The Rebbe Who Saved a Village

This uplifting message of hope, faith and courage seems to epitomize the response we, as individuals, should have to the butchery at Merkaz Harav. It is a translation (found on Chabad's website) of an article in Yediot Acharonot on May 5, 1957, after a terrorist broke into the study hall of Kfar Chabad, killing five students and one teacher.

Translator's note: The following is a free translation of a story that appeared in the Israeli newspaper Yediot Achronot on Iyar 4, 5717 - May 5, 1957. We have left the article basically as it was written, wishing to convey the perspective of the Israeli reporter and his impression of the people and the events he describes.

On the eve of Yom HaAtzmaut (Independence Day) last year, as the bonfires were being raised on Mount Herzl in Jerusalem, the lights were burning also in Tzafrir (Kfar Chabad), the Chabad-Lubavitcher village in the Lod Valley.

For four days the village had been in deep mourning and grievous anguish, the likes of which the Lubavitcher chassidim had not known in many years. On that black and bitter night, a band of fedayeen entered the village. They made their way to the synagogue of the local agricultural school, where the school's young students were in the midst of the evening maariv prayers, and raked the room with fire from their Karl-Gustav rifles. They reaped a cruel blood-harvest: five children and one teacher were killed and another ten children wounded; their pure, holy blood soaking the siddurim that fell from their hands and splattering the synagogue's white-washed walls.

Pictures of blood-soaked holy books in the wake of Thursday night’s slaughter of eight students at Jerusalem’s Mercaz Harav yeshiva brought back memories of a similar attack 52 years ago in the central Israeli village of Kfar Chabad, when five schoolchildren were murdered during their morning prayers.

The village chassidim, brawny, broad-shouldered Russian Jews with thick black beards and bushy brows, stood dumbfounded before the terrible scene that met their eyes. A pogrom in Israel! A pogrom in Chabad! they whispered, and bit their lips in rage. The women stood there too, hefty, handsome Russian matrons, wringing their hands and murmuring to themselves in Russian and Hebrew, their eyes emitting an endless stream of tears.

This was not a common scene for the Lubavitchers. These Chassidim, who had survived the pogroms in Czar Nikolai's Russia and whom the Red Army could not intimidate, who had been banished to the frozen plains of Siberia, whose backs decades in Stalin's prisons and camps could not bow, now stood stooped and despairing. Now, that the blow had hit home in the heart of the Jewish state.

In the center of the village stood Rabbi Avraham Maayor who had been a high-ranking officer in the Russian Army. Avraham Maayor, of whom legend told that he calmly stood and sang chassidic melodies as a band of soldiers beat him with the butts of their rifles, now stood crying out at the heavens: "Master of the Universe, Why?! How have the children sinned?!"

Despair and dejection pervaded the village, and began to eat away at its foundations. There were some who saw what happened as a sign that their dream of a peaceful life in the Holy Land was premature. Perhaps we should disband, seek refuge in safer havens? The village was slowly dying.

But it was clear to all that before any decisive move would be made, the Rebbe had to be consulted. Nothing would be done without his knowledge and consent. All awaited the telegram from "there," from New York, but the telegram was inexplicably not forthcoming. Four days had passed since the terror had struck. A lengthy telegram had immediately been dispatched informing the Rebbe of all the details of the tragedy, and an answer was expected that very night. But the Rebbe was silent. What happened, many wondered, why doesn't he respond? Has he not a word of comfort for his stricken followers?

A telegram from the Rebbe, it should be clarified, is an integral part of Chabad-Chassidic life across the globe. Every problem, every decision pertaining to the communal or private life of the Lubavitcher chassid is referred to the Rebbe's headquarters in Brooklyn, and whatever the reply, that is what is done. And the answer is always forthcoming, whether by regular post, express mail, or emergency telegram-depending upon the urgency of the matter-and always short, succinct, and to the point.

Why, then, is the Rebbe's answer on such a fateful matter tarrying? The village elders had no explanation, and, as the hours and days went by, the question continued to plague their tormented souls, and their anguish and despair weighed increasingly heavier on their hearts.

And then, four days after the tragedy, the telegram arrived. The news spread throughout the village: A telegram from the Rebbe! The telegram has arrived! The entire village, men, women and children, assembled in the village square to hear the Rebbe's reply.

And the Rebbe was characteristically succinct. The telegram contained a single sentence-three Hebrew words-but these three words sufficed to save the village from disintegration and its inhabitants from despair. “Behemshech habinyan tinacheimu”, wrote the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson. "By your continued building will you be comforted."

The Chassidim of Kfar Chabad now had a firm grasp on their future: they knew what they had to do. They must build! The Rebbe said to build! And that by their continued building they will be comforted! That very night the village elders held a meeting to discuss how the Rebbe's directive might be implemented. After a short discussion, a decision was reached: a vocational school will be built where children from disadvantaged backgrounds will be taught the printing trade. On the very spot where the blood was spilled, the building will be raised.

The next morning, all residents of the village gathered at the empty lot adjoining the agricultural school and began clearing and leveling the land in preparation for the building. The joy was back in their eyes.

In the weeks that followed, letters arriving from relatives and friends in New York described what had transpired there in those four endless days in which the village had awaited the Rebbe's reply.

For the entire month of Nissan, the month of the redemption, it is the Rebbe's custom to devote himself entirely to the service of the Creator, reducing his contact with his Chassidim to a minimum. Rare is the individual who is granted an audience with the Rebbe in this period, and all but the most urgent correspondence is postponed until the close of the auspicious month.

When the month of Nissan ends, a festive farbrengen (Chassidic gathering) is held at the Rebbe's headquarters on Eastern Parkway in Brooklyn, marking the Rebbe's resumption of his involvement with his thousands of followers across the globe. The Rebbe speaks for hours, his talks interspersed with bouts of song and l'chaims, often until the wee hours of the morning.

That year, the farbrengen marking the close of Nissan was also held. The tragic news from the Holy Land had arrived in New York moments before the farbrengen was scheduled to begin, but the Rebbe's secretaries decided to withhold the news from him until after the gathering. But what his assistants did not tell him, his heart seems to have told him. That night, the Rebbe spoke of Jewish self-sacrifice and martyrdom al kiddush Hashem (for the sanctification of G-d's name), about the rebuilding of the Holy Land, and the redemption of Israel. Tears flowed from his eyes as he spoke. All night he spoke and wept, sang and wept, and wept still more.

Why is the Rebbe weeping? Only a few of those present could guess - those who knew about the telegram from Kfar Chabad.

The farbrengen ended. The chassidim dispersed to their homes, and the Rebbe retired to his room. With great trepidation, two of the Rebbe's closest chassidim knocked on the Rebbe's door and handed him the telegram from Israel. The Rebbe sank into his chair. He locked his door and did not open it for three days. After three days of utter seclusion, he called his secretary and dictated his reply: “Behemshech habinyan tinacheimu”. By your continued building you will be comforted.

The chassidim of Kfar Chabad have fulfilled their Rebbe's request. Without the aid of philanthropists or foundations, they have raised 50,000 Israeli pounds, and today, one year after the tragedy, the new building of the vocational school is completed.

Tomorrow, as the citizens of Israel celebrate their eighth Independence Day, the chassidim of Kfar Chabad will hold a farbrengen and relate, again and again, the story of the three-word telegram that saved the village.

Avi Dichter and Transfer

Last week, there was a lively debate at Dovbear's blog about Rabbi Kahane and the concept of transferring hostile Arabs living in Israel out of the country, for the safety and integrity of the state. Many points were made, but one of the central ones was that Rabbi Kahane's ideas were defeated by the very fact that no-one supports them anymore. It was pointed out that there are sizeable percentages of Israelis who support this transfer idea, but that was brushed aside by others. I would like to point out that Minister of Israel's Interior Security, Avi Dichter, supports transfer as well.

There was a religious-halachik aspect to Rabbi Kahane's position, certainly. However, he also supported this transfer of hostile Arabs for demographic and security concerns, as well. It is these reasons that resonated with people like Yitzchak Rabin and Ariel Sharon, and led them to the realization that co-existence is not realistic, and that a two-state solution is necessary. Instead of annexing Gaza and the West Bank, a Palestinian state would be created there, and that would allow most hostile Arabs to live without the state of Israel. A transfer by excision, but transfer nonetheless. In fact, there was forced transfer, but it was the movement of Jews instead of the movement of Arabs. (The idea that they were moved "in", and so it is not as bad as moving others "out" is disingenuous. The Israeli government encouraged people to settle Gaza and the West bank for thirty years, economically and philosophically. In fact, Sharon himself stated years back that any order to uproot settlements was immoral and should be refused. I find the eminent domain argument weak as well, since eminent domain is to be used for government purposes, to better the lives of the majority of citizens, and not to chip away at the homeland and provide terrorists with bases ever closer to our borders.)

However, no matter how close these leaders came to admitting that transfer was the only option, they always could claim that no Arab living in Israel, no Israeli Arab, would be forced from his home, and made to live in any theoretical "Palestine". It was deeply implied by all concerned, and believed by a nation desperate that there be a group of Arabs they could call "friend", that these Israeli Arabs did not hate us, except for a few bad apples; that the Israeli Arabs would not hurt us, except for a few extremists; that the Israeli Arabs would live in peace with us, and any that would not could be treated as any other Israeli criminal -- jailed and eventually released, rehabilitated to the love of his Jewish neighbors. However, that has now changed.

Yesterday's brutal terror attack, in which seven Jewish teens and a 26 year old were murdered in cold blood in their study hall, brought the problem even closer to the surface. The attack of two city employees in East Jerusalem, the attempted lynch, the vicious attempted murder, also helped. Israelis are beginning to realize that nothing will change the fact that even among Israeli Arabs, the majority is not supportive or loyal to the state, and they would, in a heartbeat, join the throngs of enemies when it seems possible to kill Jews. The minority is not those who wish to destroy us, but those who do not.

And so, Israel begins to realize that transfer of hostile Arabs is the only solution left. Here is what Avi Dichter said, today in Merkaz Harav (as quoted by Arutz 7): "He [Avi Dichter] added: "If an intifadah breaks out, we know how to put it down," and expressed hope that a way will be found to send terrorists from east Jerusalem to Ramallah."

Avi Dichter sees Ramallah as outside Israel. He hopes to be able to banish terrorists who are Israeli citizens (after all, he speaks of terrorists from east Jerusalem) from east Jerusalem to Ramallah. Obviously, he speaks of terrorists who have not yet committed their terror, for if they already have, they would have to be put on trial. Clearly, Dichter does not advocate a situation in which a terrorist like last night's would be caught alive and not tried, but sent to live in peace in Ramallah. He is talking about potential terrorists -- people who support terror against our country -- he is talking about hostile Arabs of Israel.

And now we have come full circle. Israel rejected Rabbi Kahane as a rascist and an extremist for putting forth a platform that highlighted, among many other issues, the issue of Israeli-Arab hate of Israel and the need to rid the country of a fifth column. He was denounced; he was punished; he was imprisoned; his party was outlawed. And yet, it seems, the result of 30 years' policy that took the opposite track has ended up with a virtually identical statement by Avi Dichter to those of Rabbi Kahane. The only difference, in the end, is where "outside Israel" is. In Rabbi Kahane's book, it was Jordan, or Lebanon or Sinai. In the Dichter/Olmert/Rabin/Sharon book, it is Ramallah -- a virtual stone-throw from Jerusalem. Rabbi Kahane's plan would have put Israel's enemies far from our population centers, and across natural, defensible borders. The Dichter plan places the hostile Arabs to be transferred masochistically close to our population centers, a spitting's distance across Abba Eban's "Auschwitz borders".

Depression and Action

Often, when confronted by defeat or failure, it is human nature to feel that our activity is futile. All that we work for can be destroyed in a moment, and everything that we care about is for nothing. Sometimes, people can feel this way when empathizing with others who are going through troubles. The feeling of helplessness can transfer to the empathizer, and create depression.

Of course, depression is the greatest enemy of useful activity. The feeling of futility can stop people from accomplishing and succeeding at important activities. After the Holocaust, for example, there were survivors who felt that it was pointless to rebuild their families, after witnessing how they were wiped out in a flash. How can a person save himself from drowning in the emotional turmoil of defeat and failure?

When Betzalel and his workers finished building the mishkan, they did not turn it over to the Jewish nation standing. The boards were there, the curtains, as well, and yet, nothing was put up. That was left to Moshe. Each of the seven days of inauguration, Moshe assembled and broke down the mishkan. No one was to help him, and Rashi quotes a midrash stating that, since the work was far too much for one man, Moshe received divine assistance to complete this task each day.

Why did God command Moshe to do this, when the task was impossible without divine assistance? Perhaps this episode is given to the world as an example of the correct way to approach the feeling of futility and depression that come from failure. When confronted, as Moshe was, with a situation that seems impossible, the correct response is not to retreat into rationalizations for why it is not worth trying. Rather, a person should enthusiastically embrace the task, and do the best that he physically can, "with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence." To dutifully step bravely forward, against all odds, with faith in God -- that is our charge in life. If God sees fit to assist, as He did for Moshe and countless times in history, that is good. And if He chooses not to, so be it, for this has nothing to do with Man's duty to act on what he has ascertained to be right and just and good.

It is not our job to finish any task. However, it is neither our right to shirk correct action. We are to move forward, doing good, with the serene knowledge that this is all God asks of us. The ultimate result of anything is up to Him.

Our 'Friend' Abbas

I know I have not posted in a while. It has been a very hectic month for me and my family. We are expecting a new addition soon, and there was a little scare which required a short hospital visit...but all is well, thank God, and I hope to announce something in the next month, with His help.

I do plan to return to my regular postings of parsha, halacha and philosophy by the beginning of next week at the latest. Meanwhile, I feel the need to post this quote from our 'partner in peace', Abu Mazen, Mahmoud Abbas (from the Jerusalem Post, Feb 2008):

PA President Mahmoud Abbas on Thursday said that he does not rule out returning to the path of armed "resistance" against Israel and took pride in the fact that he had been the first to fire on Israel and that his organization had trained Hizbullah. In an interview with the Jordanian daily al-Dustur, Abbas said that he was opposed to an armed struggle against Israel - for the time being." At this present juncture, I am opposed to the armed struggle because we can't succeed in it, but maybe in the future things will be different," he said.

The PA president also expressed pride both in himself and his organization, Fatah, for trailblazing the path of resistance." I had the honor of firing the first shot in 1965 and of being the one who taught resistance to many in the region and around the world; what it's like; when it is effective and when it isn't effective; its uses, and what serious, authentic and influential resistance is," Abbas said. "It is common knowledge when and how resistance is detrimental and when it is well timed," he addad. "We (Fatah) had the honor of leading the resistance and we taught resistance to everyone, including Hizbullah, who trained in our military camps."

(Lurker had another good point(comment at the Muqata):

"But - but - in 1965, there was no Israeli "occupation" of the West Bank, Gaza Strip, or East Jerusalem!

So then, against whom did Abu Mazen initiate this "resistance" in 1965? Who was he shooting when he "fired the first shot"?

Help, I'm so confused...")

Update: Students at Hebrew University in Jerusalem are waving PLO flags and calling for the destruction of the State of Israel.

Mishpatim: Animals and Man

The complex dietary laws of the Torah have been interpreted in many ways. Hygiene, symbolism and isolationism all are plausible, and provide insight into the regulations. It bears repeating that the binding authority of the law is independent of the ratio legis; we keep the commandments ultimately in obedience to the Divine authority that commanded them. Only when placed in this context can the benefits of the search for טעמי המצוות, the legal rationale, be realized.

I would like to present a quote from Rabbi Kook in reference to the law of טרפה, a terminally ill animal. The Torah commands us not to eat this meat (Exod. 22:30).

Distinctive [among the traits of Israel] is the compassion that waits to blossom into manifestation from amidst the feelings of the pure-hearted, and spread from humanity to all living creatures. This compassion is nascent within the prohibition of eating neveilah (an animal that has died as a result of sickness) or a treifah (an animal that has died as a result of bodily injury).

Just as we naturally feel greater pity for sick or injured human beings than we feel for the healthy, the unfortunate injured animal deserves our additional sympathy. Having internalized the ethical implications of the Torah's prohibition of eating the flesh of a torn animal, our hearts can fully experience the spirit of enlightenment that relates the precept of visiting the sick, prompting us to relieve their distress.

The commonality that exists between our feelings of compassion [for both animals and human beings] also expresses itself in connection with the need to guard our health, both spiritually and physically, and in not putting ourselves on the same plane as the predatory beasts. Rather, [the Torah] imposes upon us the further obligation to bring about their good, to benefit and to enlighten them. How could we consume the treifah lying in the field, which would appear like "dividing the spoil" with [the wild beasts], and constitute a tacit approval of their predatory habits?

It is true that, among the various categories of treifah discussed by the Talmudic sages, we must distinguish between a mortally injured animal in the field and a terminally ill human being. However, the suffering of both creatures calls for our compassion, which initially should be awakened on behalf of the wretched and the outcast. The law of the animal that died as a result of sickness prepares the heart to feel even greater repugnance toward exploiting the misfortune of other creatures in the event of their deaths. This sensitivity signals a sense of comradeship, sharing another's pain, and our having entered the borders of their inner world. With this, the "motivation by virtue of enlightenment" will supercede the "motivation by virtue of the law," causing us to distance ourselves from committing any evil upon these, our comrades in the universe, since we all come forth from the hand of One Creator, the Master of All His Works.

Humanity has a tremendous capacity for empathy, but we also have the ability to de-sensitize ourselves to the plight of others. Naturally, the pain of an animal is legally on a lower plane than the pain of a human being. However, emotionally, the pitiful cry of an injured animal, or the look of pain in its eye, evokes strong emotions of concern and sympathy. We can almost see our own children in the eyes of a puppy.

The Torah aims to use the suffering of animals, and the well of emotions that awakens within us, to help us re-sensitize ourselves to the troubles of others. We do not treat the weak animal as an easy kill, as the buzzards do, but see them as unfit to eat. The compassion they evoke makes us better humans must be treasured. Otherwise, it will de-sensitize us to the suffering of other people, also.

A few years ago, I read a passage in Rabbi Hirsch's writings. Its effect was that we must walk a very fine line when dealing with our capacity for compassion and empathy. We must constantly develop our ability to feel another's pain, but must never allow it to disintegrate into a hysterical impotence. If we identify with the suffering of others too closely, we end up wallowing in sadness, and unable to help. Our empathy must stop short of this, so that it becomes a catalyst for us to help those in need.

Mishpatim is a portion that deals largely with social justice and the salvation of the weak from the abuse of the powerful. The Talmud (Megilah 30a) states that wherever God's glory is mentioned, his concern with the lowly is also mentioned. True power is just when it empathizes and concerns itself with the betterment of the weaker strata of society. Perhaps this is the lesson of the laws of טרפה.

An Open Letter to the World

Cross-posted at Chardal.

Cross currents has a post written by R' Avi Shafran responding to the anti-Semitic piece written by Arun Gandhi for the "On Faith" blog. The response is ok but the article by Gandhi brought to my mind a letter written in 1988. In 1988 an open letter to the world was submitted anonymously to various Jewish press outlets. Most of them ran the piece. After the letter was already published, Rav Meir Kahane Zt"l Hy"d came out as the author of the letter at which point all these outlets apologized for running it. Funny how the content of the letter seemed fine to them before they found out who wrote it. In any case, here is the text of the open letter:

Dear World,

It Appears That You Are Hard To Please.

I understand that you are upset over us, here in Israel. Indeed, it appears that you are quite upset, even angry and outraged? Indeed, every few years you seem to become upset over us. Today, it is the brutal repression of the Palestinians; yesterday, it was Lebanon; before that it was the bombing of the nuclear reactor in Baghdad and the Yom Kippur War campaign. It appears that Jews who triumph and who, therefore, live, upset you most extraordinarily. Of course, dear world, long before there was an Israel, we, the Jewish people - upset you. We upset a German people who elected a Hitler and we upset an Austrian people who cheered his entry into Vienna and we upset a whole slew of Slavic nations - Poles, Slovaks, Lithuanians, Ukrainians, Russians, Hungarians, Romanians. And we go back a long, long way in the history of world upset. We upset the Cossacks of Chmielnicki who massacred tens of thousands of us in 1648-49; we upset the Crusaders who, on their way to liberate the Holy Land, were so upset at Jews that they slaughtered untold numbers of us. We upset, for centuries, a Roman Catholic Church that did its best to define our relationship through Inquisitions. And we upset the arch-enemy of the Church, Martin Luther, who, in his call to burn the synagogues and the Jews within them, showed an admirable Christian ecumenical spirit.

It is because we became so upset over upsetting you, dear world, that we decided to leave you - in a manner of speaking - and establish a Jewish State.

The reasoning was that living in close contact with you, as resident-strangers in the various countries that comprise you, we upset you, irritate you, disturb you. What better notion, then, than to leave you and thus love you - and have you love us? And so we decided to come home - to the same homeland from which we were driven out 1,900 years earlier by a Roman world that, apparently, we also upset. Alas, dear world, it appears that you are hard to please. Having left you and your Pogroms and Inquisitions and Crusades and Holocausts, having taken our leave of the general world to live alone in our own little state - we continue to upset you.

You are upset that we repress the poor Palestinians. You are deeply angered over the fact that we do not give up the lands of 1967, which are clearly the obstacle to peace in the Middle East. Moscow is upset and Washington is upset.

The Arabs are upset and the gentle Egyptian moderates are upset. Well, dear world, consider the reaction of a normal Jew from Israel. In 1920, 1921 and 1929, there were no territories of 1967 to impede peace between Jews and Arabs. Indeed, there was no Jewish State to upset anybody. Nevertheless, the same oppressed and repressed Palestinians slaughtered hundreds of Jews in Jerusalem, Jaffa, Safed and Hebron. Indeed, 67 Jews were slaughtered one day in Hebron - in 1929. Dear world, why did the Arabs - the Palestinians - massacre 67 Jews in one day in 1929? Could it have been their anger over Israeli aggression in 1967?

And why were 510 Jewish men, women and children slaughtered in Arab riots in 1936-39? Was it because of Arab upset over 1967? And when you, World, proposed a U.N. Partition Plan in 1947 that would have created a Palestinian State alongside a tiny Israel and the Arabs cried and went to war and killed 6,000 Jews - was that upset stomach caused by the aggression of 1967? And, by the way, dear world, why did we not hear your cry of upset, then?

The poor Palestinians who today kill Jews with explosives and firebombs and stones are part of the same people who - when they had all the territories they now demand be given them for their state - attempted to drive the Jewish State into the sea. The same twisted faces, the same hate, the same cry of "idbah-al-yahud" - "Slaughter the Jews!" that we hear and see today, were seen and heard then. The same people, the same dream - destroy Israel. What they failed to do yesterday, they dream of today - but we should not "repress" them..............

Dear world, you stood by the Holocaust and you stood by in 1948 as seven states launched a war that the Arab League proudly compared to the Mongol massacres. You stood by in 1967 as Nasser, wildly cheered by wild mobs in every Arab capital in the world, vowed to drive the Jews into the sea. And you would stand by tomorrow if Israel were facing extinction. And since we know that the Arabs-Palestinians daily dream of that extinction, we will do everything possible to remain alive in our own land. If that bothers you, dear world, well - think of how many times in the past you bothered us. In any event, dear world, if you are bothered by us, here is one Jew in Israel who could not care less.

Democracy? Hah!

Twenty years ago, Rabbi Kahane declared that Israel is a faux-democracy. His claims were bolstered by the harassment and intimidation he suffered at the hands of the police and Shabak.

In the wake of his death, the Zo Artzenu protests highlighted Rabbi Kahane's grim assessment. Moshe Feiglin and other demonstrators who blocked traffic in protest of the Oslo Accords were beaten mercilessly by the Israeli Police. I know this sounds like hyperbole, but it is not: pregnant women were beaten randomly, and old men were trampled by police on horseback. Fathers were beaten while their infants screamed in their arms. It is important to note that these protests were peaceful, and the use of force was unjustified. Further, the force was not used to arrest some wild protester, as it might be in the US. Rather, it was used randomly as a way to intimidate people. The police were saying, "don't protest. If you do, you cannot guarantee your own protection, or the protection of your children."

After Oslo ended, people liked to believe that this was an anomaly. Indeed, the police and Shabak feed into this, and allow people to believe that there is no threat to democracy.

However, history proves otherwise. Demonstrators against the Gaza Disengagement were mercilessly and pointlessly beaten, often when already in handcuffs. We all remember how a group of policemen pounced on one demonstrator and tore his nose off his face by means of fingers inserted in nostrils. Another demonstrator was handcuffed and restrained in a chair at a police station, and then beaten. Hundreds of incidents, meticulously reported to the authorities, and completely ignored. The offending policemen were not tried. On the contrary, some of them received promotions, proving that this policy is approved from the highest brass, down.

Things seem to have come to a head at Amona. In unprecedented brutality, border police and regular police beat and abused the mostly teenage protesters. The video is horrifying, and shows explicitly the passivity of the protesters, as well as the viciousness of the attack dogs called police.

And now, things take their natural path. Anti-government speech, which is a cornerstone of any democracy, is being silenced in Israel with brutal disregard for human and civil rights.

I want you all to remember: We were largely silent when they came to silence Rabbi Kahane. We were silent when Zo Artzenu protesters were beaten. We cannot remain silent any longer. As Pastor Martin Niemöller wrote regarding the greatest evil of human history:

"First they came for the Jews
and I did not speak out
because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for the Communists
and I did not speak out
because I was not a Communist.
Then they came for the trade unionists
and I did not speak out
because I was not a trade unionist.
Then they came for me
and there was no one left
to speak out for me."

Secular, religious, right, left, it makes no difference. If we care about our right to protest any injustice, we must be willing to fight for each person's right to protest. I believe it was Martin Luther King, Jr. who wrote to the effect that when innocents are in jail, the place of all men and women of conscience is in jail.

Remember, all it takes for evil to succeed is for good to do nothing. We must fight for our right to disagree publicly with the government. If we are willing to trade our principles for that anonymous safety that derives from not 'rocking the boat', we will find ourselves bereft of both principles and safety.

I see a time in which Israel is led, not by jaded bandits and corrupt officers, but by honest, idealistic heroes. I see a time when the marketplace of ideas is broadened, not narrowed. I see a time when the security of Israel and its national pride are second only to fear of Heaven, and not fear of the US or loss of our fighting spirit. I see these days for they are still in our future. We work diligently and faithfully towards that day, and that day is not far off. No pygmy police or menacing Shabak or corrupt Olmerts will stop that future from arriving.

ואשיבה שופטיך כבתחילה ויועציך כראשונה; ציון במשפט תפדה ושביה בצדקה!

We join Yeshayahu is, not only praying, but knowing, that God will indeed replace our judges to be paragons of virtue and justice, and our ministers as in days of yore; Zion shall be redeemed through justice, and those who return, with mercy!

Yael the Blessed

Since this week's portion contains the שירה, the poem that Moshe and Israel used to express their awe and appreciation of God after he saved them from Egypt, the הפטרה also includes one of the ten great pieces of sung poetry, the song of Devorah (שופטים ד-ה). (Rav Hirsch explains a thematic connection, in that the Jews in the times of the judges constantly vascillated, in peace-time forgetting that their success comes from God who took them from Egypt. The spirit of Devorah, who rescued the Jews, is that of Jewish women, who are the first to reconnect to God when the nation has strayed. Their spirit guides the nation back to Hashem, and brings them to re-accept the Torah, which was the goal of יציאת מצרים.)

One of the heroes of the battle between Sis'ra and Barak was Yael. She offered herself to the Yavinite general, and killed him in her tent. The Talmud (Nazir 23b) states that, "A sin done for the correct reason is as great as a good deed done for ulterior motives, as we learn that 'Yael was blessed more-so than women in the tent,' and that refers to Sarah, Rivka, Rachel and Leah."

This saying always bothered me. How can a sin ever be 'good'? Some explain that, for example, a Kohen may not become impure to bury the dead. However, he must do so for the seven close family members, or a מת מצווה. So, they reason, this is an עבירה לשמה.

I do not find this satisfactory, because the Torah itself stipulates exceptions for the Kohen. Therefore, when he becomes impure, he is not doing an עבירה. On the contrary, he is following the law, which stipulates that he become impure in certain specific cases. This cannot be called an עבירה לשמה, a sin for good reason.

Rabbi Kook in Mishpat Kohen (Ch. 143-144) explains the philosophy behind the piece in Nazir more holistically. He explains that there are certain times that we do go against the Torah, in order to accomplish something, that in the long run, will be to protect it. In the same way, Rabbi Natan says at the end of B'rachot (9:5) that "'הפרו תורתיך, עת לעשות לה." The idea is that, at the behest of a prophet or the Sanhedrin, we are charged with breaking any law temporarily, except idolatry, in order to accomplish a greater good. Thus, Esther and Yael, by committing a sin, acheived the salvation of the nation when it was in dire danger. Rabbi Kook further says that, the salvation of Israel is something that is so clear, so obvious, that one need not receive explicit instructions from a court. One may, instead, act as a שליח, an agent, of the Sanhedrin, and act against the Torah temporarily, in order to save the nation. The concept is one of "שליחותייהו קעבד".

Even though the action becomes a great מצווה, it is still correct to call it a sin, because the action is not sanctioned by any stipulation written in the Torah. It is only permitted (indeed, required) when looking at the larger picture.

Rav Kook's formulation requires the sin to be able to produce immediate salvation to כלל ישראל. Although there is the danger of a slippery slope, we can appreciate the essential demand of a person to sacrifice their innocence on the altar of national protection.

The concept of a sin for good reason, עבירה לשמה, is not really applicable to our daily lives. However, as we read this week's הפטרה, we may come to a deeper appreciation of Yael and her heroic actions on behalf of our nation.

(Thank you to Rabbi Tzvi Haber for pointing out this source. Rabbi Haber's article on the subject is a must-read.)

My Call to Moshe Freidman

Read about the goings-on at Dovbear. Here is my email to him (DB posted it on his blog, as well):

Hi DB,

I called Rabbi Moshe Freidman (057-317-7844) at the number you posted. We spoke twice, and both conversations were in Hebrew. The first time, I told him that I am concerned, becuase I have heard about horrible things in Ramat Beit Shemesh.

He said, "what have you heard?"

I mentioned that I heard of a woman being beaten on a bus for not moving to her 'appropriate' seat. RMF replied at first that he knew nothing about this. I said, "oh, well I am glad, because from what I have heard, there is a big chillul hashem going on."

He then said, "who am I speaking with?" I answered that I am an Israeli presently in Los Angeles, and I am writing an article about what is going on. RMF then revealed that he knows far more than he first let on, by saying, "I will not speak with you from Los Angeles, but I will speak with you in Israel if you like."

I continued to ask questions about the details, and RMF hung up.

I called back and said that I want to get the opinion from the side of the 'pashkvellers' for my article. He again re-iterated that he knows all about the situation, and will only talk to me in Israel. I said, "I don't want to make anyone look bad, I just want the truth. Why can't you talk to me now over the phone, so I can write about it?"

He said he will only meet face to face, and he had a bad experience once with journalists, so he likes to meet face to face. I wonder why.

He also stated that "we don't care what you write about us." I thought the use of the plural first-person pronoun was quite revealing.

That was the end of the call. Who's next?

Regards
mevaseretzion

I will Fast Thursday

Read why here.

Also, I would like to applaud Avigdor Leiberman for leaving the government. I am sure I don't know why he joined in the first place, but an overdue resignation is better than none at all. Shas must now leave the government or prove that a unified Jerusalem is not of top importance on their list. In case anyone has any doubts, the battle for Jerusalem has begun. Remember Zechariah 14. May God grant us the strength and fortitude to win.

Also, congratulations are in order to Dr. Kadmon, head of Israel's Child Welfare Council, for recognizing that sleep deprivation, un-needed strip searches, and food deprivation are un-ethical tactics to use on any child, even a settler girl.

Letter to my Community

Dear Community,

It has come to my attention that a Rabbi gave a Sunday class in our Beit Midrash, talking about exile and redemption. I may not have the particulars correct, but the general idea was that the Jewish nation can be in Galut even while in the Land of Israel, and can find Geulah, redemption, even outside its borders. A support was brought from the story of Ya'akov, who found peace and tranquility for the last 17 years of his life, years that were spent in Egypt. Another point was that Galut Yavan was one in which the Jews remained in Israel, and yet it was still referred to as a Galut.

If you will permit, I would like to offer what I believe to be the Torah's views on this subject.

There are two paradigms of exile: spiritual and physical. A father may banish his son from his home physically, or he may allow him to continue to live in his home, but decline to participate in that normal intimacy between father and son -- ignoring him. This is spiritual exile. In a similar way, a Jew -- as an individual, or the nation of Israel -- can feel physical or spiritual estrangement from our Father in Heaven. We can be exiled physically from our beloved home, Eretz Yisrael. However, we can also be spiritually exiled, and, while remaining in the land, lose that intimacy of communion with our God.

Now, physical exile does not have to be simply a banishment from our land. It can also take place while we are in Israel, but are removed from sovereignty. This was the tragic state in the exile of Yavan, where the Jews, while still in Israel, lost their absolute control over Israel. They also found themselves in spiritual exile, with a severance of their special relationship to Hashem.

On the other hand, being outside of the land of Israel is, no matter how you view it, exile. It is God's decision to remove us from our beloved inheritance, to teach us to rethink our actions, national and individual. Although one can find spiritual relationship to God in the exile, it is a primitive kind of relationship, a skeleton of a once-healthy body. Prophecy as a rule does not take place outside of Israel (see Mechilta on Bo, and Talmud in Moed Katan 25a). The Talmud (Bava Batra 158b) states that "the very atmosphere of Israel makes one wise," and this is further evidence that a vibrant, full, Jewish individual or national experience can only be attained in Israel. In Ketubot 110b (and brought by the Rambam as halacha), the Talmud goes even further, to state that "one who lives in Israel lives as if he has a God, but one who dwells outside the land lives as one who has no God." This extreme statement must be taken in context, and understood correctly. I would love to explain it more deeply, but this is not the place. It suffices to realize the importance that is placed upon Jewish vibrancy and culture in the land of Israel.

God sends us away from His land to punish us. How haughty would it be, and how tragically it would miss the point, to claim that one can attain Geula, redemption, outside the mystical power and holiness of Israel!

It is true that Ya'akov found a measure of happiness in Egypt. However, one must pay attention to the fear with which he goes down, and the fact that God appears to Ya'akov, calming him: "Fear not going down to Egypt; I will go down with you, and I will bring you up from there." (B'reshit 46:3-4) Ya'akov's happiness in Egypt for those 17 years does not point to any type of Geula-state; on the contrary, Ya'akov makes Yosef swear to bury him in Israel (partly because of the pain of traveling underground from exile to redemption in the days of the messiah)! Further, the Kabalistic source (Sefer Halikutim) that implies that these 17 years were so good says nothing of redemption in Egypt. It simply takes the gimatria of טוב and finds it to equal 17. Ya'akov's years in Egypt were טוב, good, because he found all his children servants of God, and enjoyed them all together. He was assured of his place in Olam Haba, because all his children were faithful to God (see Rashi on B'reshit 47:31).

It is clear that Israel should be central in all our lives. The Ya'avetz, in his siddur, writes that we Jews face Israel when we pray to show that we wish with all our passion to be there, even if we cannot at this moment. Our focus is Israel, and the building of a utopian society within the Jewish Nation that can function as a light to the rest of the world. If we feel this way, says the Ya'avetz, we have a portion in the mitzvah of living in Israel. However, if we do not truly make Eretz Yisrael a focus in our lives, we are just paying lip service when we say "וקבצנו יחד מהרה מארבע כנפות הארץ לארצנו", "Gather us up quickly from the four corners of the Earth, to our land" (Amida). If we have reasons that we cannot move there immediately, we at least must understand the centrality of Israel as the start and completion of our national redemption, in Jewish thought and practice.

I would like to invite anyone to discuss with me the sources I provide, and if they have any other sources, or ones that seem to disagree, by all means, let us continue the discussion of this and other fundamental tenets of Judaism. May our community, among the holy communities of God's nation, continue to grow in all aspects of Torah, mitzvot, and good deeds.

With honor and respect to all.

Israel's False Friends

The Los Angeles Times’ cartoon that accompanies the editorial, “Israel’s False Friends” is horrifying and reminiscent of Nazi propaganda. The points made in their article show the authors to be at best misguided, but more probably, nefarious.

First, a very brief history is necessary to place things in perspective. British Mandate Palestine included present-day Israel and Jordan. Jordan was originally supposed to be the "Palestinian" state (in quotes because no nation of Palestinians ever existed until after 1947, and the Arabs who claim such heritage never saw themselves as anything other than Muslim Arabs until then). However, when England reneged on their own Balfour Declaration, and turned the status of present-day Israel's fate (including Gaza and the West Bank) over to the UN, the world body decided that three blocs of land, connected by thin strands of territory, be a Jewish state, while the remainder be an Arab state. The Arabs emphatically rejected this "two-state" solution (the very solution being suggested today), and promptly declared their intention to throw the Holocaust surviving Jews into the Mediterranean. Egypt, Syria, Jordan and soldiers from other Arab countries invaded the newly declared State. Israel was able to defend its UN-drawn borders, and Gaza went to Egypt, while the West Bank went to Jordan.

Consider: Egypt and Jordan certainly exerted no effort to set up the "Palestinian State" in their conquered territory, nor did anyone ask them to. It was understood that any territory conquered by an Arab army in Palestine belonged to the conquering state – there was no "Palestine" as a separate national Arab entity.

The Arabs did not suffer defeat well, and in 1967, massed at Israel's borders, explicitly stating their intentions for war, and again, their hopes to throw the Jews into the sea. Not one Jew would be left alive. In the clearest open miracle of two millennia, Israel destroyed its attackers in six breath-taking days, and threw the Egyptians from Gaza, and the Jordanians from the West Bank, and from the beloved Jewish capitol of Jerusalem.

After a few more attempts at war, the Arabs realized that what could not be won by the sword just might be accomplished with an olive branch. Overtures to Israel, requesting "land for peace" were met with interest on Israel's side, a suicidal reminder of just how desperately Jews want to simply be allowed to live in peace. The obvious subterfuge of the Arabs has not been realized yet by Israel or the world.

And so, into this history, Walt and Mearsheimer publish their desire for Israel to cease being an "apartheid state".

Well, here is my response, the response of a person with open eyes and a rational mind. How dare you compare Israel to apartheid South Africa? How dare you trivialize the racism, hate, and destruction that whites inflicted on the black population there by comparing it to the road blocks that are placed at strategic points in the West Bank in order to stop terrorists who are about to murder Jewish babies? The Israeli "occupation" amounts to little more than Israel's attempt to stop murderers before they blow themselves up at shopping malls. These restrictions are further reduced whenever Israeli intelligence detects a hint of a slowing of attacks. Would the United States (or any country) ever deal so gently with a population that proves its intent to destroy them? Certainly not.

The "two state" solution was offered to the Arabs in '47, and they rejected it. Thousands of Jews, the cream of Israel's crop, have died defending Israel from wars instigated by Arabs intent on destroying it. There is no evidence at all that this desire has changed, which would warrant a willingness to "take a chance for peace". On the contrary, the Arabs in Gaza and the West Bank continue to try to kill Jews, even as barriers are lifted and Israel removes itself from those areas. Walt and Mearsheimer claim that Israel still controls Gaza. This is a bold-faced lie. In 2005, Israel "disengaged" from Gaza. What did it get in return? Thousands of mortars, suicide bombers, and full-fledged rockets fired into Israel daily! Does any reader understand the enormity of this? Death, destruction, and fear instilled in citizens of Ashkelon, Sderot, only after Israel evacuates Gaza! Every few months, the range and precision of Arab missile attacks gets better. If this is the Arab response to complete control over Gaza, we shudder to think what will be in store if they ever control more.

Israel owes the Arabs and the world nothing in the way of "land for peace". It is a self-destructive move that has and will continue to cost Israeli lives, and advance nothing but Arab confidence in their ability to destroy Israel.

Finally, the "plight of the Palestinians". If the Arabs in Gaza (and the West Bank) were to put down their weapons tomorrow, their plight would cease to exist. On the other hand, if Israel were to halt its defensive roadblocks and incursions to capture known terrorists, it would cease to exist.

It is clear that what the Arabs want is the destruction of Israel – not the establishment of a 23rd Arab state.

Mazal Tov!

Join me in wishing a מזל טוב to Chardal and his wife, on the birth of a baby girl!

יהי רצון שתזכו לגדלה לתורה, לחופה, ולמעשים טובים!

May it be His will that you merit to raise her steeped in our Holy Torah, good deeds, and as the newest link in the chain of Jews in Eretz Yisrael.

Va'erah and Pride

A few weeks ago, I was re-reading William Blake's Songs of Innocence. It struck me immediately, as it did back in high school, what a tremendous change the age of the Enlightenment was from Blake's romantic work. For example, Alexander Pope's mock-epic Rape of the Lock is full of overt cynicism and sub-conscious hubris, whereas the Songs exude pastoral equanimity and acceptance of humanity's place in a deity-driven world.

It struck me that this contrast, that of humility set against human haughtiness, is also brought to the fore by the Torah in our portion. Whereas God testifies (Bamidbar 12:3) that Moshe was "more humble than any other," Pharaoh was clearly a haughty fellow: "Who is God that I must obey his commands? I do not know Him, nor shall I set his people free."(Sh'mot 5:2) In the Haftarah (Yechezkel 29:1), this is taken even further, as Pharaoh sees himself as a "great serpent", who claims that he created the very Nile in which he resides! The various midrashim teach that He viewed himself as a God, ruled by no one, ruling over all. Malbim sees haughtiness in Pharaoh's dream to Yosef in פרשת מקץ, when he dreams himself standing "over" the Nile.

This contrast is a gulf. R' Salanter has been quoted as saying that it is easier by far to master the Talmud and its commentaries, than to change one character trait. Pride and haughtiness are symptoms of a deeper inability to accept the mastery of another over oneself. Therefore, Pharaoh was unable and unwilling to entertain the possibility that there exists a God that is in complete control over all that Pharaoh believes himself to command.

Therefore, when Moshe, at God's word, comes before Pharaoh, his first sign is to throw down his staff. It becomes a serpent, threatening the lives of those around it. Rav Hirsch explains a profound symbolism at work here: A staff is an object which a man will rely upon, making himself more steady. A snake, on the other hand, is mankind's first enemy. After enticing Chava to sin, God placed strong revulsion between Man and Snake: "הוא ישופך ראש, ואתה תשופנו עקב." The message of Moshe's sign is clear: that tool which Man trusts can, at God's behest, become his mortal enemy. This was a clear message to the king of Egypt: everything upon which you rely, I can not only destroy, but turn into something that you fear. Yet, Pharaoh did not learn the lesson. His pride dismissed the wondrous sign as inconsequential, and set the stage for the ten plagues.

A person who maintains his natural humility at the sight of the world around him is able to accept God's kingdom upon himself. In fact, his understanding that his actions are simply hishtadlut which God allows to succeed leads to inner-peace; ultimately, he is not responsible for the results of his attempts. He only does his best, and delivers the situation into the domain of the all-powerful God.

In contrast, haughtiness is a trait that demands a person feel in control at all times. The idea that a greater power exists that laughs at a prideful person's plans is an anathema to that person. Pharaoh was such a person. He had to be seen as a God to his subjects, and he went so far as to convince himself of this. And so, Pharaoh could not learn the lesson of the snake-stick, and he held on until his very life was at stake, during the death of the first-born.

In the Moreh, the Rambam makes it clear that miracles are not a suspension of the laws of nature. On the contrary, miracles are woven into the very fabric of creation (think of the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle or, on a larger scale, Chaos Theory). The essence of a miracle is not its occurrence so much as its timing. Science can explain how the Reed Sea split. However, the נס was that it split at the right time to rescue the Jews.

The Ramban, on the other hand, likes to view nature itself as a constant miracle that God validates at every moment. He says (at the end of בא), "from famous wonders, a person admits of the hidden miracles which are the foundation of the entire Torah ... we believe that all occurrences are miracles, nothing is [simply] nature and the way of the world." Rambam, of course, would agree that the purpose of the Egypt-type miracle is to call Man's attention to God. Just as we see God explicitly in His wonders, so can we experience God in the seeming mundanities of everyday life.

Back to Pope and Blake. With the advent of the scientific method, the Enlightenment went through a stage of intense Pharaoh-hubris, and it was evident in their literature. People saw Science as the source of all knowledge, and the epic glory of God was scorned as an ancient cult of the know-nothings. It took time for the rationalist to realize that science may tell us 'how,' but it gives us nothing of 'why'. That is the realm of the spirit, of God.

In modern times, we do not have to be romantics to believe in God and submit our actions to His will. A scientist may explain the sea splitting, or the river turning to blood, but it does not have to take away from the glory of the נס -- its timing or its occurrence. However, we can choose to be obstinate, and see everything as natural occurrences with no divine hand in our lives. It is up to us, much as it was up to Pharaoh.

I cannot close without pointing out an interesting connection between the parasha and the haftarah. God tells Moshe, using the famous four concepts of redemption (Sh'mot 6:6): "I am the Lord. I will bring you out from under the burdens of Egypt, and will deliver you from their slavery. I will redeem you with an out-stretched arm, and great punishing judgements. I will take you to me as a nation..." However, the next verse adds another language of גאולה: "And I will bring you to the land," which I swore to give to your forefathers. This speaks of the ultimate goal of the redemption and giving of the Torah, which is to live a life of Torah in Israel, becoming a light unto the nations.

The haftarah begins with the same sentiment. To the broken Jews, suffering in their exile, God commands Yechezkel to say (28:25): "Thus saith the Lord God: When I gather the house of Israel from the people amongst whom they have been scattered, and shown Myself through them [to the world] in my Holiness before the eyes of the nations, they shall dwell in their land which I have given my servant Jacob. They will dwell in it without worry. They will build houses and plant vineyards and live in security; while I execute judgement uppon all those around them who threaten to raid them. They will recognize that I am the Lord, their God."

Only in the context of Jews being willing to uproot their lives (and character traits) and rise up, fulfilling God's will for our destiny, can the redemption from Egypt as well as the deliverance from our present exile culminate in everlasting success and peace.

Arthurian Passage

In Sanherdrin (21b), Rav teaches that Adoniya, son of David and Chagit, tried to steal the throne, but was unable to, as the throne rejected him. Rashi explains that some of David's descendents had an indentation on their skulls. David's crown had a golden bar from one side to the other, and it would fit only certain offspring of David, thus choosing the next in line.

When learning this, it reminded me of the sword that Arthur pulls out of the stone. There are many more similarities between the legends of Arthur and David the King. Does anyone know of any more?

David Landau: Desecration

According to Wikipedia, David Landau is an orthodox Jew from England who took over as editor-in-chief of the Israeli paper, Ha'aretz. However, if you read what he said to Secretary Rice a few weeks ago, you will see that this man is far from orthodox, and even further from a concerned citizen of Israel.

Arutz-7 reports, and this story is confirmed by Mr. Landau himself, that he had a foul-mouthed, dirty-metaphor talk with Secretary Rice. You can read some of it there, and see what filthy language this supposedly pious man used. The most hick-town hick would never have used such words when speaking to an important person. And yet, an educated, successful Jew opens his mouth in the most crass way, in front of the world! What a profound חילול, desecration, of God's name! Mr. Landau, this is the hardest sin to do penance for.

However, what bothers me even more than his despicable speech was that he called Israel a 'failed state'. He is of the opinion (and believe me, I am phrasing this in a far more genteel manner than he did) that Israel needs the US to step in and force it to make political descisions for it. I cannot imagine a more traitorous feeling.

David Landau, if you feel Israel is failed, go back from whence you came, and let those who have hope, faith, idealism continue to run things.

Great Financial Idea

I know I have not written in a while, and I apologize. I am planning to get posting regularly again within a few days. I just wanted to share the following for anyone traveling outside the US.

In this article, foreign transaction fees that are tacked on by Visa, Mastercard, and most banks are discussed. Most people end up paying about 3% extra on foreign purchases. This can be a real drain when living, shopping, or visiting in Israel (or anywhere else).

After some research, I have found that CapitalOne has a policy that they do not charge any fees for foreign purchases. Now here is the real kicker: not only do they not charge you any extra fees, but they even cover the 1-2% charged by Visa or Mastercard! You only pay the real value in dollars of what you purchased. This beats currency converters or banks, and is the absolute best deal I have seen (and the best possible) in a credit card. (You can get cash or rewards benefits in the deal, also.)

I am in no way connected to CapitalOne, and am posting this as a public service announcement, especially since the Jewish community does so much foreign travel. Check it out at the CapitalOne website.

We can help Jerusalem

A great site allows you to contact President Bush, the Israeli government and Secretary Rice in under 90 seconds.

I urge you to use it: http://callsforjerusalem.org/s/cjhsla.html

Annapolis

Many people think that since Abbas, Olmert and even Bush are relatively weak, the dangers of their meetings and declarations are negligible. This is a very dangerous way to think. Weak leaders are in the wobbly position to grab at any straw to enhance their perception abroad and at home. Olmert has been running on the general population's apathy since the Lebanon War. He is obviously trying to cook up something big. See this piece on Arutz-7. We really must come together to forcefully explain the catastrophe that is imminent, if Israel is to again make concessions of land and security on the naive hopes of a penitent Arab population.

However, there is a silver lining. Annapolis seems to have finally awoken the sleeping giant that is the religious-nationalistic community, as evidenced by Rabbi Rosen's and Rabbi Dov Lior's migration towards support for אצ"ל- and לח"י-type activity. "It is not always necessary to be good boys..." It is still vague, but a change is occurring.

The Israeli government must be made to understand that they have no authority to take more chances on the tab of Jewish lives.

UPDATE: Commenters have pointed out that the post is misleading. Allow me to clarify:

I don't think Rav Rosen is promoting terror, I think he is saying that resistance to the government plans to uproot settlements has to be take a more serious coloration than the 'hug and tears' of Gush Katif. He is using rhetoric that shows how serious these issues are.I can see that my post was not clear.

Let me clarify that I do not promote terror. Perhaps לח"י and אצ"ל language is misplaced. What I mean (and think they mean) is that there has to be strong opposition to the government's plans, protests, and a willingness to remain in places the Israeli government abandons, and for brave people to defend themselves there. I think this is the לח"י and אצ"ל spirit.

I am not sure how realistic these ideas are, but the fact that they are discussed will certainly give the government reason to stop and think; no longer can they expect people to follow meekly their destructive orders.

Los Angeles - Spread the Word!

This is a sticky post until next Tuesday. Please scroll down to see new posts.