We love and appreciate our soldiers, airmen and sailors of the IDF. Thanks to Hashem and to the wonderful young men of the Israeli Navy, we can walk the gorgeous beaches south of Ashdod at night and speak to Hashem without worrying about infiltrations from the sea. These dedicated young men do an outstanding job; I'd like for you to meet one of them, 1st Lieutenant Amir Shtadler who speaks English and is exec officer of the INS Atzmaut, a Saar 4-class missile boat. May Hashem bless and protect our soldiers, and bring them all home safely, amen!
Showing posts with label God is Protecting Israel. Show all posts
Showing posts with label God is Protecting Israel. Show all posts
Thursday, January 10, 2013
Thursday, December 20, 2012
"Israel, Trust in the Lord" by Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach
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"O Israel, Trust the Lord / Yisrael B'tach" by Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach courtesy of http://www.NeshamaCarlebach.com
Featuring Photos from the Israeli Defense Forces provided by American Friends of LIBI
O Israel, trust in the LORD!
He is their help and their shield!
Psalms 115:9
יִשְׂרָאֵל, בְּטַח בַּי-הוָה; עֶזְרָם וּמָגִנָּם הוּא
תהילים פרק קטו:ט
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Wednesday, November 21, 2012
Monday, November 19, 2012
What Really Protects Israel From Rockets
There are various possibilities of what is protecting Israel from harm, despite the onslaught of rockets being shot out of Gaza by Hamas. Obviously we know Hashem protects us, and we do our physical hishtadlus to effect that protection. The physical hishtadlus consists of having an army and mobilizing it as necessary, defense systems similar to Iron Dome, and others. But sometimes one wonders what, of all the various actions we take, has more of a direct affect on matters.
Let's go through the options (in no particular order):
1. Iron Dome. Iron Dome has done a tremendous job knocking rockets out of the air. It is not perfect, it has missed some, but it has done a tremendous job with a very high percentage of success. To that end, we'd have to include Amir Peretz (as Ynet has started a campaign to thank him, probably reviving a possible political comeback) for being the man behind the original creation and promoting it into reality. As well, RAFAEL, the defense contractor who actually created it. Of course add to the list the army, the politicians and the people of the USA who largely fund it.
2. Prayer. Prayer is, perhaps, a spiritual version of the Iron Dome. We have so many people around the country davening, whether personally saying tehillim, or shuls saying tehillim, or special prayer sessions like the mass prayer yesterday at the Kotel.
3. Kabbalistic activity. Perhaps this should be categorized as part of prayer, but it is not prayer that the average person bombards the heavens with. It is a unique form of prayer and activity, thus qualifying for its own category. A group of Kabbalists went to Meron to say special prayers, then on to Kever Rachel, Hebron and the conclusion of the series of special prayers for a time of war that were said in Beer Sheva.
According to Ladaat, the special tefillot that were said in Beer Sheva were said by Rav Kaduri at the time of the Gulf War, and prior to that they had been said by mekubalim as the Germans were preparing to invade the Holy Land.
4. Torah learning. Torah learning can be such a strong protective force that Rav Chaim Kanievsky said the safest place to be is in Bnei Braq due to the high amount of Torah learning done there. Rav Kanievsky said that the Chazon Ish had promised that Bnei Braq would not have explosions, and the Chazon Ish is great enough that we can rely on him and his promise today as well. (source: Kikar)
While Rav Kanievsky recently said that residents (yeshiva students) from the south should go to Bnei Braq for safety, perhaps Bnei Braq should prepare to receive residents from the south until as north as Tel Aviv and Gush Dan and provide them with safe harbor..
Rav Shteinman is also being flooded with questions from people concerned and looking for answers as to what they should do. According to Bechadrei, Rav Shteinman, though considering each question anew is generally telling people that learning Torah is the best form of protection. Rav Shteinman said that if there should be a siren during davening, during shmoneh esrei, or during learning, they should run for cover. On the issue of Bnei Braq, it doesn't seem, to me, that Rav Shteinman is quite as definitive as Rav Kanievsky is. Rav Shteinman said there is no chazaka that rockets will not fall there, as there is no chazaka on the future. Chazaka only defines the past. Bnei Braq has a chazaka that rockets have not fallen there, but there is no such chazaka that rockets will not fall there in the future.
5. Tzaddikim. A few months ago Rav Chaim Pinto, the rav of Kiryat Malachi, according to Mynet, said that Kiryat Malachi is protected by the special graves of tzadikkim that are buried there.
Rav Pinto has been saying that special, very powerful, tzadikkim are buried in Kiryat Malachi. Some of them (or maybe all of them) are buried in his office (below his office? I am not sure what exactly his claim is, but that is what he said). These tzadikkim provide protection to the city to the point that there is no need to even take cover, if one is in the middle of davening, when the sirens blare announcing an incoming rocket. In other places like Ashdod, one should interrupt his tefilla and take cover, even though we have the protection of Iron Dome (making a direct hit unlikely), but in Kiryat Malachi one should not interrupt his prayers.
Rav Pinto has not revealed the identity of of the tzadikkim buried there, but he hinted that Rav Chaim Vital is buried there, among others including the grave of Rav Chaim Pinto (presumably his own ancestor).
Rav Chaim Vital was buried in Syria, though rumors have persisted for a long time that Rav Pinto secretly moved Rav Chaim Vital's grave to Kiryat Malachi many years ago. The same rumor also claims other graves of ancient tzadikkim were moved as well. The only other name I have ever heard in reference to this rumor was that of Rebbe Nachman of Breslav.
At the time Rav Pinto pointed to the fact that despite a series of escalations no rocket had falled in kiryat Malachi to indicate that he was correct that the tzadikkim buried there provide protection. If he was correct at the time, one must wonder what changed, considering the recent rockets that fell in Kiryat Malachi, including one that killed three people (and they were not mechalelei shabbos, as is explained in Bnei Braq when explaining how a rocket did fall in Bnei Braq despite the promises that no rockets fall there).
So, I don't know which of the above do a better or worse job. Maybe it is a combination of all five, and only together does the protection work most effectively.
Let's go through the options (in no particular order):
1. Iron Dome. Iron Dome has done a tremendous job knocking rockets out of the air. It is not perfect, it has missed some, but it has done a tremendous job with a very high percentage of success. To that end, we'd have to include Amir Peretz (as Ynet has started a campaign to thank him, probably reviving a possible political comeback) for being the man behind the original creation and promoting it into reality. As well, RAFAEL, the defense contractor who actually created it. Of course add to the list the army, the politicians and the people of the USA who largely fund it.
2. Prayer. Prayer is, perhaps, a spiritual version of the Iron Dome. We have so many people around the country davening, whether personally saying tehillim, or shuls saying tehillim, or special prayer sessions like the mass prayer yesterday at the Kotel.
3. Kabbalistic activity. Perhaps this should be categorized as part of prayer, but it is not prayer that the average person bombards the heavens with. It is a unique form of prayer and activity, thus qualifying for its own category. A group of Kabbalists went to Meron to say special prayers, then on to Kever Rachel, Hebron and the conclusion of the series of special prayers for a time of war that were said in Beer Sheva.
According to Ladaat, the special tefillot that were said in Beer Sheva were said by Rav Kaduri at the time of the Gulf War, and prior to that they had been said by mekubalim as the Germans were preparing to invade the Holy Land.
4. Torah learning. Torah learning can be such a strong protective force that Rav Chaim Kanievsky said the safest place to be is in Bnei Braq due to the high amount of Torah learning done there. Rav Kanievsky said that the Chazon Ish had promised that Bnei Braq would not have explosions, and the Chazon Ish is great enough that we can rely on him and his promise today as well. (source: Kikar)
While Rav Kanievsky recently said that residents (yeshiva students) from the south should go to Bnei Braq for safety, perhaps Bnei Braq should prepare to receive residents from the south until as north as Tel Aviv and Gush Dan and provide them with safe harbor..
Rav Shteinman is also being flooded with questions from people concerned and looking for answers as to what they should do. According to Bechadrei, Rav Shteinman, though considering each question anew is generally telling people that learning Torah is the best form of protection. Rav Shteinman said that if there should be a siren during davening, during shmoneh esrei, or during learning, they should run for cover. On the issue of Bnei Braq, it doesn't seem, to me, that Rav Shteinman is quite as definitive as Rav Kanievsky is. Rav Shteinman said there is no chazaka that rockets will not fall there, as there is no chazaka on the future. Chazaka only defines the past. Bnei Braq has a chazaka that rockets have not fallen there, but there is no such chazaka that rockets will not fall there in the future.
5. Tzaddikim. A few months ago Rav Chaim Pinto, the rav of Kiryat Malachi, according to Mynet, said that Kiryat Malachi is protected by the special graves of tzadikkim that are buried there.
Rav Pinto has been saying that special, very powerful, tzadikkim are buried in Kiryat Malachi. Some of them (or maybe all of them) are buried in his office (below his office? I am not sure what exactly his claim is, but that is what he said). These tzadikkim provide protection to the city to the point that there is no need to even take cover, if one is in the middle of davening, when the sirens blare announcing an incoming rocket. In other places like Ashdod, one should interrupt his tefilla and take cover, even though we have the protection of Iron Dome (making a direct hit unlikely), but in Kiryat Malachi one should not interrupt his prayers.
Rav Pinto has not revealed the identity of of the tzadikkim buried there, but he hinted that Rav Chaim Vital is buried there, among others including the grave of Rav Chaim Pinto (presumably his own ancestor).
Rav Chaim Vital was buried in Syria, though rumors have persisted for a long time that Rav Pinto secretly moved Rav Chaim Vital's grave to Kiryat Malachi many years ago. The same rumor also claims other graves of ancient tzadikkim were moved as well. The only other name I have ever heard in reference to this rumor was that of Rebbe Nachman of Breslav.
At the time Rav Pinto pointed to the fact that despite a series of escalations no rocket had falled in kiryat Malachi to indicate that he was correct that the tzadikkim buried there provide protection. If he was correct at the time, one must wonder what changed, considering the recent rockets that fell in Kiryat Malachi, including one that killed three people (and they were not mechalelei shabbos, as is explained in Bnei Braq when explaining how a rocket did fall in Bnei Braq despite the promises that no rockets fall there).
So, I don't know which of the above do a better or worse job. Maybe it is a combination of all five, and only together does the protection work most effectively.
Saturday, October 6, 2012
IAF Interception of UAV in Israeli airspace
An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) was identified penetrating Israeli airspace this morning, and was intercepted by the IAF at approximately 10:00 AM.
IDF soldiers are currently searching the area where the drone was downed, in open areas in the northern Negev, to locate and identify the drone.
Monday, September 3, 2012
BRESLOV: DIRECTING TRAFFIC BY RABBI LAZER BRODY
Back in the late 70's in Jerusalem, there was an eccentric old man who appointed himself the director of traffic at the entrance to Jerusalem. This was in the “old days”, when there was only one entrance to the city from the west. All the traffic from Tel Aviv and the coast funneled into this one traffic light at the old Givat Shaul intersection.
The old man, whom everyone jokingly and affectionately called the “Minister of Traffic” or “Honorable Minister” set up a beach chair on the concrete island that separated the inbound and the outbound lanes. In the winter, he'd have a thermos of coffee and in the summer, a bottle of water. Facing west, every time the light turned green, he'd motion with his umbrella to all the cars to move forward. Sometimes, he'd call out, “Yalla, yalla,” Hebrew slang for “get a move on, pal!” When the light would turn red, he'd snap to attention and hold his cane forward as if he were a U.S. Marine fulfilling the “present arms” command, signaling the incoming traffic to halt.
The Minister was well into his eighties in the early 1980's, but he was still directing traffic until the First Lebanon War broke out in 1982. After that, I never saw him again. Now, he's probably directing traffic at the entrance to Heaven; the prophet Isaiah said that we're all a nation of tzaddikim...
Sure, the “Minister” was eccentric. Someone once told me that he was a Holocaust survivor, but I never knew for sure. Someone else told me that he lived in the Givat Shaul neighborhood, and that he died of a broken heart after being hospitalized for an illness. He was beside himself with worry that while he was bedridden, there'd be mayhem at the entrance to Jerusalem. Who'd be directing the traffic? How could the traffic lights at the Givat Shaul intersection operate normally without the help of his cane, motioning people to stop or to move forward? People were tolerantly amused how the old man's eccentric ideas caused him the anxiety that helped terminate his life.
Tolerantly amused...
That's probably the way Hashem is looking at us right now. We should be preparing for Rosh Hashana right now, but who's thinking about teshuva? The international media has reported that Israel's Prime Minister and Defense Minister have already decided to strike Iran. Hummeini and the Ayatolla's have responded with a call for the Republican Guards to further expand terror operations worldwide. Nasrulla and Hizbolla threaten with their missiles, and Israel's military Chief of Staff counter-threatens.
The chaos is grandiose. The President of Israel, who should be above politics as a formal functionary like the Queen of England, has expressed his opinion against striking Iran. Former intelligence officials and leading officers of the IDF have also been-jumping on the anti-Iran-strike bandwagon, in an unprecedented display of thoughtfulness for our country's true security. The secular media has even published so-called attack plans and strategies in the most irresponsible manner so characteristic of yellow journalism.
And we waste our time listening to what they all have to say.
I was fond of the "Minister of Traffic", eccentric as he was. Who knows what the Nazis did to him at Treblinka or at Auschwitz? At least he was dedicated, doing a job he believed in day and night, rain or shine. He thought he was running the world.
Are all the generals, politicians and journalists who gab from morning until night any better or any wiser than the Minister of Traffic from Givat Shaul? I doubt it. They're making lots of noise and waving their canes up and down, but the traffic lights that regulate world eevents are running automatically without their silly help.
Only Hashem will flash a green light or a red light not only to the IDF, but to our enemies as well. No one in Israel has prevented the Muslem-brotherhood's new dictator of Egypt from scoffing at the Camp David accords and pouring tanks and troops into Sinai. No one in Israel has any control over what's going on in Syria, whether Assad and his Alawites will hold his ground against the Sunni rebels. No one in Israel understands why a few weeks ago, Ismail Haniya and his Hamas henchmen were firing missiles into the South of Israel, yet today things are quiet, except for the new tension down in Eilat.
We don't need to involve ourselves in helping the traffic lights; Hashem doesn't need us to help Him make the sun shine.
My old Rosh Yeshiva, Rabbi Noah Weinberg of saintly and blessed memory used to tell us, "Move aside and let Hashem run the world." He said that the best thing a person could do is to get out of Hashem's way, and to do his own job.
Our job right now is to prepare for Rosh Hashana and to get closer to Hashem. When we do our job, Hashem will surely do His, redeeming us speedily and in our days, amen. May you and yours be inscribed in the Book of Long Life for a wonderful New Year 5773!
Monday, August 13, 2012
LAZERBEAMS: They Don't Decide, by Rabbi Lazer Brody
Each passing day brings Iran closer to a nuclear warhead. Only the blind and the naive would think otherwise. Despite international sanctions, the Iranian centrifuges are working 24/7 purifying uranium and producing nuclear weapons-grade fuel.
Lately, one after the other, senior American government officials such as the Secretary of State and the Secretary of Defense have visiting Israel, each carrying the same message: "Don't be naughty, you mischievous Israelis! You may certainly not carry out a preemptive strike against the Iranian nuclear reactors!"
Our leaders answer with their well-known bravado, "We won't leave our fate in the hands of others. We'll do
what we need to do when we need to do."
We certainly agree with the above statement, but our references aren't the same as theirs. We don't leave our fate in the hand of "others" - in other words, other gods. We leave our fate in the hand of Hashem.
With all the hype in the media, people are frantic. They hear Iran day and night. Syria too is up for grabs, and no one knows in whose hands hundreds of tons of chemical mass-destructive weapons will fall. Then there's Hizbulla, Iran's armed-to-the-gills proxy right on our border too. Terror is on the rise in lawless Sinai. What will be?
I asked that question to my beloved teacher, Rabbi Shalom Arush, shlit'a. Recent events, especially the horror stories of breaches of holiness in the Haredi community, have taken a toll on his health.
Rav Shalom brushed aside the USA, Iran, and all of our other so-called friends and enemies with one backhand gesture. "They don't decide our fate," he said hoarsely. He had tears in his eyes, his voice was quivering, and he was obviously trying to restrain himself from crying. It was scary. "This is the Minister of the Smile?" I asked myself. Rav Shalom was seeing a very dark cloud on the spiritual horizon.
He then quoted the Torah: "And I will bring upon you the sword that avenges the vengeance of covenant" (Leviticus 26:25).
Rav Shalom then became as fierce as a lion: "When will people begin to realize that the entire purpose of Torah and mitzvoth is to bring a person to a state of holiness, so he or she can be a worthy vessel for the Divine Presence. But everyone must know: if they eat Kosher BaDatz, keep Shabbat with stringencies and have long beards - yet they think that their libido is a big mitzvah and their hearts are far from holiness - then they have done nothing! They've completely missed the point of Torah observance."
Not only have they missed the point, but they aid and abet the enemy. How?
Rav Shalom quoted Torah and mentioned "the sword that avenges the vengeance of covenant". Hashem incorporated a hard-fast law of cause-and-effect in the fiber of creation: if the Jewish people shall live their lives in holiness, they shall be encompassed within the glorious "clouds of Divine Presence;" they shall lack nothing and shall enjoy every single blessing in life, both material and spiritual. Not only that, Hashem Himself shall dwell in their midst, so no evil can befall them.
But, if on the other hand, Heaven forbid, the Jewish people forsake the path of holiness, succumbing to temptations mind and body, they shall suffer the consequences of the breach in brit, the holy covenant. Any breach in covenant produces a negative spiritual force known as "vengeance of covenant". The vengeance of covenant is the force that creates a sword of vengeance, the same way that nuclear fuel is the power source of an atomic weapon.
Are you beginning to understand?
The spiritual roots of the Iranian nuclear weapons, the "sword of vengeance" that threatens us today, are all the breaches of holiness within the Torah-observant community. Maybe you think that's not fair. "What about the seculars?" you want to ask.
Hashem expects much more from the Haredi community than He does from the seculars, who grew up in utter ignorance of Torah and mitzvoth.
People are afraid to be called names. One "average" Haredi man says, "If I go around closing my eyes, people will think I'm insane."
Rav Shalom answers, "If you open your eyes, especially to unfiltered web and to Facebook, you will be insane.
A Haredi woman says (wearing her long Euro-Kastem $1600 wig and her long but quite-tight satin dress that accents every curve), "Do you expect me to dress like a yachna (Yiddish for 'old hag')? I wouldn't be caught dead like that!" Hey lady, if you continue dressing the way you do, you are creating the sword which will "catch you dead."
So maybe you're asking, "What can I do if the whole world is off its rocker and I guard my eyes?" Or, "What can I do if all the women are 'in style' and I dress like 'Little House on the Prairie?" Rav Shalom that you're doing a lot - you just might save the Jewish people.
When the Jews arrived at the Red Sea, with the Egyptian Army in hot pursuit from behind and the sea in front, there was an argument in the Heavenly Court if the Jews were worthy of being saved or not. One man's dedication - Nachshon ben Aminadav who jumped into the water - tipped the scales in the Jews' favor and the sea split. This is what Rebbe Nachman of Breslev calls azut d'kedusha, or boldness for holiness.
Rav Shalom told me that azut d'kedusha is the only weapon which can defeat the sword of our enemies, conventional or otherwise.
So it's not our enemies or our allies that determine our fate; they don't decide. Our determination in strengthening personal holiness - guarding eyes for men and modesty for women - is the force that will determine which way the chips fall. There's little time left, so let's get to work. G-d bless always.
Lately, one after the other, senior American government officials such as the Secretary of State and the Secretary of Defense have visiting Israel, each carrying the same message: "Don't be naughty, you mischievous Israelis! You may certainly not carry out a preemptive strike against the Iranian nuclear reactors!"
Our leaders answer with their well-known bravado, "We won't leave our fate in the hands of others. We'll do
what we need to do when we need to do."We certainly agree with the above statement, but our references aren't the same as theirs. We don't leave our fate in the hand of "others" - in other words, other gods. We leave our fate in the hand of Hashem.
With all the hype in the media, people are frantic. They hear Iran day and night. Syria too is up for grabs, and no one knows in whose hands hundreds of tons of chemical mass-destructive weapons will fall. Then there's Hizbulla, Iran's armed-to-the-gills proxy right on our border too. Terror is on the rise in lawless Sinai. What will be?
I asked that question to my beloved teacher, Rabbi Shalom Arush, shlit'a. Recent events, especially the horror stories of breaches of holiness in the Haredi community, have taken a toll on his health.
Rav Shalom brushed aside the USA, Iran, and all of our other so-called friends and enemies with one backhand gesture. "They don't decide our fate," he said hoarsely. He had tears in his eyes, his voice was quivering, and he was obviously trying to restrain himself from crying. It was scary. "This is the Minister of the Smile?" I asked myself. Rav Shalom was seeing a very dark cloud on the spiritual horizon.
He then quoted the Torah: "And I will bring upon you the sword that avenges the vengeance of covenant" (Leviticus 26:25).
Rav Shalom then became as fierce as a lion: "When will people begin to realize that the entire purpose of Torah and mitzvoth is to bring a person to a state of holiness, so he or she can be a worthy vessel for the Divine Presence. But everyone must know: if they eat Kosher BaDatz, keep Shabbat with stringencies and have long beards - yet they think that their libido is a big mitzvah and their hearts are far from holiness - then they have done nothing! They've completely missed the point of Torah observance."
Not only have they missed the point, but they aid and abet the enemy. How?
Rav Shalom quoted Torah and mentioned "the sword that avenges the vengeance of covenant". Hashem incorporated a hard-fast law of cause-and-effect in the fiber of creation: if the Jewish people shall live their lives in holiness, they shall be encompassed within the glorious "clouds of Divine Presence;" they shall lack nothing and shall enjoy every single blessing in life, both material and spiritual. Not only that, Hashem Himself shall dwell in their midst, so no evil can befall them.
But, if on the other hand, Heaven forbid, the Jewish people forsake the path of holiness, succumbing to temptations mind and body, they shall suffer the consequences of the breach in brit, the holy covenant. Any breach in covenant produces a negative spiritual force known as "vengeance of covenant". The vengeance of covenant is the force that creates a sword of vengeance, the same way that nuclear fuel is the power source of an atomic weapon.
Are you beginning to understand?
The spiritual roots of the Iranian nuclear weapons, the "sword of vengeance" that threatens us today, are all the breaches of holiness within the Torah-observant community. Maybe you think that's not fair. "What about the seculars?" you want to ask.
Hashem expects much more from the Haredi community than He does from the seculars, who grew up in utter ignorance of Torah and mitzvoth.
People are afraid to be called names. One "average" Haredi man says, "If I go around closing my eyes, people will think I'm insane."
Rav Shalom answers, "If you open your eyes, especially to unfiltered web and to Facebook, you will be insane.
A Haredi woman says (wearing her long Euro-Kastem $1600 wig and her long but quite-tight satin dress that accents every curve), "Do you expect me to dress like a yachna (Yiddish for 'old hag')? I wouldn't be caught dead like that!" Hey lady, if you continue dressing the way you do, you are creating the sword which will "catch you dead."
So maybe you're asking, "What can I do if the whole world is off its rocker and I guard my eyes?" Or, "What can I do if all the women are 'in style' and I dress like 'Little House on the Prairie?" Rav Shalom that you're doing a lot - you just might save the Jewish people.
When the Jews arrived at the Red Sea, with the Egyptian Army in hot pursuit from behind and the sea in front, there was an argument in the Heavenly Court if the Jews were worthy of being saved or not. One man's dedication - Nachshon ben Aminadav who jumped into the water - tipped the scales in the Jews' favor and the sea split. This is what Rebbe Nachman of Breslev calls azut d'kedusha, or boldness for holiness.
Rav Shalom told me that azut d'kedusha is the only weapon which can defeat the sword of our enemies, conventional or otherwise.
So it's not our enemies or our allies that determine our fate; they don't decide. Our determination in strengthening personal holiness - guarding eyes for men and modesty for women - is the force that will determine which way the chips fall. There's little time left, so let's get to work. G-d bless always.
Sunday, August 12, 2012
How Much Did Israel Really Suffer From Kochi V'Otzem Yadi Syndrome?
One of the criticisms regularly leveled at the IDF, and at the political echelons that direct the IDF, by the Haredi public is that they are infused with a sense of kochi v'otzem yadi. They forget God's part in their success and assign credit for success solely to the superior training and fighting ability. If you hear a rav speak about how such a great army in 1967 could suffer such a serious blow in 1973, for example, you will hear about how the sense of kochi v'otzem yadi was so prevalent, so they were knocked down to size.
No doubt there is a sense of kochi v'otzem yadi in the army. I don't doubt that. The IDF is, or was. a largely secular institution, and it is natural that they would take such credit for their fighting ability, for the strategy, and tactics, though from a Jewish perspective it would be nice to hear them not totally leave God out of the picture.
Having heard this regularly over the years, I was a bit surprised when reading something that paints a different picture. I still have no doubt that there is a certain sense of kochi pervasive in the army and political echelons, that is fairly natural, but I now question how pervasive it really is (or was) and if perhaps God has been brought into the picture more than has been thought.
I am in the middle of reading an amazing book called "The Prime Ministers", written by Yehuda Avner. Avner worked under four different prime ministers (Levi Eshkol, Golda Meir, Yitzchak Rabin and Menachem Begin) in various positions, from speech writer to note taking to diplomatic positions, and this book is basically his memoirs. Avner relates stories, incidents and conversations that he was witness to, and the book is a wealth of historical background and a behind the scenes look at Israel's formative years. The book is fascinating and anybody interested in Israel's history should read it.
I just read the portion on the Six Day War and everything that led PM Levi Eshkol to make the decision to go to war, and how they decided to attempt to capture the Old City of Jerusalem and the reactions to the success. While the politicians of those days of Israel were largely secular, they were very "Jewish", and I think they were far more "Jewish" than we give them credit for nowadays.
For example, after the first day of the Six Day War, Avner relates an incident in which menachem Begin went to the Prime Minister's Tel Aviv Bureau "where they found an exuberant Levi eshkol in animated conversation with half-a-dozen equally elated ministers. "Mir dafen machen shecheyanu - we have to recite a thanksgiving blessing" called Eshkol to Begin, and he made him privy to the single most spectacular piece of news he had ever heard in his life. In a surprise attack that morning, the Israeli Air Force had virtually wiped out the Egyptian Air Force...... "Baruch Hashem!" exclaimed Begin...."
the first reaction was to make a shecheyanu. to say baruch hashem.
Avner continues relating more, and it gets to a point where the ministers are debating whether to move to take the rest of Jerusalem or not. When the decision was finally made to capture Jerusalem, the army did so with immediate success. Soldiers were pouring into the Kotel area and Menachem Begin went down to the Kotel as well. The soldiers were dancing and singing "Zeh Hayom Asa Hashem".. "As Begin touched the Wall, they ceased their song, and utter silence reigned when he laid his head upon one of its weathered stones. he spread out his arms in embrace, and then solemnly drew from his pocket a sheet of paper on which he had written a prayer. he had composed it himself for this very moment -a supplication suffused with scriptural and liturgical allusions to the Jewish people's rendezvous with their most sanctified of places..." and he goes on to relate the entire prayer, a few paragraphs long.
The book is peppered with such incidents and anecdotes and I had not even really noticed it until I was shocked by Eshkol's initial response to the first day's success - we must make a shecheyanu.
Were they secular? No doubt. Did they suffer from the "kochi v'otzem yadi"? No doubt. Were they very Jewish despite being secular and thank God for their success? Yes they did. It was not pure kochi v'otzem yadi as they are generally accused of. the State of Israel might be a secular state, but it is, and always was, very Jewish.
No doubt there is a sense of kochi v'otzem yadi in the army. I don't doubt that. The IDF is, or was. a largely secular institution, and it is natural that they would take such credit for their fighting ability, for the strategy, and tactics, though from a Jewish perspective it would be nice to hear them not totally leave God out of the picture.
Having heard this regularly over the years, I was a bit surprised when reading something that paints a different picture. I still have no doubt that there is a certain sense of kochi pervasive in the army and political echelons, that is fairly natural, but I now question how pervasive it really is (or was) and if perhaps God has been brought into the picture more than has been thought.
I am in the middle of reading an amazing book called "The Prime Ministers", written by Yehuda Avner. Avner worked under four different prime ministers (Levi Eshkol, Golda Meir, Yitzchak Rabin and Menachem Begin) in various positions, from speech writer to note taking to diplomatic positions, and this book is basically his memoirs. Avner relates stories, incidents and conversations that he was witness to, and the book is a wealth of historical background and a behind the scenes look at Israel's formative years. The book is fascinating and anybody interested in Israel's history should read it.I just read the portion on the Six Day War and everything that led PM Levi Eshkol to make the decision to go to war, and how they decided to attempt to capture the Old City of Jerusalem and the reactions to the success. While the politicians of those days of Israel were largely secular, they were very "Jewish", and I think they were far more "Jewish" than we give them credit for nowadays.
For example, after the first day of the Six Day War, Avner relates an incident in which menachem Begin went to the Prime Minister's Tel Aviv Bureau "where they found an exuberant Levi eshkol in animated conversation with half-a-dozen equally elated ministers. "Mir dafen machen shecheyanu - we have to recite a thanksgiving blessing" called Eshkol to Begin, and he made him privy to the single most spectacular piece of news he had ever heard in his life. In a surprise attack that morning, the Israeli Air Force had virtually wiped out the Egyptian Air Force...... "Baruch Hashem!" exclaimed Begin...."
the first reaction was to make a shecheyanu. to say baruch hashem.
Avner continues relating more, and it gets to a point where the ministers are debating whether to move to take the rest of Jerusalem or not. When the decision was finally made to capture Jerusalem, the army did so with immediate success. Soldiers were pouring into the Kotel area and Menachem Begin went down to the Kotel as well. The soldiers were dancing and singing "Zeh Hayom Asa Hashem".. "As Begin touched the Wall, they ceased their song, and utter silence reigned when he laid his head upon one of its weathered stones. he spread out his arms in embrace, and then solemnly drew from his pocket a sheet of paper on which he had written a prayer. he had composed it himself for this very moment -a supplication suffused with scriptural and liturgical allusions to the Jewish people's rendezvous with their most sanctified of places..." and he goes on to relate the entire prayer, a few paragraphs long.
The book is peppered with such incidents and anecdotes and I had not even really noticed it until I was shocked by Eshkol's initial response to the first day's success - we must make a shecheyanu.
Were they secular? No doubt. Did they suffer from the "kochi v'otzem yadi"? No doubt. Were they very Jewish despite being secular and thank God for their success? Yes they did. It was not pure kochi v'otzem yadi as they are generally accused of. the State of Israel might be a secular state, but it is, and always was, very Jewish.
Monday, July 11, 2011
LAZER BEAMS: A Wobbly Reed
The prophet Ezekiel chastises the House of Israel for trusting in the aid of foreign powers (Ezekiel 29:6), that according to Rashi's commentary there, never ever helped. Rashi of saintly memory teaches elsewhere (see his commentary on Kings II, 18:21) that whenever one leans on a wobbly reed, it breaks. Rabbenu Bahiya, author of the famed Chovot HaLevavot (Duties of the Heart) expands Rashi's train of thought, and teaches an important principle in Jewish spirituality: Whenever a Jew trusts anything or anyone other than Hashem, Hashem moves away and casts the Jew at the mercy of the futile and miserable object of his trust. This is no joke; that's why I talk about emuna day and night.
Let's not waste our valuable time or breath on the tempest in the tea cup of politics and trumped-up Hollywood-style crises. Make an intelligent decision on how current events affect your life and where your future is - yes, beloved brother and sister - I'm referring again to Aliya. Start giving it some good, hard thought.
The first principle of our faith is that Hashem did, does, and will do every deed. In that respect, no government or individual has any power over us - we are completely in Hashem's hands.
Israel can only rely on Hashem - past, present, and future. If we strengthen our emuna, G-d willing, our beloved holy land - with all our villages, towns, cities, homes - will remain in tact, amen. What does it mean to strengthen them? Simple - more Torah, more holiness, more unity, and more acts of compassion and loving-kindness. The month of Nissan is a wonderful time for teshuva, too.
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
Hu Yivarech - A Song for the IDF Soldiers - VERY POWERFUL
Hu Yivarech - A Song for the IDF Soldiers, By DOV. As they defend the rights of the Jewish people within our homeland, we must always keep the brave men and women of the IDF in our hearts and minds. This song, a prayer for their safety, and the well being of all mankind, should serve to inspire each of us to give them support and remain strong.
DOV is the newest contemporary Jewish Pop Singer. His debut album DOV: The Gift is on sale now at your local Judaica store and on iTunes. The title of his album, "The Gift," is a reminder that we each can make this world a better place as we share our own unique and special gifts.
Visit www.dovmusic.com for more information about DOV's album, full song lyrics and English translation, and to see exclusive behind the scenes photos and info from his first music video.
Hu Yivarech
written by Dov Hoschander and David Ross
Music Production: David Ross
Video Production: Studioaviv.com
Thursday, March 31, 2011
JAPAN AND ISRAEL
JAPAN AND ISRAEL
CLICK ON HEADLINES TO READ FULL ARTICLES
The Government of Japan deplores the decisions of the Government of Israel to give permission for the construction of 1,600 housing units in East Jerusalem in addition to 112 units in West Bank just after the Israeli and Palestinian leadership’s acceptance of the start of indirect talks.
The Government of Japan does not recognize any act that prejudges the final status of Jerusalem and the territories in the pre-1967 borders
Japan condemns the demolishing of a part of the Shepherd’s Hotel in East Jerusalem with a view to constructing new housing units for Jewish people.
Japan does not recognize any unilateral measures that prejudge the final resolution on pre-1967 borders, nor does Japan recognize the annexation of East Jerusalem by Israel.
In this regard, Japan urges Israel to refrain from any unilateral act that could change the existing conditions of East Jerusalem.
Ambassador Yutaka Iimura, Special Envoy of the Government of Japan for the Middle East, who was in Israel, has already informed Israeli Government officials of Japanese views.
Japan once again strongly encourages both the Israel and the Palestinian sides to focus on the goal of a two-state solution, which is important not only for the Middle East but also for the international community as a whole; to act in such a way that mutual trust will be developed; and to continue efforts for peace tenaciously.
Japan welcomes the series of economic measures announced by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Quartet Representative Tony Blair on the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.
Japan hopes that based on this announcement, measures will be fully and promptly implemented for economic growth as well as for the improvement of the social and living conditions in the Palestinian territories, particularly the Gaza Strip.
Japan will pay close attention to any developments surrounding this matter.
Japan also hopes that these measures will enhance the mutual trust between the Israeli and Palestinian sides, although they are not a substitute for negotiations for Middle East peace.
Japan, for its part, calls upon both parties to exert further efforts for the resumption of peace negotiations.
The Government of Japan is concerned about the Jerusalem municipal planning committee’s approval of a plan to build housing units for Jewish people in the Sheih Jarrah of East Jerusalem.Such act goes against the efforts by the international community to resume the negotiations.
The Government of Japan does not recognize any act that prejudges the final status of the territories in the pre-1967 borders nor Israel’s annexation of East Jerusalem.
Japan urges Israel to refrain from any unilateral act that
changes the current situation in East Jerusalem.
changes the current situation in East Jerusalem.
Dr Fayyad and Naofumi Hashimoto, representative of Japan to the PNA, signed a $32.5 million agreement for the project of treating the waste water in Jericho.
Dr Fayyad pointed out that this important, vital, and strategic project falls under the PNA's plan that aims at the establishment of the institutions of the state of Palestine and its infrastructure. It also comes in concordance with the strategy set by the Japanese Government to support the PNA in the fields of development, improvement of the infrastructure, and enhancement of the ability of the PNA to offer services not only in terms of infrastructure, but in diverse social, educational, and other domains. He said: "Ever since its establishment, Japan has offered the PNA more than $1.1 billion."
He added: "I single out the interest of the Japanese Government in executing projects in Jericho and in the Jordan Valley, where it implemented projects totalling $40 million, including roads, schools, and important vital utilities in this important area of our country in the Jordan Valley. We count on the implementation of more initiatives and projects that our people were deprived of because of the Israeli measures that aim at isolating this area."
Monday, February 21, 2011
IDF deputy chief: Israel's army needs faith in God more than tanks; Deputy Chief of Staff Yair Naveh said the events currently shaking the Arab world 'were ordained from above' by a guiding hand
The events currently shaking the Arab world "were ordained from above" by a guiding hand, Israel Defense Forces Deputy Chief of Staff Yair Naveh said on Sunday. Naveh added that the Israeli army needed faith in God now more than its supply of planes and tanks.
Naveh made the statements while accompanying Israel's two chief rabbis, Rabbi Yona Metzger and Rabbi Shlomo Amar, on their visit to the chief military rabbi's office at the Tzrifin base.
In remarks during the visit captured by the pro-settler news outlet Arutz 7, Naveh called Israel an island of calm in the storm of the Middle East, turmoil that had not been foreseen by intelligence officials despite their good work.
"But it was ordained from above," he said, "and we don't know where it will lead, but it's clear to us that there is a hand from above."
Naveh said supposedly democratic forces in the Middle East have always been supplanted by negative extremist and religious forces. Addressing the chief rabbis, Naveh called the IDF a Jewish army, an army of believers and an army that from the beginning always "knew how to create the right balance among communities represented in it, all the religions represented in it, but always leading with the power of faith and adherence to mitzvot [religious commandments]."
He said in recent years, the army had become more welcoming to religious soldiers.
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
LAZER BEAMS: The End of Moderate Islam
Israeli intelligence once again failed to read the Egyptian writing on the wall. Just a week ago, the new head of military intelligence Major General Aviv Kochavi said, "There are currently no doubts about the stability of the regime in Egypt. The Muslim Brotherhood is not organized enough to take over, they haven't managed to consolidate their efforts in a significant direction." How could he have missed target so miserably?
History repeats itself. In 1973, both the Israeli Government and military intel made the same mistake, by refusing to believe that Egypt and Syria would attack Israel.
In all fairness to Israeli intel, none of the other Western Intel agencies had an inkling about what was about to explode in Egypt. Same goes for the media.
So what's wrong with both the media and Israeli Intel? Simple - they fail to look at events through the eyes of emuna. The fail to realize what Hashem is doing and therefore miss obvious trends that any emuna-oriented novice would pick up on immediately.
First Ben-Ali's 23-year pro-American regime fell in Tunis this past month. Hezbolla's quiet takeover of Lebanon has turned the country of cedars into an Iranian satellite state. Then came Egypt. The naive console themselves that Dr. Mohammed ElBaradei will become President of Egypt, but ElBaradei - an Iranian pawn - will turn our Southern neighbor into an Iranian satellite state too, together with massive support from the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt. Iran-controlled Hamas has already turned Gaza into an Iranian base of operations long ago. If that's not enough, there's now serious unrest in Jordan, and King Abdulla has dissolved the current government.
The Islamic noose is tightening around Israel's neck. You've heard me say many times that Hamas will eventually take over the West Bank of the Jordan from Abu Mazzan and the PA, which will complete the Iranian-sponsored air-tight seal of Israel's land borders.
The Israeli Government is in a cold sweat from current events. If they would only strengthen emuna, they'd be cool, calm, and collected. Why?
Hashem has promised to redeem us. But He also told us that before the Redemption, we'd be surrounded by bloodthirsty enemies who will attempt to destroy us. Their designs will end in defeat by way of a massive sanctification of Hashem's Name (see Ezekiel 38: 16-23).
What can we do? Spreading Emuna neutralizes enemy missiles. How? Lebanon, Hamas, Hezbolla, the Muslim Brotherhood, Iran and all others that threaten us are merely sticks in Hashem's loving hand. By spreading and strengthening our emuna, Hashem doesn't need to use them as a wake-up call for us.
Israel has a nasty track record of drifting away from Hashem when life appears to be fat city (see Book of Judges, especially Judges 10: 16-23). We must break this cycle once and for all. Only a massive awakening of emuna can deter a massive barrage of ballistic missiles. This is no joke; that's why we must move forward in emuna now, wherever we are. The time of Moshiach is fast arriving, and with it, the end of moderate Islam.
If there's any doubt in your mind, we have no loyal allies other than Hashem. Just ask Ben Ali and Mubarrak if anyone came to their aid. But, this is great news - with no one else to trust, hopefully, our people will return to Hashem en masse, and soon, Insh'Allah (Arabic for G-d willing).
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Monday, November 22, 2010
Sunday, November 21, 2010
Friday, October 29, 2010
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