Friday, November 07, 2003
Sparks from Israel
Free Choice
The world was designed with free choice in mind. Never has it been easier to come to Israel. A free plane ride, money to get started and a nation with all the modern conveniences one might desire. Yet it appears that this choice is a difficult one to make, because there are also strong forces of gravity that can pull one in a different direction and make Israel feel like the ‘last’ place to be.
Every generation has their own level of free choice and the forces of destruction never come in the same guise. In the 1930’s there was sympathy for the brown shirted Germans who had been the victims of economic sanctions from the west. Today we know these brown shirts as Nazis and have no sympathy for them. There is no longer ‘free choice’.
Today, however, there is sympathy for a new underdog - the unfortunate Arabs who because of economic sanctions and nationalistic aspirations are compelled to terrorism, poor things. We understand when they cheer for a Malaysian Muslim leader who exposes the ‘Jew’ who runs the world and gets others to die for them that their ‘Jew hatred’ is only in connection to Israel and so the reality of their hatred and their preparation for Holy War in the cities we think are safe, is clouded from our eyes, just as the protection that Israel affords is also hidden.
All of this confusion is created simply for our benefit, so that we can make ‘free choices’ and earn a reward for them. Noah spent 120 years building an ark, simply for this reason, so that those who didn’t see the obvious would be startled by the work of this man and his family and question the future of a world where lawlessness is given the freedom to destroy. I suppose they felt that if this man was right, they too would jump on the ship in the last minute, but in the end they were not able to.
I imagine Canadian Jews must have felt a little nervous when in response to the threat of terrorism; they discussed canceling all El Al flights from Canada. I suppose in a world where it’s so easy to come to Israel, to balance this ‘free choice’ it can also be just as easy to remove this option. But who knows, maybe we too have another 120 years before that option is removed. Personally, I believe if one wanted to feel safe, secure, and cautious in these tumultuous times, I would make a reservation on Noah’s ark. Its really quite affordable and you can even get glatt kosher meals.
Free Choice
The world was designed with free choice in mind. Never has it been easier to come to Israel. A free plane ride, money to get started and a nation with all the modern conveniences one might desire. Yet it appears that this choice is a difficult one to make, because there are also strong forces of gravity that can pull one in a different direction and make Israel feel like the ‘last’ place to be.
Every generation has their own level of free choice and the forces of destruction never come in the same guise. In the 1930’s there was sympathy for the brown shirted Germans who had been the victims of economic sanctions from the west. Today we know these brown shirts as Nazis and have no sympathy for them. There is no longer ‘free choice’.
Today, however, there is sympathy for a new underdog - the unfortunate Arabs who because of economic sanctions and nationalistic aspirations are compelled to terrorism, poor things. We understand when they cheer for a Malaysian Muslim leader who exposes the ‘Jew’ who runs the world and gets others to die for them that their ‘Jew hatred’ is only in connection to Israel and so the reality of their hatred and their preparation for Holy War in the cities we think are safe, is clouded from our eyes, just as the protection that Israel affords is also hidden.
All of this confusion is created simply for our benefit, so that we can make ‘free choices’ and earn a reward for them. Noah spent 120 years building an ark, simply for this reason, so that those who didn’t see the obvious would be startled by the work of this man and his family and question the future of a world where lawlessness is given the freedom to destroy. I suppose they felt that if this man was right, they too would jump on the ship in the last minute, but in the end they were not able to.
I imagine Canadian Jews must have felt a little nervous when in response to the threat of terrorism; they discussed canceling all El Al flights from Canada. I suppose in a world where it’s so easy to come to Israel, to balance this ‘free choice’ it can also be just as easy to remove this option. But who knows, maybe we too have another 120 years before that option is removed. Personally, I believe if one wanted to feel safe, secure, and cautious in these tumultuous times, I would make a reservation on Noah’s ark. Its really quite affordable and you can even get glatt kosher meals.
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