The following was a letter I sent on February 9, 2003 to the family of Ilan Ramon
bs"d
To the Dear Family of Ilan Ramon, zt"l
This letter is one of tens of thousands to you. I hope it will bring words of comfort to you, the family of a beautiful Jew. Ilan, as a pilot, bombed the Iraqi nuclear plant thereby saving the world from a potential holocaust. We are once again on the brink of nuclear, biological and/or chemical war. Ilan's message to the Jews before his death, when analyzed, is the one that is the key to preventing another holocaust. Please read this letter before the others because action is needed. A careful analysis of events will I believe, decode Hashems message to us. Necessary action will be spelled out later in the letter.
Before Ilan's death, Ilan did many Mitzvot to sanctify G-d's name and the Torah. He showed how important the Torah was to the world and to the Jewish people by taking with him:
A miniature Sefer Torah from Auschwitz,
A credit size microfiche of the Bible from President Katzav,
He instructed the Rabbi to read from the Pasuk in Chumash (Devarim 4:33) "Has a people ever heard the voice of G-d speaking from the midst of the fire as you have heard, and survived?"
He showed how he valued the Mitzvot by:
Taking a Mezuzah,
Saying Tefilat Haderech
Keeping Kosher in flight
Asking Sheelot about keeping Shabbos and trying to observe Shabbos up in space.
Bringing a Kiddush cup for Shabbos
Saying Shma over Yerushalyim
I am sure there are many more as well.
In the analysis, I will be quoting brief quotations, with permission from "The Medrash Says" the book of Devarim pps 62-69 by Rabbi Moshe Weissman. (Rabbi Weissman has allowed brief quotations in critical articles in his copyright statement.)
Ilan's message to us comes from the portion in the Torah in the book of Devarim (Deuteronomy). This is the portion from which the verse (Devarim 4:33) requested by Ilan, is from. This Parsha (Devarim 4:25-40), is the annual morning Torah reading on the fast of the Ninth of Av. In this Parsha, Moshe Rabbeinu admonishes the Jews to do Teshuvah and urges the Jews to return to Hashem amidst the tribulations of exile .
To quote from The Midrash Says:
"The greatness of Teshuva is illustrated in the time of Rabbi Elazar, R. Yehoshua and R. Gamliel when they visited Rome and the Roman Senate had just drafted a secret edict which required all Jews to be exterminated after thirty days. " One of the Roman Senators, in an act of sanctification of G-d's name prevented the tragedy from occurring by paying with his own life.
"Why did the Jews deserve such an unusual deliverance from the terrible decree of annihilation? When they heard of the edict, they did Teshuva and prayed. Thus we see the power of Teshuva."
In this portion in Devarim, Moshe foretold "When you will be in distress and all these things will come upon you at the end of days, if you return to Hashem, your G-d - He will not forsake you, nor destroy you, nor forget the covenant of your forefathers, which he swore to them."
We are told in the Torah that if we return to Hashem, we will be saved. The question is "how do we return to Hashem?" "Where did we go wrong?" What specifically can we do to change?
Ilan means tree. Ramon can be read as Rimon. Rimon is a pomegranate, one of the holy fruits of Israel. The seeds represent the 613 Mitzvot. Ilan recognized that for a tree to survive it needs to be connected to its roots. Ilans connection with the Torah was his attempt to connect with his roots. Though not to any fault of his own, the connection wasn't strong enough to save his life. His connection was very strong in a symbolic sense. The reason I believe that it didn't save him was because Ilan, was representing the Jewish people. His connection via Torah and Mitzvot to his roots corresponded to this particular generation's connection with its roots in Torah and Mitzvot. He consulted with Rabbinic Leaders, the President and Prime Minister of Israel. To quote Uncle Moishy, a popular childrens Jewish singer, "A family is like a tree, our roots go deep down in history, to our ancient ancestors Avraham Aveinu, throughout all the ages to me and you".
G-d has not forgotten his covenant with our forefathers, which he swore to them... But have we forgotten our part of the covenant? The covenant is to give the land of Israel to the Israelites and we in turn are obligated to keep the Torah and observe the Mitzvot. Our observance is presently on the symbolic level but we are not observant. Please read further and I will explain which Commandment specifically in the Torah we are not observing that has resulted in a weakness in connecting to our roots.
I quote from The Midrash Says. "Moshe continued to explain, 'And you should ask, 'Why does G-d treat us more strictly than the other idolatrous nations" - The answer is because of two historical events that no other nation experienced."
The first historical event is the verse Ilan asked the Rav to quote on Shabbat.
1. Matan Torah - "Ask all the peoples on earth since Creation whether anything similar was ever heard of. Did an entire nation ever become prophets and hear G-d's Voice reach them from amidst the fire, as you did at Har Sinai? Did it ever happen that an entire nation expired when they heard G-d's Voice and were then miraculously revived.
2. Yetziat Mitzrayim
I will address the historical event of Matan Torah and why Ilan specifically chose this verse. Ilan was an astronaut. His journey into space gave him first hand knowledge of the vastness of the heavens and of G-d's universe. He saw how fabulous and immense his journey to the heights was from Man's perspective while at the same time he recognized as a believing Jew, how miniscule it must appear from G-d's perspective, G-d is the master of the earth, the heavens and the stars. If Man's journey was so great up to the heavens, imagine G-d's journey so to speak, descending down to earth, on the lowly mountain of Har Sinal in order to present His revelation the Torah, to the Jewish people. Also in last weeks Parsha Teruma, we see that G-d, so to speak, constricts Himself to a finite space between the Cherubim in the Holy Ark.
"Why did G-d distinguish you from all the nations? It was in order to show you that Hashem is the ruler, there is none beside him." That realization was voiced by Ilan when he said the Sh'ma over Jerusalem.
Turn Pain into Action, Tragedy into Growth
Ilan talks about the revelation at Har Sinai. There is another Parsha in the Torah in the book of Leviticus Chapter 25 called Behar. Behar means "On the Mountain". The Parsha begins with the verse "Hashem spoke to Moses on Mount Sinai saying". The Torah then continues to talk about the commandment of Shemittah, the Sabbatical year. Rashi in his commentary on the words "On Mount Sinai" asks "What is the connection between Shmittah and Mount Sinai? The reference teaches that not only the broad outlines, but the details of all the commandments were given at Sinai - as were those of Shemittah. "
Now I will answer to the question above. Which commandment are we not observing properly today? I believe that performance of the Mitzva of Shemittah as specified in the Torah, is the answer. It is the key to our survival. It is the Mitzva where we proclaim that G-d is the ruler over the Land of Israel and the entire earth.
Please read the following letter to the Rabbis of our generation. Also please read the mentioned articles in the Torah Section of Arutz7 for a more thorough discussion about the Sabbatical year.
It is now the end of the 6th millennium. Most believe that it is the time of redemption, the end of days. Ilan ventured into unexplored territory in outer space. There is also unexplored territory here on earth. This unexplored territory is in the realm of politics and economics. It is the politics of setting up a State in Israel based on the laws of the Torah and all its ramifications. As you will see from the articles about Shemittah, trying to observe the laws of Shemittah, including leaving the land fallow and not planting trees in the Sabbatical year and not having to repay back loans results in an upheaval of the political and economic systems of our generation. Please raise consciousness and set up a Think Tank and fund in Ilan's memory. Call it "Ilan Rimon". Let's collectively study the laws of the Sabbatical year as specified in the Torah. Let's examine its political, social and economic ramifications. That is our way of Teshuva. It requires our full heart and soul and belief in Hashem and His Holy Torah and His commandments. We hope and pray to Hashem that our Teshuva will be accepted. Our connection to the Torah and our roots will thereby be strengthened. Hashem, in His infinite mercy will save us from our enemies and not destroy us as He has promised.
What follows is an open letter to the Rabbanim and leaders of our generation:
Adar 1 5763
Lichvod Harabbonim, biz 120
It is not my place to address the Gedolei Torah in words of Torah. I am a woman and my primary responsibilities over the past 14 years are family and household related. Before that I did some computer programming and word processing. I ask you to please spend a few minutes of your precious time to read through these articles. The reason I offer is that there are times when the emes is hidden in unexpected places. It is a way of fooling the Satan. Is it possible that a layperson such as myself, especially a woman, has words of Torah to address to the Gedolei Hador of this generation? It does say that Torah was first given in generalities to women and then with details and halachos to the men. Therefore it is conceivable that perhaps there is significance and something new to what I have to offer. Please do not reject it before you have read further. I pray to Hashem that the emes in these words will be recognized as being emes from Hashem and His Holy Torah and not mere foolishness of a female. I am simply the vehicle through which these words are delivered. I do not Chas Veshalom wish to in any way denigrate the role of Rabbanim and Torah Shebaal Peh. Torah and Halacha is what makes a marriage. It is the Torah Shebichtav part that I am addressing and the Halacha is left to you.
The purpose of this letter is to talk about Shmita. We have been told that 70 years of the Churban correspond with 70 years of not keeping Shmitta properly. Why bring it up now? I believe with my heart and soul that if we would keep Shmitta as the Torah specified, it is the key to Moshiach. I believe that the recent events on Shabbos Kodesh, of the space shuttle disintegrating over Palestine, Texas with 7 crewmembers on board as well as a Sefer Torah is not coincidental. Is it Hashem's way of warning us and foreshadowing future events if we don't keep the Torah.
It made us proud as Jews to see the Torah up in space. If we think about it however, The Torah is not meant for space. Lo Bashamayim hi. Shabbos can not be kept in space. Neither can Mitzvot Teluyot Baaretz.
You may argue that Jews in Eretz Yisroel are keeping Shmitta. They are keeping it with Takanot Rabbanim of Pruzbul and Heter Mechira. I, as a single girl, in search of the truth of Torah tried to understand what the Torah expected of us. How can I loan my money to someone in need and not expect to get it back. There are things that I too need. Do I dare ask for a loan knowing that I don't have to pay it back. Of course I would, if I could. Who wouldn't? What I realized was that this kind of economy was similar to Socialism. Here I was, a simple girl merely trying to keep the Mitzva, which resulted in trying to live with a breakdown of accepted economics, the economic system I was familiar with and treasured. I realized then that I was onto something revolutionary. Does Hashem want us to live in a capitalist society for 6 years and a socialist society for the Shmitta year. It was so new and scary. This happened in Shmita year 5747 when I was living in Kiryat Arba. That Shmitta year was an experiment for me. I was in no way trying to dictate the right way to live but simply trying to adhere to the laws of the Torah. Why not make life easy and adhere to Pruzbul? Pruzbul was a product of the Galus. It was because our emunah was weak that Pruzbul was instituted. With childlike Emunah, we need to believe and follow Hashem's word. We will see the blessings for sure. Even though, I personally do not have what to show as proof of material blessings of that year, I am patient. I have gained in wisdom and Emunah and love of Hashem and His Torah and of our role and mission of Am Yisroel in Eretz Yisroel.
Please read the article posted in the Torah Section of Arutz7 entitled "Israel Does Not Own the Land" and two articles posted on January 1, 2003 entitled "Not only "In Your Blood Live" Part 1" and "Not only "In Your Blood Live" Part 2"..
Sincerely,
Robin Ticker
Friday, March 03, 2006
Thursday, February 16, 2006
Jim Vinyard speaks up about Amona. Rabbis, Jewish Media and Radio still silent
b"d
Please read this letter to Olmert that I have been waiting to read from Jewish Leaders written by Jim Vinyard a Christian Minister. Please forward it to your Rabbi's and to Nachum Segal and to the Jewish Newspapers saying that most Jews have no idea of what happened in Amona because the Jewish media have been relatively silent. No Passionate letter such as this to wake up people as to the reality of what really happened.
http://shilohmusings.blogspot.com/2006/02/link-to-letter-to-olmert.html
The following is an open letter to be passed around to all Rabbanim and Jewish Leaders.
Are you aware that the kids at Amona were beaten with clubs smashed on the heads, both girls and boys were attacked on their reproductive organs to the point where there were some that are worried about infertility and there was sexual molestation as well. You can see live coverage on http://shemittahrediscovered.blogspot.com/2006/02/videos-of-brutal-police-attacks-in.html These youth who separated themselves by gender because of Tzniut considerations love Eretz Yisroel and were willing to sacrifice their own lives. They were protesting peacefully the expulsion of Jews from their homes in Eretz Yisroel.
Why haven't the Rabbanim spoken up for the Covenant that Eretz Yisroel is the inheritance of Am Yisroel. Why has there been no statement regarding the Roadmap which is mutually exclusive with the Covenant? Shtika Kehodaya. Why is there silence when innocent youth are being attacked for their love of Eretz Yisroel?
The root of Lashon Hara came about from the Religious Leaders, the Gedoilim, of a generation that preferred to stay in the spiritual desert than to enter Eretz Yisroel.
I am sharing the pain of the youth who were attacked. My thoughts are how are they feeling that no one is speaking up for them among the Gedoilim. It's silent here in America about the Covenant and about the horrible atrocities that were perpetrated against them. Their bitter cries are piercing the Shamayim. Yet the Jewish media is silent, the Rabbanim are silent and most caring Yidden who would be horrified if they really knew what happened don't have any clue.
If this is interpreted that I am making light of Rabbanim and Torah Leaders then I bring my case to the Ribono Shel Olam. And the truth is I don't even want to be a winner. Because if I win on this then we all lose. Let me be wrong. Perhaps the Rabbanim really are speaking up for Eretz Yisroel and that they have a love and desire to keep the Mitzvoth that can only be done in Eretz Yisroel. If the desire was there, then there would be no question that the Land is only meant for those that can bring forth the Kedusha of the Land by keeping the Commandments. I pray to G-d that I will be proven wrong Beezrat Hashem..
Why hasn't there been a Mishlachat of Rabbanim from Agudas Yisroel of America to Eretz Yisroel to Rav Shteinman, Rav Eliashiv, Rav Kanievsky etc. asking these Gedoilim why hasn't a statement been made regarding the Covenant? The world interprets the silence that Orthodox Jewry has no problem with the Roadmap plan and with a Palestinian State in the heartland of our forefathers.
Please read this letter to Olmert that I have been waiting to read from Jewish Leaders written by Jim Vinyard a Christian Minister. Please forward it to your Rabbi's and to Nachum Segal and to the Jewish Newspapers saying that most Jews have no idea of what happened in Amona because the Jewish media have been relatively silent. No Passionate letter such as this to wake up people as to the reality of what really happened.
http://shilohmusings.blogspot.com/2006/02/link-to-letter-to-olmert.html
The following is an open letter to be passed around to all Rabbanim and Jewish Leaders.
Are you aware that the kids at Amona were beaten with clubs smashed on the heads, both girls and boys were attacked on their reproductive organs to the point where there were some that are worried about infertility and there was sexual molestation as well. You can see live coverage on http://shemittahrediscovered.blogspot.com/2006/02/videos-of-brutal-police-attacks-in.html These youth who separated themselves by gender because of Tzniut considerations love Eretz Yisroel and were willing to sacrifice their own lives. They were protesting peacefully the expulsion of Jews from their homes in Eretz Yisroel.
Why haven't the Rabbanim spoken up for the Covenant that Eretz Yisroel is the inheritance of Am Yisroel. Why has there been no statement regarding the Roadmap which is mutually exclusive with the Covenant? Shtika Kehodaya. Why is there silence when innocent youth are being attacked for their love of Eretz Yisroel?
The root of Lashon Hara came about from the Religious Leaders, the Gedoilim, of a generation that preferred to stay in the spiritual desert than to enter Eretz Yisroel.
I am sharing the pain of the youth who were attacked. My thoughts are how are they feeling that no one is speaking up for them among the Gedoilim. It's silent here in America about the Covenant and about the horrible atrocities that were perpetrated against them. Their bitter cries are piercing the Shamayim. Yet the Jewish media is silent, the Rabbanim are silent and most caring Yidden who would be horrified if they really knew what happened don't have any clue.
If this is interpreted that I am making light of Rabbanim and Torah Leaders then I bring my case to the Ribono Shel Olam. And the truth is I don't even want to be a winner. Because if I win on this then we all lose. Let me be wrong. Perhaps the Rabbanim really are speaking up for Eretz Yisroel and that they have a love and desire to keep the Mitzvoth that can only be done in Eretz Yisroel. If the desire was there, then there would be no question that the Land is only meant for those that can bring forth the Kedusha of the Land by keeping the Commandments. I pray to G-d that I will be proven wrong Beezrat Hashem..
Why hasn't there been a Mishlachat of Rabbanim from Agudas Yisroel of America to Eretz Yisroel to Rav Shteinman, Rav Eliashiv, Rav Kanievsky etc. asking these Gedoilim why hasn't a statement been made regarding the Covenant? The world interprets the silence that Orthodox Jewry has no problem with the Roadmap plan and with a Palestinian State in the heartland of our forefathers.
Sunday, February 12, 2006
Mitzvah of Yishuv Eretz Yisroel - clarifications - Discussion between Batya and Robin
bs"d
Batya Writes:
Once I became Torah observant, I couldn't understand how some religious Jews could ignore the mitzvah of yishuv ha'aretz.
Robin responds:
One will ignore something that he feels is beyond his ability or something that will indicate that he/she is not a good Jew.
I think it's important for each and every Jew to declare in principle that Eretz Yisroel is the Biblical birthright of Am Yisroel and that is relevant to our times as well. By extension, expulsions of Jews from the Land are bad and the Roadmap Plan is bad. Even if actual Yishuv Eretz Yisroel is difficult for whatever reason, this declaration connects us to Eretz Yisroel. Stating this fundamental principle of Judaism is easier to do than going on Aliya and is perhaps the first positive step in that direction. It engages the Diaspora Jew in our struggle rather than disengages and unites this Jew to the masses in Eretz Yisroel who believe and live this fundamental truth. This act of Unity is crucial and necessary for the redemption process. No Jew will be left behind....Just as the Kohanim and Leviim daven for the Masses of Bnei Yisroel to keep the Mitzvah of Truma and Maaser for their own sustenance the Jews of Eretz Yisroel must daven for the Masses in Chutz Laaretz to connect to the Land to the best of their ability for their own survival (the physical survival of the settlers on the Land as well as the spiritual survival of the Jew in the Diaspora).
Batya responds:
Remember with tshuva, first you admit your sin. Most chutz l'aretz Jews won't admit that they're sinning. You recognize that you should be in Aretz; that's important.
Robin responds:
Mipnei Chataeinu. The Jew is Eretz Yisroel at times is hard on the Jew in Chutz Laaretz because they don't realize, unless it happens to them personally, that at times they are not in control of whether they are able to be in Eretz Yisroel. G-d controls the world. It is possible that G-d wants a person to live outside of Eretz Yisroel. From all of the Avos only Yitzchok had the commandment to stay in the Land. Yaakov was forced to leave the Land to escape from Eisav and to find a wife. In fact the entire Bnei Yisroel were born outside of Eretz Yisroel. Avraham left the Land of Israel because of the famine though some commentaries said he should not have left.
I wouldn't focus on the sins of the Jew in the Diaspora because I don't know the whole story. Some Jews may be sinning others may not be. Only G-d is Bochen Balev to judge ones sins. G-d will judge each individual wherever they live. Perhaps there is a Jew in Eretz Yisroel who is sinning by living there and should really be in Chutz Laaretz because it is G-ds will that he be there. Whether or not one lives in the Land of Israel is not the issue. We are connected to it whether we live there or not. It is a Statement of fact and not one that tells a Diaspora Jew what to do. A believing Jew has to internalize the fact that the Land is his as a gift from G-d and has obligations that go along with it and that is part and parcel of being a Jew. Each person then has Bechira Chafshis about how and where to lead their life.
I of course will do whatever I can to encourage and promote Aliya and G-d willing may it happen again for me and the rest of my family.
Batya writes:
wonderful
Batya Writes:
Once I became Torah observant, I couldn't understand how some religious Jews could ignore the mitzvah of yishuv ha'aretz.
Robin responds:
One will ignore something that he feels is beyond his ability or something that will indicate that he/she is not a good Jew.
I think it's important for each and every Jew to declare in principle that Eretz Yisroel is the Biblical birthright of Am Yisroel and that is relevant to our times as well. By extension, expulsions of Jews from the Land are bad and the Roadmap Plan is bad. Even if actual Yishuv Eretz Yisroel is difficult for whatever reason, this declaration connects us to Eretz Yisroel. Stating this fundamental principle of Judaism is easier to do than going on Aliya and is perhaps the first positive step in that direction. It engages the Diaspora Jew in our struggle rather than disengages and unites this Jew to the masses in Eretz Yisroel who believe and live this fundamental truth. This act of Unity is crucial and necessary for the redemption process. No Jew will be left behind....Just as the Kohanim and Leviim daven for the Masses of Bnei Yisroel to keep the Mitzvah of Truma and Maaser for their own sustenance the Jews of Eretz Yisroel must daven for the Masses in Chutz Laaretz to connect to the Land to the best of their ability for their own survival (the physical survival of the settlers on the Land as well as the spiritual survival of the Jew in the Diaspora).
Batya responds:
Remember with tshuva, first you admit your sin. Most chutz l'aretz Jews won't admit that they're sinning. You recognize that you should be in Aretz; that's important.
Robin responds:
Mipnei Chataeinu. The Jew is Eretz Yisroel at times is hard on the Jew in Chutz Laaretz because they don't realize, unless it happens to them personally, that at times they are not in control of whether they are able to be in Eretz Yisroel. G-d controls the world. It is possible that G-d wants a person to live outside of Eretz Yisroel. From all of the Avos only Yitzchok had the commandment to stay in the Land. Yaakov was forced to leave the Land to escape from Eisav and to find a wife. In fact the entire Bnei Yisroel were born outside of Eretz Yisroel. Avraham left the Land of Israel because of the famine though some commentaries said he should not have left.
I wouldn't focus on the sins of the Jew in the Diaspora because I don't know the whole story. Some Jews may be sinning others may not be. Only G-d is Bochen Balev to judge ones sins. G-d will judge each individual wherever they live. Perhaps there is a Jew in Eretz Yisroel who is sinning by living there and should really be in Chutz Laaretz because it is G-ds will that he be there. Whether or not one lives in the Land of Israel is not the issue. We are connected to it whether we live there or not. It is a Statement of fact and not one that tells a Diaspora Jew what to do. A believing Jew has to internalize the fact that the Land is his as a gift from G-d and has obligations that go along with it and that is part and parcel of being a Jew. Each person then has Bechira Chafshis about how and where to lead their life.
I of course will do whatever I can to encourage and promote Aliya and G-d willing may it happen again for me and the rest of my family.
Batya writes:
wonderful
Friday, February 10, 2006
Two Fabulous Articles: Roy Neuberger Amona and Emunah, YYJacobson's article entitled What Nietzsche Didn't Understand About Judaism Love Thy Ego.
bs"d
I have been in contact with Roy Neuberger, author of Worldstorm begging him to speak up. He has in his latest newsletter.
B"H
AMONA AND EMUNAH
Dear Friends:
The Prophet Yirmiahu/Jeremiah says in last week's Haftara, "do not be afraid, My servant Jacob, and be not frightened, O Israel, for I shall save you from afar, and your offspring from the land of their captivity, and Jacob shall return and be tranquil… and none shall make him tremble."1
Obviously, G-d knew there would be something in our future that could make us tremble. Today, the news is more than enough to make one tremble. The situation in Eretz Yisroel breaks one's heart. I met some "non-religious" Jews last week who told me that they are glad they would not have to live their children's lives. There is much fear in today's world.
Let's try to get perspective on today by looking in the Torah.
Our fathers Abraham, Isaac and Jacob changed the world when they introduced the knowledge of G-d and His laws, but in each generation there was trouble.
Ishmael, Isaac's half brother, wanted to usurp our father Isaac's position as Abraham's spiritual heir. But how could he? Ishmael is a "pe're adam,"2 a wild ass of a man, half human, descended from an Egyptian mother. He is not capable of inheriting Abraham's mantle. Thus, G-d assures our mother Sarah, "I will fulfill My covenant through [Isaac]."3 Today Ishmael's descendants, the Arabs, are still indulging their hatred, trying to usurp our position as the People of G-d and the rightful owners of the Land of Israel. Ishmael tried to kill Isaac4, but as long as Abraham was alive, Ishmael remained subdued and under control.
In the following generation, Esau battled Jacob for the inheritance. Esau lived for the satisfaction of his material desires and this led him to become a hypocrite, a thief and a killer. He was also completely unfit for the spiritual role he tried to wrest from his twin brother. But while Isaac lived, Esau was unable to succeed in his challenge.
Only in the following generation did the Children of Israel become vulnerable to the jealousy, the hatred and the violence of Ishmael and Esau. What changed?
The answer is to be found in this verse: "[Joseph's] brothers … hated him, and they were not able to speak to him peaceably."5
Hatred among the Children of Israel was the prelude to all our troubles. It led directly to the Egyptian Exile. In our days, hatred among the brothers is the cause of our current exile and the worldwide hatred which continues to burn against us.6
Do you understand this? This is amazing! The threat to our family exists only when there is internal dissension! When there is unity, our enemies cannot touch us because we are under the protection of our Father in Heaven! When that protection is removed, we become subject to the laws of the other nations; we become vulnerable to their hatred and cruelty. Eventually – worst of all – we actually become LIKE THEM and disappear into their midst, G-d forbid, as so many of our brethren have over the millennia.
Recently, when Leah and I were on a speaking tour in Florida, I met a holy Jew from Russia. Besides pouring me a little too much vodka on Shabbos, this Jew said something that struck me with its simple directness: "You have to be up to living in Israel. If people don't have the guts, they shouldn't live there."
Our Torah records the tragic incident of the spies who did not have enough betochan, trust in G-d, to survive in the Holy Land. They discouraged and disheartened their brethren. For that reason their entire generation was wiped out in the wilderness and was never privileged to enter the Holy Land. The anniversary of the day of their terrible report is Tisha b'Av, the most tragic day in our national history.
WITHOUT FAITH IN G-D AND A LIFE OF MITZVOS WE CANNOT SURVIVE IN THE HOLY LAND!
There is no other way, my brothers and sisters, inside or outside the Land of Israel, but this is true especially within Israel! We simply cannot survive unless we unite as brothers and sisters under the banner of Torah. Otherwise, we will be swallowed alive by the other nations, either through assimilation or physical annihilation, G-d forbid!
But G-d sent Moses to rescue us from Egypt.
Yes… He sent Moses, but only when we cried out to Him! Not only that, but four-fifths of our people never made it out at all; they perished in the Plague of Darkness7. G-d will also rescue us now, in this most terrible time, but only when we cry out to Him, and perhaps not all of us.
Let us come to the present.
The infighting, the terrible hatreds among our people are EXACTLY the reason the other nations hate us! The hatred of the other nations is possible only because of our own self-hatred, Jew against Jew. Forget treaties with the Arabs or treaties with anyone for that matter. There is only one treaty that counts, only one treaty that will protect us, and that is the treaty we all signed with G-d at Mount Sinai. That treaty is the only reason there is a single Jew left in the world. Only G-d's protection counts, nothing else. It is a merit for non-Jews to befriend us, but we do not depend for our survival upon any man or any nation, including the United States, only upon the Ribono shel Olam, the Master of the Universe.
The terrible problem is that our government in Israel rejects Torah. America has a doctrine called "separation of church and state." There is no such thing in the Torah as separation from G-d. Nothing is separated from G-d, not government, not agriculture, not business, not marriage, not education, not child rearing, not greeting another Jew or taking a haircut. Nothing! What is wrong with us! Have we learned nothing in 5700 years? Did we return to the Land of Israel to be like the other nations or did we return to bring about World Redemption and the coming of Moshiach ben Dovid?
WE SIMPLY CANNOT HAVE A GOVERNMENT IN ISRAEL THAT HATES TORAH!
You cannot vote Torah in or out.
It is not simply the policy of the government that is at fault, it is the very nature of the government, which thinks it is superior to Torah and to G-d Who created the world. Inevitably, a government that hates and spurns Torah will hate the Children of the Torah, its own people, and ally itself with our enemies, because that government has become its own enemy!
Is it any wonder, then, that our own policemen and soldiers smash the limbs of our own children almost to the point of death? Have we gone crazy? Quite clearly the answer is "yes." These same policemen and soldiers, in a moment of sanity – and may G-d grant that we all come quickly to sanity – would collapse in grief at the understanding of what they have done.
But a mood of insanity has enveloped our nation. We have descended to the forty-ninth level of impurity. We have caught the disease of Egypt; we have become like the other nations. We are exactly like the miraglim, the Biblical spies, who did not have the faith in G-d and Torah to live in the Holy Land.
To attack our own brothers and sisters and destroy our Holy Land by living in defiance of Torah is to desecrate G-d's Name and subject ourselves to destruction, G-d forbid.
How will we overcome these Himalayan problems? Well, we must, because there is no other way out. It is clearly a matter of life and death. We must understand that world society is crumbling, east and west. It's not just war and global warming, it's plagues, it's dissension, it's immorality on every level. G-d tells Jeremiah in this same Haftara, "I shall make an end of all the nations where I have scattered you, but I shall not destroy you utterly."8
Is this a fairy tale?
No, it is reality. Our world is crumbling. Whoever shuts off the radio, TV or cell phone and thinks, is aware of it. But now we must act on it. We must unite under the banner of Torah. The skeptics will say it cannot be done, but our lives are at stake! Anyone who needs proof that the Torah is real, need only contemplate the fact that we Jews have survived two thousand years of exile surrounded by our mortal enemies. G-d is guarding His precious children; if we would only open our eyes, we would see it.
My friends, Jeremiah tells us, "do not be afraid." We do not have to fear Arabs or any outside threat. But we DO have to fear our own rebellion against the Ribono shel Olam, our Father in Heaven, and our own self-hatred.
It's not just the soldiers in Amona and the politicians in Israel: all of us are deficient; all of us are guilty. Do we realize the extent of the problem? Are we aware of our worldwide danger? Are we aware that G-d is about to "make an end of all the nations"?
When G-d says, "I will not destroy you utterly," what does "utterly" mean? It means that not one of us is assured of a safe passage; no one is guaranteed a place in the world of Moshiach. We each have to increase our mitzvos, our self control, our constant efforts to love our brothers and sisters and treat them with respect.
We stand at the brink of the Final Redemption; Moshiach's footsteps can be heard in the dark Night of Exile. Rav Kaduri, may his memory be for a blessing, said that he had met Moshiach, who is already here in our world, waiting to be revealed!
All of us, every Child of Israel, must feel the earth shaking beneath our feet. Great tremors are shaking the nations. Are we prepared or are we in denial? Our only salvation is to cling to Torah as we did at Mount Sinai, like "one man with one heart," one Nation united in love of G-d and love of our brothers and sisters. That is how we will survive and usher in the Age of Redemption!
Roy S. Neuberger
1Jeremiah 46:27
2 Genesis 16:12
3 Genesis 17:19
4 Rashi on Genesis 21:9, Bereishis Rabbah 53:11
5 Genesis 37:4
6 Talmud Tractate Yoma 9b
7 Rashi on Exodus 10:22-23
8 Jeremiah 46:28
Our website address is: www.ToSinai.com.
Our mailing address is: Roy S. Neuberger, P.O. Box 940517, Rockaway Park, NY 11694-0517
Rabbi/Dr. Neuberger, amv"sh
You have comforted me...
Do not be surprised if it seems to you that your words are not heard. I didn't know if my emails to you made an impression. Perhaps they did. But words that come out of the heart go into the heart. You have a much greater reaching listening audience. I believe that your words will touch the hearts of many.
I loved almost the entire post. I have a few comments.
>The answer is to be found in this verse: "[Joseph's] brothers … hated him, and they were not able to speak to him peaceably."
My comments:
It would not have made a difference if Joseph loved his brothers more. One can not argue that if Joseph loved his brothers more they would have not thrown him into the pit. Joseph did love his brothers. They hated him. According to one Peirush (I don't recall which one) the brothers were afraid that Yaakov might disinherit them after hearing bad reports about them. They knew that Yishmael and Eisav did not merit getting Abraham's and Isaac's inheritance.
At least according to that explanation they desired the inheritance. (Unlike the current State of Israel).
Speaking out strong for the Covenant does not mean that we hate Secular Jews or the State of Israel. It simply means that we are holding on tight to G-d's Torah and our ultimate purpose of being Mamlechet Kohanim.
By speaking out for the Covenant, the Land of Israel, and the Torah we are accused of destroying democracy, being religious fanatical extremists, imposing Torah lifestyle on others and taking away individual freedoms such as the right to eat pig in the Land of Israel, marrying whomever we choose etc., wanting to take over the world.
I would like discussion about forming a model gov't based on Torah on land that the gov't themselves have chosen to abandon to the Palestinians. (e.g. Settlements in Yesha which the government wishes to destroy) By being independent from the Secular State, the religious will not feel that the secular is imposing their value system on them as is currently the case, and the secular will continue to have a gov't that they feel comfortable. Of course the purpose is not to divide the country. It is to bring unity. Two Jewish governing authorities living side by side in peace and love.
A governing authority based on Torah is revolutionary and many mistakes are bound to happen. If it is set up as a model then it is not threatening and the bugs (mistakes) can be worked on and corrected without major confrontations. It's lehavdil like a draft copy of a working document. As the Torah governing authority gains more knowledge and experience it will prove to be a blessing to all.
Avraham said to Lot, why should two brothers fight? Let us separate. The only way for the Shechina to rest on Avraham was to separate from Lot. Lot's shepherds were not careful about stealing from others. They were corrupt. This government has history of bribes and corruption. There is no way we can make peace with this government without seriously compromising on Torah and Mitzvot our true value system.
I would like to see us united with the Chareidi parties. Satmer (My aunt is Satmer) has always claimed that the State is evil because it rejected Torah. Religious Zionists now say the same thing. The time has come to unify the Torah communities. Can the Rabbanim finally make a statement about Eretz Yisroel and against the Roadmap? I would lobby the Rabbanim in the Chareidi parties such as Agudas Yisroel to join with National Union etc. This isn't about politics. It's about Torah. I would welcome the strong Zionists of the left that established the State of Israel and loved the Land. They in fact have much in common with the pioneers of the Yishuvim. In fact a group of Left wing Kibbutzim met in Chevron right after the Amona incident. (On a personal level, My husbands close relatives live in Kibbutz Eilon and Shaar Hagolan leftist Shomrei Hatzair Kibbutzim). 17 years ago, newly married we visited these Kibbutzim and I as impressed by their deep love of the Land of Israel (especially the grandparents, the vatikim). I thought they had much in common with the people I knew in Kiryat Arba and Hebron. In fact the grandchildren of these Vatikim, my husbands cousins, strongly speak out against the present policies of the government.
When the Jewish idea (Kach) suggested an autonomous government they were hit big time. Their internet cafe was closed and their computers confiscated. They even took away chairs that were used in the dog training centers.
I have no real connection with Kach but I agree with others that the time is right for a gov't based on Torah and a Sanhedrin. There is nothing wrong with having an open discussion about how the secular gov't has imposed their secular value systems on a substantial segment of the population and that we are looking into ideas to correct this blatant persecution of freedom of religion in the H-ly Land.
We would have the support of many Christian groups as well.
One last comment. Today I read YYJacobson's article entitled
What Nietzsche Didn't Understand About Judaism
Love Thy Ego.
http://www.algemeiner.com/generic.asp?ID=1160
What I understood was that to confront the Ego of Pharaoh G-d needed to promise Moses that He Himself would accompany him to the king.
YYjacobson writes "Yet an important question remains, what did the Jewish people do with the "will for power" which according to Nietzsche runs supreme in man's psyche? Did they ignore it, repress it or transcend it? What was the emotional and mental mechanism they employed in order to transform themselves from "masters" into "slaves"?
YYjacobson says that Hashem Hikdim "Refuah Lemakah to Nietzsche's powerful accusation against the Jews.
The Jewish Ubermensche, his very unbridled lust for power and self affirmation, came to embrace the G-d of morality, justice and compassion. The Jews needed not to crush or deny their sense of selfhood and vitality in order to find G-d; on the contrary the vibrant brute and selfish ego led them to G-d just as much as the call of transcendence and mystery that spoke to their souls. Rabbi Schnuer Zalman of Liadi gave the Refuah to answer Nietzsche.
Rabbi Jacobson writes:
Astonishingly, though, and contrary to the accepted notion of the function of religion, the author (Rabbi Schnuer Zalman) attributes the profoundest divinity to the egocentricity of human nature, to his will for power!
...The sense of self with which we are born, also derives from G-d; is a reflection of the divine "ego". It is not the ego that is evil, but the divorcing of the ego from its source. When we recognize our own ego as a reflection of G-d's "ego" it becomes the driving force in our efforts to make the world a better, more G-dly place. On the other hand, the same ego, severed from its divine moorings, begets the most monstrous of evils.
We needed work on our car. My mechanic, who is a Chozer Betshuva gave me a dvar Torah today. I asked him how much we owed and if we could pay by credit card. He told me the amount to fix the car and said he needed to add tax. I asked him and if I paid by check rather then credit card would there be then no charge for State tax?..I said to myself out loud, I suppose the State as well needs to make a living. He replied (Your husband can relate to that. My husband works for the State)
He then remembered something that he had learned. He quoted the first Pereq in Tehillim "Ashrei HaIsh Asher Lo Halach Baatzas Reshaim". Ilan told me there is only one thing that is free in this world. That is Torah. It is a gift from G-d. He said we can become one with Torah.
When he said that I thought of Rabbi Jacobson's article. It is possible for our ego's to be one with Torah when we are totally involved in Torah (Ki im Betoras Hashem Cheftzo) and then to be linked with the Ego of Hashem and Hashem's desire to be all powerful to be metaken the Olam.
YYjacobson writes
Said G-d to Moses: "Come to Pharaoh." Come with Me, and together we will enter the great serpent's palace. Together we will penetrate the self-worship that is the heart of evil. Together we will discover that there is neither enduring substance nor eternal reality to Pharaoh's and Nietzsche's ego - that all it is, is the misappropriation of the divine in man.
Isn't this the theme as well as in the first Perek of Tehillim. "Lo Chen Hareshaim, Ki Im Kamotz Asher Tidfenu Ruach...."
I have been in contact with Roy Neuberger, author of Worldstorm begging him to speak up. He has in his latest newsletter.
B"H
AMONA AND EMUNAH
Dear Friends:
The Prophet Yirmiahu/Jeremiah says in last week's Haftara, "do not be afraid, My servant Jacob, and be not frightened, O Israel, for I shall save you from afar, and your offspring from the land of their captivity, and Jacob shall return and be tranquil… and none shall make him tremble."1
Obviously, G-d knew there would be something in our future that could make us tremble. Today, the news is more than enough to make one tremble. The situation in Eretz Yisroel breaks one's heart. I met some "non-religious" Jews last week who told me that they are glad they would not have to live their children's lives. There is much fear in today's world.
Let's try to get perspective on today by looking in the Torah.
Our fathers Abraham, Isaac and Jacob changed the world when they introduced the knowledge of G-d and His laws, but in each generation there was trouble.
Ishmael, Isaac's half brother, wanted to usurp our father Isaac's position as Abraham's spiritual heir. But how could he? Ishmael is a "pe're adam,"2 a wild ass of a man, half human, descended from an Egyptian mother. He is not capable of inheriting Abraham's mantle. Thus, G-d assures our mother Sarah, "I will fulfill My covenant through [Isaac]."3 Today Ishmael's descendants, the Arabs, are still indulging their hatred, trying to usurp our position as the People of G-d and the rightful owners of the Land of Israel. Ishmael tried to kill Isaac4, but as long as Abraham was alive, Ishmael remained subdued and under control.
In the following generation, Esau battled Jacob for the inheritance. Esau lived for the satisfaction of his material desires and this led him to become a hypocrite, a thief and a killer. He was also completely unfit for the spiritual role he tried to wrest from his twin brother. But while Isaac lived, Esau was unable to succeed in his challenge.
Only in the following generation did the Children of Israel become vulnerable to the jealousy, the hatred and the violence of Ishmael and Esau. What changed?
The answer is to be found in this verse: "[Joseph's] brothers … hated him, and they were not able to speak to him peaceably."5
Hatred among the Children of Israel was the prelude to all our troubles. It led directly to the Egyptian Exile. In our days, hatred among the brothers is the cause of our current exile and the worldwide hatred which continues to burn against us.6
Do you understand this? This is amazing! The threat to our family exists only when there is internal dissension! When there is unity, our enemies cannot touch us because we are under the protection of our Father in Heaven! When that protection is removed, we become subject to the laws of the other nations; we become vulnerable to their hatred and cruelty. Eventually – worst of all – we actually become LIKE THEM and disappear into their midst, G-d forbid, as so many of our brethren have over the millennia.
Recently, when Leah and I were on a speaking tour in Florida, I met a holy Jew from Russia. Besides pouring me a little too much vodka on Shabbos, this Jew said something that struck me with its simple directness: "You have to be up to living in Israel. If people don't have the guts, they shouldn't live there."
Our Torah records the tragic incident of the spies who did not have enough betochan, trust in G-d, to survive in the Holy Land. They discouraged and disheartened their brethren. For that reason their entire generation was wiped out in the wilderness and was never privileged to enter the Holy Land. The anniversary of the day of their terrible report is Tisha b'Av, the most tragic day in our national history.
WITHOUT FAITH IN G-D AND A LIFE OF MITZVOS WE CANNOT SURVIVE IN THE HOLY LAND!
There is no other way, my brothers and sisters, inside or outside the Land of Israel, but this is true especially within Israel! We simply cannot survive unless we unite as brothers and sisters under the banner of Torah. Otherwise, we will be swallowed alive by the other nations, either through assimilation or physical annihilation, G-d forbid!
But G-d sent Moses to rescue us from Egypt.
Yes… He sent Moses, but only when we cried out to Him! Not only that, but four-fifths of our people never made it out at all; they perished in the Plague of Darkness7. G-d will also rescue us now, in this most terrible time, but only when we cry out to Him, and perhaps not all of us.
Let us come to the present.
The infighting, the terrible hatreds among our people are EXACTLY the reason the other nations hate us! The hatred of the other nations is possible only because of our own self-hatred, Jew against Jew. Forget treaties with the Arabs or treaties with anyone for that matter. There is only one treaty that counts, only one treaty that will protect us, and that is the treaty we all signed with G-d at Mount Sinai. That treaty is the only reason there is a single Jew left in the world. Only G-d's protection counts, nothing else. It is a merit for non-Jews to befriend us, but we do not depend for our survival upon any man or any nation, including the United States, only upon the Ribono shel Olam, the Master of the Universe.
The terrible problem is that our government in Israel rejects Torah. America has a doctrine called "separation of church and state." There is no such thing in the Torah as separation from G-d. Nothing is separated from G-d, not government, not agriculture, not business, not marriage, not education, not child rearing, not greeting another Jew or taking a haircut. Nothing! What is wrong with us! Have we learned nothing in 5700 years? Did we return to the Land of Israel to be like the other nations or did we return to bring about World Redemption and the coming of Moshiach ben Dovid?
WE SIMPLY CANNOT HAVE A GOVERNMENT IN ISRAEL THAT HATES TORAH!
You cannot vote Torah in or out.
It is not simply the policy of the government that is at fault, it is the very nature of the government, which thinks it is superior to Torah and to G-d Who created the world. Inevitably, a government that hates and spurns Torah will hate the Children of the Torah, its own people, and ally itself with our enemies, because that government has become its own enemy!
Is it any wonder, then, that our own policemen and soldiers smash the limbs of our own children almost to the point of death? Have we gone crazy? Quite clearly the answer is "yes." These same policemen and soldiers, in a moment of sanity – and may G-d grant that we all come quickly to sanity – would collapse in grief at the understanding of what they have done.
But a mood of insanity has enveloped our nation. We have descended to the forty-ninth level of impurity. We have caught the disease of Egypt; we have become like the other nations. We are exactly like the miraglim, the Biblical spies, who did not have the faith in G-d and Torah to live in the Holy Land.
To attack our own brothers and sisters and destroy our Holy Land by living in defiance of Torah is to desecrate G-d's Name and subject ourselves to destruction, G-d forbid.
How will we overcome these Himalayan problems? Well, we must, because there is no other way out. It is clearly a matter of life and death. We must understand that world society is crumbling, east and west. It's not just war and global warming, it's plagues, it's dissension, it's immorality on every level. G-d tells Jeremiah in this same Haftara, "I shall make an end of all the nations where I have scattered you, but I shall not destroy you utterly."8
Is this a fairy tale?
No, it is reality. Our world is crumbling. Whoever shuts off the radio, TV or cell phone and thinks, is aware of it. But now we must act on it. We must unite under the banner of Torah. The skeptics will say it cannot be done, but our lives are at stake! Anyone who needs proof that the Torah is real, need only contemplate the fact that we Jews have survived two thousand years of exile surrounded by our mortal enemies. G-d is guarding His precious children; if we would only open our eyes, we would see it.
My friends, Jeremiah tells us, "do not be afraid." We do not have to fear Arabs or any outside threat. But we DO have to fear our own rebellion against the Ribono shel Olam, our Father in Heaven, and our own self-hatred.
It's not just the soldiers in Amona and the politicians in Israel: all of us are deficient; all of us are guilty. Do we realize the extent of the problem? Are we aware of our worldwide danger? Are we aware that G-d is about to "make an end of all the nations"?
When G-d says, "I will not destroy you utterly," what does "utterly" mean? It means that not one of us is assured of a safe passage; no one is guaranteed a place in the world of Moshiach. We each have to increase our mitzvos, our self control, our constant efforts to love our brothers and sisters and treat them with respect.
We stand at the brink of the Final Redemption; Moshiach's footsteps can be heard in the dark Night of Exile. Rav Kaduri, may his memory be for a blessing, said that he had met Moshiach, who is already here in our world, waiting to be revealed!
All of us, every Child of Israel, must feel the earth shaking beneath our feet. Great tremors are shaking the nations. Are we prepared or are we in denial? Our only salvation is to cling to Torah as we did at Mount Sinai, like "one man with one heart," one Nation united in love of G-d and love of our brothers and sisters. That is how we will survive and usher in the Age of Redemption!
Roy S. Neuberger
1Jeremiah 46:27
2 Genesis 16:12
3 Genesis 17:19
4 Rashi on Genesis 21:9, Bereishis Rabbah 53:11
5 Genesis 37:4
6 Talmud Tractate Yoma 9b
7 Rashi on Exodus 10:22-23
8 Jeremiah 46:28
Our website address is: www.ToSinai.com.
Our mailing address is: Roy S. Neuberger, P.O. Box 940517, Rockaway Park, NY 11694-0517
Rabbi/Dr. Neuberger, amv"sh
You have comforted me...
Do not be surprised if it seems to you that your words are not heard. I didn't know if my emails to you made an impression. Perhaps they did. But words that come out of the heart go into the heart. You have a much greater reaching listening audience. I believe that your words will touch the hearts of many.
I loved almost the entire post. I have a few comments.
>The answer is to be found in this verse: "[Joseph's] brothers … hated him, and they were not able to speak to him peaceably."
My comments:
It would not have made a difference if Joseph loved his brothers more. One can not argue that if Joseph loved his brothers more they would have not thrown him into the pit. Joseph did love his brothers. They hated him. According to one Peirush (I don't recall which one) the brothers were afraid that Yaakov might disinherit them after hearing bad reports about them. They knew that Yishmael and Eisav did not merit getting Abraham's and Isaac's inheritance.
At least according to that explanation they desired the inheritance. (Unlike the current State of Israel).
Speaking out strong for the Covenant does not mean that we hate Secular Jews or the State of Israel. It simply means that we are holding on tight to G-d's Torah and our ultimate purpose of being Mamlechet Kohanim.
By speaking out for the Covenant, the Land of Israel, and the Torah we are accused of destroying democracy, being religious fanatical extremists, imposing Torah lifestyle on others and taking away individual freedoms such as the right to eat pig in the Land of Israel, marrying whomever we choose etc., wanting to take over the world.
I would like discussion about forming a model gov't based on Torah on land that the gov't themselves have chosen to abandon to the Palestinians. (e.g. Settlements in Yesha which the government wishes to destroy) By being independent from the Secular State, the religious will not feel that the secular is imposing their value system on them as is currently the case, and the secular will continue to have a gov't that they feel comfortable. Of course the purpose is not to divide the country. It is to bring unity. Two Jewish governing authorities living side by side in peace and love.
A governing authority based on Torah is revolutionary and many mistakes are bound to happen. If it is set up as a model then it is not threatening and the bugs (mistakes) can be worked on and corrected without major confrontations. It's lehavdil like a draft copy of a working document. As the Torah governing authority gains more knowledge and experience it will prove to be a blessing to all.
Avraham said to Lot, why should two brothers fight? Let us separate. The only way for the Shechina to rest on Avraham was to separate from Lot. Lot's shepherds were not careful about stealing from others. They were corrupt. This government has history of bribes and corruption. There is no way we can make peace with this government without seriously compromising on Torah and Mitzvot our true value system.
I would like to see us united with the Chareidi parties. Satmer (My aunt is Satmer) has always claimed that the State is evil because it rejected Torah. Religious Zionists now say the same thing. The time has come to unify the Torah communities. Can the Rabbanim finally make a statement about Eretz Yisroel and against the Roadmap? I would lobby the Rabbanim in the Chareidi parties such as Agudas Yisroel to join with National Union etc. This isn't about politics. It's about Torah. I would welcome the strong Zionists of the left that established the State of Israel and loved the Land. They in fact have much in common with the pioneers of the Yishuvim. In fact a group of Left wing Kibbutzim met in Chevron right after the Amona incident. (On a personal level, My husbands close relatives live in Kibbutz Eilon and Shaar Hagolan leftist Shomrei Hatzair Kibbutzim). 17 years ago, newly married we visited these Kibbutzim and I as impressed by their deep love of the Land of Israel (especially the grandparents, the vatikim). I thought they had much in common with the people I knew in Kiryat Arba and Hebron. In fact the grandchildren of these Vatikim, my husbands cousins, strongly speak out against the present policies of the government.
When the Jewish idea (Kach) suggested an autonomous government they were hit big time. Their internet cafe was closed and their computers confiscated. They even took away chairs that were used in the dog training centers.
I have no real connection with Kach but I agree with others that the time is right for a gov't based on Torah and a Sanhedrin. There is nothing wrong with having an open discussion about how the secular gov't has imposed their secular value systems on a substantial segment of the population and that we are looking into ideas to correct this blatant persecution of freedom of religion in the H-ly Land.
We would have the support of many Christian groups as well.
One last comment. Today I read YYJacobson's article entitled
What Nietzsche Didn't Understand About Judaism
Love Thy Ego.
http://www.algemeiner.com/generic.asp?ID=1160
What I understood was that to confront the Ego of Pharaoh G-d needed to promise Moses that He Himself would accompany him to the king.
YYjacobson writes "Yet an important question remains, what did the Jewish people do with the "will for power" which according to Nietzsche runs supreme in man's psyche? Did they ignore it, repress it or transcend it? What was the emotional and mental mechanism they employed in order to transform themselves from "masters" into "slaves"?
YYjacobson says that Hashem Hikdim "Refuah Lemakah to Nietzsche's powerful accusation against the Jews.
The Jewish Ubermensche, his very unbridled lust for power and self affirmation, came to embrace the G-d of morality, justice and compassion. The Jews needed not to crush or deny their sense of selfhood and vitality in order to find G-d; on the contrary the vibrant brute and selfish ego led them to G-d just as much as the call of transcendence and mystery that spoke to their souls. Rabbi Schnuer Zalman of Liadi gave the Refuah to answer Nietzsche.
Rabbi Jacobson writes:
Astonishingly, though, and contrary to the accepted notion of the function of religion, the author (Rabbi Schnuer Zalman) attributes the profoundest divinity to the egocentricity of human nature, to his will for power!
...The sense of self with which we are born, also derives from G-d; is a reflection of the divine "ego". It is not the ego that is evil, but the divorcing of the ego from its source. When we recognize our own ego as a reflection of G-d's "ego" it becomes the driving force in our efforts to make the world a better, more G-dly place. On the other hand, the same ego, severed from its divine moorings, begets the most monstrous of evils.
We needed work on our car. My mechanic, who is a Chozer Betshuva gave me a dvar Torah today. I asked him how much we owed and if we could pay by credit card. He told me the amount to fix the car and said he needed to add tax. I asked him and if I paid by check rather then credit card would there be then no charge for State tax?..I said to myself out loud, I suppose the State as well needs to make a living. He replied (Your husband can relate to that. My husband works for the State)
He then remembered something that he had learned. He quoted the first Pereq in Tehillim "Ashrei HaIsh Asher Lo Halach Baatzas Reshaim". Ilan told me there is only one thing that is free in this world. That is Torah. It is a gift from G-d. He said we can become one with Torah.
When he said that I thought of Rabbi Jacobson's article. It is possible for our ego's to be one with Torah when we are totally involved in Torah (Ki im Betoras Hashem Cheftzo) and then to be linked with the Ego of Hashem and Hashem's desire to be all powerful to be metaken the Olam.
YYjacobson writes
Said G-d to Moses: "Come to Pharaoh." Come with Me, and together we will enter the great serpent's palace. Together we will penetrate the self-worship that is the heart of evil. Together we will discover that there is neither enduring substance nor eternal reality to Pharaoh's and Nietzsche's ego - that all it is, is the misappropriation of the divine in man.
Isn't this the theme as well as in the first Perek of Tehillim. "Lo Chen Hareshaim, Ki Im Kamotz Asher Tidfenu Ruach...."
Tuesday, February 07, 2006
Scenario at Amona was sickening. Were we forewarned?
bs"d
Are you aware that there was sexual abuse in Amona? Read Arutz7 for starters. Look for postings from February 5th and 6th, 2006. I was sickened.
Tuesday, February 7, 2006 More on the Police Violence in Amona, My Students Told Me...
http://shilohmusings.blogspot.com/2006/02/more-on-police-violence-in_113930001706872039.html
Thursday, March 2, 2006 Vicious
http://shilohmusings.blogspot.com/2006/03/vicious.html
The following is a letter I wrote to David Wilder spokesperson of Hebron during the Gush Katif expulsion and his response to me.
Stop writing such hogwash - rather than give strength and encouragement, you only weaken - the faith of these people is beyond belief - let them make their own decisions - they don't need such 'advice' from New York!
On 8/14/2005 1:57:26 PM, faigerayzel@aol.com wrote:
bs"d
To my dear friends of Gush Katif, amv'sh
In this weeks Parsha, at the end of the Parsha, the tribes of Reuvein and Gad and Shevet Menashe said they will send their men to fight and the women and children will stay home.
I know that you do not wish to fight. Irregardless, the other side has plans and they are not as peaceful as yours Please don't be naive and risk putting the women and children in a place they don't belong. The women and children will weaken your resolve if nothing else because they might be hungry, thirsty, scared, crying etc. I assume you are worried that such an action will make it appear like a civil war. Even in the case of a real war, if one side attacks should the other side simply act as if it's not a war and go on as business as usual? One is required to defend oneself and not to care about public opinion Are you afraid that the gov't will show pictures of violence of the settlers against the police. They may even stage such a scenario and you won't be able to prevent it. This has been their motus operendez. At this point forget about public image. Announce that women and children are leaving because it's too dangerous. That is the truth. However, mention that all men that are able to be with you at this time should come and help
---------
Nissan editor of Israel National News responded to another letter I wrote to him immediately after the expulsion from Gush Katif. The pain was too raw for him to relate to what I wrote. He responded as follows:
Thanks for writing. I would not have taken a personal approach. But, now that you have done so, allow me to also reply personally.
Of course we all can bring Mashiach, but unless I am mistaken, neither you nor anyone else I know has a direct line to HaShem to declare positively that Shmitta, or Ahavat Yisrael, or Shabbat, or Torah study or anything else is "the" cause of this or that tragedy.
And unless I was extremely learned in Torah, I would be hesitant to challenge the position of Heiter Mechira, decided upon by true scholars of our holy laws.
Finally, Arutz-7 is a news network, not a seminary or an organization for penitents or Torah scholarship. Give us real news about Shmitta and we'll print it.
Maybe you are "shying" from "your individual responsibility" to not be immodest in assuming you have "the" answer, in critizing others for what you perceive to be their sins, and in taking it upon yourself to lambaste an entire populace for not believing as you do? Is that not a bit possible, too?
Thanks again,
Nissan Ratzlav-Katz
Opinion Editor
www.IsraelNationalNews.com
Arutz 7
----- Original Message -----
From: FaigeRayzel@aol.com
To: nissan@IsraelNationalNews.com ; opinion@israelnationalnews.com
Sent: Thursday, August 18, 2005 6:56 PM
Subject: Letter to Nissan - You too can bring Moshiach
bs"d
A letter to Nissan Ratzlav-Katz editor of Arutz7 as kids and Rabbanim are being thrown out of shuls in Kfar Dorom.
Dear Nissan, amv"sh
You have a personal responsibility since Arutz7 is the place people are looking for answers as well. Not only reports of destruction and sadness.
Does G-d really want this expulsion to happen? All He wants is for us to do the commandments in the Torah and we are promised blessings. The Torah specifically cites the Mitzva of Shmita as the one that will cause us to live securely in our Land and if we don't, the Torah says we will be kicked out and the Land will get the rest it deserves.
The year of Shmita is one of Meein Olam Haba. A year of collective living and good will. And that is the key for our security. I don't know how the Jews in Gush Katif observed Shmita but I read that in the time of the second Beis Hamikdash it wasn't sanctified by the Rabbanim so that the people were not obligated to keep Shmita. In our present day, if people did observe Shmita, it was never used as a way to beseech G-d to keep us on our Land, as Hashem has promised that if we observe His commandments we would live securely in the Land.
Please publicize the Mitzva of Shmita. I don't need or want any credit but my year's experience in Shmita 5747 will prove helpful. The people of Gush Katif are the cream of the crop. Their love for Eretz Yisroel is unequaled. Yet they were forced out. It will be helpful for them to have some sort of explanation. Perhaps there was something they could have done and didn't.
I can think of two things. The first is not focusing on the Mitzva of Shmita. The second is recognizing that it is not enough for them to have the love for Eretz Yisroel. That love must be shared by all of Am Yisroel whether they live in Israel or in the Diaspora. People of Gush Katif were especially effective with Panim el Panim with the non religious and expressed an outpouring of love to them. There was a hesitancy to focus on Panim el Panim with the chareidi Torah observant community regarding love for Eretz Yisroel and the yearning to keep the Mitzvoth of the Land.
The State was established with a Zionist dream with Torah missing from the picture. The religious especially chareidi groups resented this. They chose to focus primarily on Torah. Eretz Yisroel has insignificant relevance in their daily religious observance. There is constant daily references to Eretz Yisroel in davening and continuous references in the Torah. These references apparently were not relevant enough to make a clear statement about the Covenant between G-d and Am Yisroel. Eretz Yisroel is promised to Avraham Yitzchok and Yaakov and to their seed as an eternal inheritance. A simple statement like this would be sufficient to counteract the Roadmap plan of President Bush. A Statement by the Rabbanim that the roadmap plan of President Bush goes against the Bible can still have tremendous impact.
All of us that love the Torah, Eretz Yisroel and Am Yisroel must do Panim el Panim emphasizing the mutual dependency of Torah, Eretz Yisroel and Am Yisroel and together these three elements comprise One entity. Each element is truly incomplete without the others.
The goal is to bring each and every member of Am Yisroel to love the Torah and Eretz Yisroel and foster desire to keep the Mitzvoth in the Torah including the Mitzvoth of Eretz Yisroel. If the desire and yearning to keep Shmita existed, the expulsion would never have taken place.
Nissan, please don't shy from your individual responsibility. Each and every person can bring the Moshiach and you just have to believe it!
Are you aware that there was sexual abuse in Amona? Read Arutz7 for starters. Look for postings from February 5th and 6th, 2006. I was sickened.
Tuesday, February 7, 2006 More on the Police Violence in Amona, My Students Told Me...
http://shilohmusings.blogspot.com/2006/02/more-on-police-violence-in_113930001706872039.html
Thursday, March 2, 2006 Vicious
http://shilohmusings.blogspot.com/2006/03/vicious.html
The following is a letter I wrote to David Wilder spokesperson of Hebron during the Gush Katif expulsion and his response to me.
Stop writing such hogwash - rather than give strength and encouragement, you only weaken - the faith of these people is beyond belief - let them make their own decisions - they don't need such 'advice' from New York!
On 8/14/2005 1:57:26 PM, faigerayzel@aol.com wrote:
bs"d
To my dear friends of Gush Katif, amv'sh
In this weeks Parsha, at the end of the Parsha, the tribes of Reuvein and Gad and Shevet Menashe said they will send their men to fight and the women and children will stay home.
I know that you do not wish to fight. Irregardless, the other side has plans and they are not as peaceful as yours Please don't be naive and risk putting the women and children in a place they don't belong. The women and children will weaken your resolve if nothing else because they might be hungry, thirsty, scared, crying etc. I assume you are worried that such an action will make it appear like a civil war. Even in the case of a real war, if one side attacks should the other side simply act as if it's not a war and go on as business as usual? One is required to defend oneself and not to care about public opinion Are you afraid that the gov't will show pictures of violence of the settlers against the police. They may even stage such a scenario and you won't be able to prevent it. This has been their motus operendez. At this point forget about public image. Announce that women and children are leaving because it's too dangerous. That is the truth. However, mention that all men that are able to be with you at this time should come and help
---------
Nissan editor of Israel National News responded to another letter I wrote to him immediately after the expulsion from Gush Katif. The pain was too raw for him to relate to what I wrote. He responded as follows:
Thanks for writing. I would not have taken a personal approach. But, now that you have done so, allow me to also reply personally.
Of course we all can bring Mashiach, but unless I am mistaken, neither you nor anyone else I know has a direct line to HaShem to declare positively that Shmitta, or Ahavat Yisrael, or Shabbat, or Torah study or anything else is "the" cause of this or that tragedy.
And unless I was extremely learned in Torah, I would be hesitant to challenge the position of Heiter Mechira, decided upon by true scholars of our holy laws.
Finally, Arutz-7 is a news network, not a seminary or an organization for penitents or Torah scholarship. Give us real news about Shmitta and we'll print it.
Maybe you are "shying" from "your individual responsibility" to not be immodest in assuming you have "the" answer, in critizing others for what you perceive to be their sins, and in taking it upon yourself to lambaste an entire populace for not believing as you do? Is that not a bit possible, too?
Thanks again,
Nissan Ratzlav-Katz
Opinion Editor
www.IsraelNationalNews.com
Arutz 7
----- Original Message -----
From: FaigeRayzel@aol.com
To: nissan@IsraelNationalNews.com ; opinion@israelnationalnews.com
Sent: Thursday, August 18, 2005 6:56 PM
Subject: Letter to Nissan - You too can bring Moshiach
bs"d
A letter to Nissan Ratzlav-Katz editor of Arutz7 as kids and Rabbanim are being thrown out of shuls in Kfar Dorom.
Dear Nissan, amv"sh
You have a personal responsibility since Arutz7 is the place people are looking for answers as well. Not only reports of destruction and sadness.
Does G-d really want this expulsion to happen? All He wants is for us to do the commandments in the Torah and we are promised blessings. The Torah specifically cites the Mitzva of Shmita as the one that will cause us to live securely in our Land and if we don't, the Torah says we will be kicked out and the Land will get the rest it deserves.
The year of Shmita is one of Meein Olam Haba. A year of collective living and good will. And that is the key for our security. I don't know how the Jews in Gush Katif observed Shmita but I read that in the time of the second Beis Hamikdash it wasn't sanctified by the Rabbanim so that the people were not obligated to keep Shmita. In our present day, if people did observe Shmita, it was never used as a way to beseech G-d to keep us on our Land, as Hashem has promised that if we observe His commandments we would live securely in the Land.
Please publicize the Mitzva of Shmita. I don't need or want any credit but my year's experience in Shmita 5747 will prove helpful. The people of Gush Katif are the cream of the crop. Their love for Eretz Yisroel is unequaled. Yet they were forced out. It will be helpful for them to have some sort of explanation. Perhaps there was something they could have done and didn't.
I can think of two things. The first is not focusing on the Mitzva of Shmita. The second is recognizing that it is not enough for them to have the love for Eretz Yisroel. That love must be shared by all of Am Yisroel whether they live in Israel or in the Diaspora. People of Gush Katif were especially effective with Panim el Panim with the non religious and expressed an outpouring of love to them. There was a hesitancy to focus on Panim el Panim with the chareidi Torah observant community regarding love for Eretz Yisroel and the yearning to keep the Mitzvoth of the Land.
The State was established with a Zionist dream with Torah missing from the picture. The religious especially chareidi groups resented this. They chose to focus primarily on Torah. Eretz Yisroel has insignificant relevance in their daily religious observance. There is constant daily references to Eretz Yisroel in davening and continuous references in the Torah. These references apparently were not relevant enough to make a clear statement about the Covenant between G-d and Am Yisroel. Eretz Yisroel is promised to Avraham Yitzchok and Yaakov and to their seed as an eternal inheritance. A simple statement like this would be sufficient to counteract the Roadmap plan of President Bush. A Statement by the Rabbanim that the roadmap plan of President Bush goes against the Bible can still have tremendous impact.
All of us that love the Torah, Eretz Yisroel and Am Yisroel must do Panim el Panim emphasizing the mutual dependency of Torah, Eretz Yisroel and Am Yisroel and together these three elements comprise One entity. Each element is truly incomplete without the others.
The goal is to bring each and every member of Am Yisroel to love the Torah and Eretz Yisroel and foster desire to keep the Mitzvoth in the Torah including the Mitzvoth of Eretz Yisroel. If the desire and yearning to keep Shmita existed, the expulsion would never have taken place.
Nissan, please don't shy from your individual responsibility. Each and every person can bring the Moshiach and you just have to believe it!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
