvious that he did not consider himself Israeli. So why do we continue to pretend that the Arabs are equal citizens, to disdainfully believe that we can "tame" them? In 1980, when Israel annexed the entire city of Jerusalem, the Arab residents were given the right to full citizenship, just like the other Arabs of Israel, if they would learn Hebrew and pledge allegiance to the country; most of them refused. And why should they pledge allegiance to Israel, a state which they believe occupies their land? There is no Arab that can proudly support Israel! They are a fifth-column and have been involved in hundreds of terror attacks against Israel. Not only have the Arab Knesset Members not condemned or spoken out against the murder of the eight yeshiva students, other Israeli-Arab elements have actually implied praise of it. The main headline in the Islamic Movement’s Al-Mithaak weekly the day after the attack read, “The First Response to the Massacre in Gaza!!!” We have deluded ourselves into thinking that they are "our" Arabs, they they are loyal citizens, Israelies only differing in terms of language and faith. Little did we understand the Arab mind and we pretended that we could make them into good Israelies if only we raised their living standards. The Arabs don't want indoor plumbing or accessible health services- they want all of Israel, from river to sea, to themselves, judenrein.

One of the world's top authorities on halacha,Rabbi Chaim Kanievsky, ruled on Sunday that it is forbidden to hire Arabs, especially at yeshivot, because it poses a mortal danger. According to halacha, it is forbidden to employ Arabs, especially in yeshivas," Kanievsky, a Lithuanian rabbi who lives Bnei Barak, told the paper. "It poses a mortal danger since we are at war with them." Rav Kanievsky added that he was amazed at the employment of Arabs when there were Jewish employees to choose from in the unemployment market. "How will Jews work and support themselves?" he asked. The state of Israel was built on the concept on avodah ivrit, Jewish labour and unfortunately, that concept has fallen by the wayside. Manual labour is not looked upon as an acceptable job for "a good Jewish boy" and so foreign labourers are hired. Often times, Arabs from East Jerusalem, Judea or Samaria are hired which strengthens their positions in the land puts us at risk for terror attacks.

Jews and Arabs cannot live together. To the Arab, all of Israel is his, and is only temporarily under Jewish control. He is biding his time until it will be his once again. We cannot let that happen. The only solution is expulsion. Otherwise, we risk repeats of the massacre at the yeshiva, endless attacks and pogroms. The status quo is a failure. The Jewish homeland is Israel. The Arabs have 22 other countries in which to exercise their political rights. I'll gladly pay for the flight ticket.

Eternal Hatred

"O foolish people and not wise" (Deut. 32:6) when will we ever learn? How long will we continue to put out faith in the Nations, in the UN, in the US, in the EU, in the Evangelical Zionists, in the "moderate" Arabs? Will we never wake up?

"Esau soneh et Yaakov- Esau hates Jacob", the Talmud declares. This is a rule and an eternal principle. It is the month of Adar when Haman decreed his evil plot to exterminate the Jews. When the proclamation came from Achashverosh to all 127 provinces of the Persian empire, nobody stood up and said: "that's not nice. You can't do that". They easily rationalized that the Jews were disloyal, that they lived by their laws and they disobeyed the laws of Persia. When the 14th of Adar came, thousands gladly took part in the attacks on the Jews. They were all too happy to finally solve the Jewish Problem.

60 years ago, as the Jews were being gathered up from every land for destruction, nobody stood up. The world was silent as our grandparents suffocated in the gas chambers of Auschwitz or were burnt. The Pope closed his eyes and stopped up his ears as all of the Jews of Rome were being rounded up, right under his window. The Poles and the Czechs, the French and the Latvians, the Lithuanians and the Russians were collaborators with the murderers and they joyfully informed on their former friends and neighbours. The world shrugged and said that Hitler was a Jewish problem. They told themselves that if the Jews hadn't been so rich, so powerful, so different, so poor, so weak, so assimilated, so universalist, so closed... they wouldn't have been killed. It was the Jews' fault. Many Christians argued that it was their just reward for rejecting their god. Other claimed that the Jews had brought it upon themselves unleashing Communism upon the world. Esau hates Jacob.

8 innocent teenagers studying Talmud and Torah, the very books that form the foundation of Western civilization, of ethics, of morality, were cut down by a cruel and barbaric Arab animal. And the world remains silent. Its a "cycle of violence". You see, Israel defending itself against Arab rockets brought this tragedy upon them. If Israel would have just allowed Qassams to rain down on Sderot, these boys would be still alive. Its the Occupation. Its the Apartheid. Its the genocidal policies of the state of Israel. The Jews! The Jews! They brought it upon themselves. The yeshiva was the flagship of the colonialist and racist settler movement. The Arabs don't know any better. What would you do if you had to live under the harsh circumstances that Israel imposed on them?

Excuses. Excuses, justifications and rationalization for murder. Those boys were murdered because they were Jews and the world closes its eyes because they were Jews. Esau soneh et Yaakov. Jews, are you still counting upon your friends in the UN? When they see how the Arabs danced at the bloodbath, they'll be on our side, right? Right? Right? No, Jews. You've been misled. Esau hates Jacob. He hates him with his utmost hatred, and dances when his blood is spilled. We have nobody to rely on except Avinu sheBashamayim, our Father in Heaven, and to have His help, we need to act first. We must protect ourselves and let the world condemn what it wishes. Let the goyyim wag their tongues and flap their gums. "No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn." (Isaiah 54:17). They will get their due revenge from Borei Olam. Why should any Jew concern himself with the sanctimonious pronouncements of the assemble of United Jew-haters? We must put ourselves first and do the utmost to protect Jewish lives. And if the goyyim call us racists or denounce the Occupation? Let us laugh in their faces. "Why are the nations in an uproar? And why do the peoples mutter in vain? The kings of the earth stand up, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD, and against His anointed: 'Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us.' He that sitteth in heaven laugheth, the Lord hath them in derision.
Then will He speak unto them in His wrath, and affright them in His sore displeasure:" (Psalm 2:1-5). Jews, be strong and courageous. Do not fear, my servant Jacob!

One day, as Haman paraded through the streets, he noticed that Mordechai was not in his usual place. He asked around for him and he was told that Mordechai was in the school, in the beit midrash. When Haman entered the beit midrash, he saw Mordechai teaching children the Torah, studying and learning with them. It was then that he understood that he would not succeed, that the Jewish people could not be beaten. That is our strength. Even though the cursed murderer tried to silence 8 young voices learning Torah, he will never succeed. There is an empty void as there are no longer 8 sould engaging in G-d's law, doing mitzvot and acts of kindness. The murderer failed. Let us all commit to learning extra Torah, keeping more mitzvot and giving more tzedakah le'ilui nishmatam, in their memory. Let the goyyim scream and shout.

Am Yisrael Chai!



Cross-posted to Jewish Vengeance and Goat's Barnyard