Friday, July 15, 2005
Sparks of Israel
Moshe and the Rock
I recall the weeks before Pesach when I was visiting the old country. A famous learned rabbi was speaking and someone asked how they are supposed to fulfill the requirement of feeling as if we were slaves in Egypt? I suggested that to understand what happened at that time, we could think about our brothers at this time, who are having a Pesach Seder in Gush Katif.
The same overwhelming odds against this small group, and the same expectation of a miracle might inspire our Seder tables so that we can better appreciate the original Exodus and make it happen again in our own time. The Rabbi didn’t agree, and was resigned to the fact that this Jewish expulsion was inevitable and was the product of anti-religious propaganda from an anti-religious state.
What made me recall this story at this time? Parsha Chukat- where Moshe gets angry and hits the rock and is condemned to not enter the Land of Israel. Even though water eventually came gushing out of this rock, the water of Torah that poured forth was Torah of the exile, that had lost its meaning. Moshe had lost touch with the people, and instead of being angry at them, he had an opportunity to bring out the best in them and raise them to a new level.
The same rock that sustained Hagar, the mother of the Ishmaelites, condemned Moshe who gave us the Torah. Even the Ishmaelites who took possession of a Land that was not given to them, understood its miraculous powers better than those who were never troubled by their disinheritance from it.
Those who love the Land, understand that the Land speaks, and water pours forth even from a rock. The Land will not tolerate its children being torn from them, and its children will not tolerate being separated from her. One doesn’t need to be a rabbinical student to understand this he only needs a new heart formed in the Land of Israel.
Despite leaders that accept the unacceptable, and continue to lash out at their arch-enemies, instead of speaking to the hearts of the people, the hearts of the people will speak to them and alone, they will bring forth miracles from above. A new generation has already entered the Land and despite all the Pharaohs of Egypt and our own Meraglim and Korach’s and rock hitting rabbis, the revolution has begun and from here you can smell the salt of the sea beginning to part.
Moshe and the Rock
I recall the weeks before Pesach when I was visiting the old country. A famous learned rabbi was speaking and someone asked how they are supposed to fulfill the requirement of feeling as if we were slaves in Egypt? I suggested that to understand what happened at that time, we could think about our brothers at this time, who are having a Pesach Seder in Gush Katif.
The same overwhelming odds against this small group, and the same expectation of a miracle might inspire our Seder tables so that we can better appreciate the original Exodus and make it happen again in our own time. The Rabbi didn’t agree, and was resigned to the fact that this Jewish expulsion was inevitable and was the product of anti-religious propaganda from an anti-religious state.
What made me recall this story at this time? Parsha Chukat- where Moshe gets angry and hits the rock and is condemned to not enter the Land of Israel. Even though water eventually came gushing out of this rock, the water of Torah that poured forth was Torah of the exile, that had lost its meaning. Moshe had lost touch with the people, and instead of being angry at them, he had an opportunity to bring out the best in them and raise them to a new level.
The same rock that sustained Hagar, the mother of the Ishmaelites, condemned Moshe who gave us the Torah. Even the Ishmaelites who took possession of a Land that was not given to them, understood its miraculous powers better than those who were never troubled by their disinheritance from it.
Those who love the Land, understand that the Land speaks, and water pours forth even from a rock. The Land will not tolerate its children being torn from them, and its children will not tolerate being separated from her. One doesn’t need to be a rabbinical student to understand this he only needs a new heart formed in the Land of Israel.
Despite leaders that accept the unacceptable, and continue to lash out at their arch-enemies, instead of speaking to the hearts of the people, the hearts of the people will speak to them and alone, they will bring forth miracles from above. A new generation has already entered the Land and despite all the Pharaohs of Egypt and our own Meraglim and Korach’s and rock hitting rabbis, the revolution has begun and from here you can smell the salt of the sea beginning to part.
Friday, July 08, 2005
Sparks From Israel
Good News and Bad News
First the bad news
A young protester showed me a note that was sent to the wives of the policemen who are being trained to remove the residents of Gush Katif. The note asked the wives to be patient because their husbands would not be coming home for a few months, when they begin their holy work.
It goes on to explain how there will be four policeman for every citizen of Gush Katif. They will insure the safety of these residents and remove infants from the arms of their hysterical mother’s before proceeding to remove the parents and their belongings. They recognize that this may be a traumatic experience for some, and so they are enlisting the help of Druze and Bedouin policeman who of course will not have the same trauma as our soldiers, and might even enjoy this kind of work.
Is this Germany? Stalinist Russia? No, it’s Israel 2005.
And the good news
This same 15 year old protester belonged to a yeshiva, which together with his friends succeeded in bringing highways to a halt, closing down bus stations and an assortment of Gush Katif pranks that stunned the police department. This activism is not limited to the religious sector. On Shabbat walking along the beach of Tel Aviv, there were Gush Katif protestors, with megaphones that the police could not remove, because the sun bathers began marching with them.
For thousands of years, Jews have been at the mercy of our host countries, and for the most part sat quietly, relying on our leaders to barter for our best interests. That Jew died in the Holocaust and a new Jew was born. Not only the Jewish soldier, but the Jewish activist was born.
In the 60’s Jewish protest began with Meir Kahane and the Jewish Defense League. This handful of Jews succeeded in bringing the Russian Empire to its knees and ultimately releasing over a million of our brothers from behind the iron curtain. Meir Kahane paid a great price for his activism on behalf of the people he loved.
He was murdered a block away from the twin towers warning of terrorism that could happen, and not by coincidence did happen, 11 years later on September 11th in the same spot, by the same people. Nine months before September 11th Meir Kahane’s son was also murdered for his activism and just as the world changed on that fateful day when these two towers crumbled, so did something within the Jewish body.
Those towers of activism who alone led the conscience of the Jewish people were no longer. But from the ashes young seeds of fire were born, and today their orange light burns brightly. The police push and shove the peaceful orange protesters, they spray them with water cannons and they throw these youngsters in jail, but they cannot stop the tides from turning.
Finally yeshiva students are putting their chulent spoons down and getting arrested for civil disobedience (as my young protester friend says, the food in prison is kosher and you can study all day). Finally Jews regardless of their level of observance are demonstrating Ahavat Israel that even ‘frum’ Rabbi’s from the exile, couldn’t come close to.
The good news is that ‘the times they are a changing’ and our great Nation is about to give birth once again. The generation of young Jewish soldiers, who also have young idealism and passion for their people are coming of age. The generation of self-serving politicians and self-hating Jews has already ended. The generation of true leadership that comes from sacrifice, concern, and love for one’s people, has begun.
As the day of the earthquake approaches and the tremors are felt throughout the Land, I can’t help but feel incredibly lucky to witness these new pages of the Torah being written before my eyes, and to taste the future before it arrives. Some resign themselves to studying a Torah that has no connection to the present, but as far as I can see, the best pages are yet to be written.
Good News and Bad News
First the bad news
A young protester showed me a note that was sent to the wives of the policemen who are being trained to remove the residents of Gush Katif. The note asked the wives to be patient because their husbands would not be coming home for a few months, when they begin their holy work.
It goes on to explain how there will be four policeman for every citizen of Gush Katif. They will insure the safety of these residents and remove infants from the arms of their hysterical mother’s before proceeding to remove the parents and their belongings. They recognize that this may be a traumatic experience for some, and so they are enlisting the help of Druze and Bedouin policeman who of course will not have the same trauma as our soldiers, and might even enjoy this kind of work.
Is this Germany? Stalinist Russia? No, it’s Israel 2005.
And the good news
This same 15 year old protester belonged to a yeshiva, which together with his friends succeeded in bringing highways to a halt, closing down bus stations and an assortment of Gush Katif pranks that stunned the police department. This activism is not limited to the religious sector. On Shabbat walking along the beach of Tel Aviv, there were Gush Katif protestors, with megaphones that the police could not remove, because the sun bathers began marching with them.
For thousands of years, Jews have been at the mercy of our host countries, and for the most part sat quietly, relying on our leaders to barter for our best interests. That Jew died in the Holocaust and a new Jew was born. Not only the Jewish soldier, but the Jewish activist was born.
In the 60’s Jewish protest began with Meir Kahane and the Jewish Defense League. This handful of Jews succeeded in bringing the Russian Empire to its knees and ultimately releasing over a million of our brothers from behind the iron curtain. Meir Kahane paid a great price for his activism on behalf of the people he loved.
He was murdered a block away from the twin towers warning of terrorism that could happen, and not by coincidence did happen, 11 years later on September 11th in the same spot, by the same people. Nine months before September 11th Meir Kahane’s son was also murdered for his activism and just as the world changed on that fateful day when these two towers crumbled, so did something within the Jewish body.
Those towers of activism who alone led the conscience of the Jewish people were no longer. But from the ashes young seeds of fire were born, and today their orange light burns brightly. The police push and shove the peaceful orange protesters, they spray them with water cannons and they throw these youngsters in jail, but they cannot stop the tides from turning.
Finally yeshiva students are putting their chulent spoons down and getting arrested for civil disobedience (as my young protester friend says, the food in prison is kosher and you can study all day). Finally Jews regardless of their level of observance are demonstrating Ahavat Israel that even ‘frum’ Rabbi’s from the exile, couldn’t come close to.
The good news is that ‘the times they are a changing’ and our great Nation is about to give birth once again. The generation of young Jewish soldiers, who also have young idealism and passion for their people are coming of age. The generation of self-serving politicians and self-hating Jews has already ended. The generation of true leadership that comes from sacrifice, concern, and love for one’s people, has begun.
As the day of the earthquake approaches and the tremors are felt throughout the Land, I can’t help but feel incredibly lucky to witness these new pages of the Torah being written before my eyes, and to taste the future before it arrives. Some resign themselves to studying a Torah that has no connection to the present, but as far as I can see, the best pages are yet to be written.
