Wednesday, July 11, 2007
Chanuka 2005
Sparks From Israel
For Better or Worse
I told myself I would never write another Sparks from Israel. But tonight I am absolutely drunk, and it’s the 5th night of Chanuka and so I will tell you about the holiness of our nation, even though I still think we are a bunch of slaves and taskmasters.
At 3 am, after drinking all night in one club, I went to another club that was still packed, and lo and behold at 3 a.m. two men with black hats and beards had the DJ stop the music, as they lit the Chanuka candles, and the crowd sang along with the Chanuka prayers. I thought I was hallucinating, but no, this is Israel.
At 4 a.m. as I left that bar and staggered home, I stopped into the chips store, and asked the cook, what wisdom he could impart on the 5th night of Chanuka. He told me, that he always liked the passage regarding Yacov, that he worked for 7 years for Rachel but to him it seemed like only days. I kissed the Rav of the chips, and blessed him that his light should increase in the world.
Who would think the man who fries potatoes in oil all night would think of such passages of Torah. Such holy people, even though they worship America, and New York, and all that is there. Still in the middle of their parties and drunken stupors, they can light Chanuka candles and give divreh Torah.
There is no other people like the Nation of Israel, and in my mind, I don’t even have a choice to leave here. There is nothing like this land and I have absolutely no desire for a different land. Even if we lack vision and faith, still this is a land like no other. These are the sons and daughters of prophets, and the sons and daughters of slaves. There is absolutely no other choice in my mind. Better an Israel that is infected with foolishness, than an exile that dreams of a perfect Israel that will never be.
July, 2006
Sparks from Israel
Soldiers off to War
When you watch those old Hollywood movies of young people going off to war, it always seems so distant, like a far off time of romance and adventure. Here in Israel the war time past is always present. You see eighteen year old boys dressed in uniform, machine gun slung over their shoulder riding the bus with their girlfriend on their way to the base. You see them in love and kissing wondering inside if it will be the last kiss. Bravery and self sacrifice are part of the fabric of this society and distinguish it from the complacent and fearful worlds that exist in other places.
We are a strong and passionate people, an army of poets and scholars. Even though we stumble like a lion cub tripping over its feet I still feel proud to be part of this Nation. I heard in Seattle one crazed Arab went and shot some Jews. The city was immobilized. Every synagogue was locked. Although the military plans of our leaders may not accomplish the job, our brothers in the exile have no plan at all. There is no force that protects them except trying to look invisible.
I feel far safer here in the middle of the raging sea then alone in a world disconnected from the current of life. Certainly everywhere there is existence. But existence is not life. It’s better to be alive and living well in Israel than being invisible and safe in a lonely guarded palace.
A friend of mine who is a 16 year old chabbadnik recently got his drivers license. He has rented a car and gone repeatedly to the northern border to put tefillin on the troops. He described to me the deserted highways, the missiles falling all around, dodging the bits of shrapnel on the roads. For him and his friends it was a thrilling experience. He wondered jokingly what was a better way to die; by a Ketusha or by a Kassam. These are your people Israel, from soldiers to civilians. There is no fear, only duty, perseverance and prayers.
Rosh Hoshanna 2006
Sparks From Israel
Gush Katif a Year Later
On Rosh Hoshanna, a year after the Hitnatkut I sat at a Shabbat table with some exiled Gush Katif residents. We reflected on the teshuva the Nation had done over the year. Our host, who was a resident of Sfat, had lived through a summer of 600 katusha missiles falling in his back yard. He said he could not help thinking as the missiles were falling all around him, what his friends in the Gush had lived through for many years and realized that even he, who was sympathetic to their plight, could have felt more and done more.
Surprisingly some Tel Aviv friends of mine who were ardent supporters of the Hitnatkut where shocked when the Arabs had the audacity to bite the hand that gave them Gush Katif. They mostly have woken up to the realization that the Arabs are not interested in creating a Palestine, but rather in destroying Israel. I didn’t think one needed to be a rocket scientist to come to this conclusion, but some of my friends actually are rocket scientists, and they are still putting together the broken pieces of their delusions.
We spoke about the strange fate of Sharon, not alive and not dead from the moment the Hitnatkut began till now. A friend of mine heard from a Mekubal that the reason he has not died is because the earth does not want to take him. The man who disturbed the dead and unearthed so many Jewish graves may not have the privilege of being buried and like the rest of the Nation he too must go through a process of teshuva before being laid to rest.
When asked how the Hitnatkut had affected their faith, one of the exiled guests said some remarkable things. She said her faith had not been diminished even though she had fought to the last minute expecting a miracle. In retrospect, she said, one must also accept that this decree was Hashem’s will. She went on to say that one of the Rabbi’s of the Gush comforted the people by telling them that they had the privilege of being the Tzadikim who were sold in order to avert possibly harsher decrees against the whole Nation and like Yoseph who was sold to Egypt these perfidious events are still unraveling and leading us somewhere.
The most haunting image that she remembered was the teshuva she witnessed entering the hearts of even the hardest soldiers. They had been trained to expect an armed rebellion and were ready to shoot and possible kill their brothers. What they met were people dancing with Torah’s and singing and praying. They saw the heart and the soul of the Jewish people and no one had trained them for this experience. The children and grand-children of those who had escaped persecution had now become the persecutors and this was the family that they never knew. Many soldiers broke down and were sobbing.
She went on to say, that the effect that the Hitnatkut had to the Nation and the war that followed was profound. Not only did the whole Nation see that we are all Gush Katif but the seeds that were sown from those tears are still bearing fruit.
From the self sacrifice of the children of the Orange Revolution, the Tzadikim who’s homes and livelihoods were destroyed, the soldiers who found a crack in their armor just below their hearts, the masses of Northern refugees that suddenly became Gush Katif, the tears of the families of the fallen, the bubble of indifference and complacency that was shattered, the isolation and fear, which is the beginning of faith and wisdom, all of these pieces are finding their place in the puzzle as the new light of the year approaches. May it speed the way for us to rebuild all that which is broken.
Yom Kippur 2006
Sparks From Israel
The Quiz
In the old country before January 1st you might see some news shorts about people and their New Year resolutions, along with a list of places to party. In Israel, however, it is a little different. The day before Yom Kippur I was stopped on the street by a group of 12 year old kids. Their teacher was taking them on a Yom Kippur outing and their job was to interview people about Yom Kippur. They asked me if I planned to fast this year, and what was the meaning to me. Was their anything I would do differently this year? What was the meaning of the Yom Kippur prayers to me? What role does Hashem play? They wrote down my answers in their books and it felt so nice to connect with the children of our Nation on such a deep level regarding the meaning of prayer. Our New Year isn’t a party, but a re-awakening.
Outside and Inside
A late comer ran into the synagogue to say Kadish in a loud voice followed by a Baruch Hu. The congregation answered ‘amen’ and then one person said to him we don’t do ‘Baruch hu’ now, we have an order that we follow, you should come early. He yelled back at this man for embarrassing him and went on to say that he missed the Boruch Hu prayer and it’s the obligation of the congregation to respond ‘amen’ regardless, and then others began debating and the man said in a loud voice. ‘Is there anyone else who would like to publicly embarrass me the day before Yom Kippur, please, I invite you’.
Threatened with the prospect of divine retribution the crowd settled down and after a few more moments of bickering everyone was sitting at the same table eating a nice Kiddush sharing Vodka and words of Torah. I turned to my Canadian friend and said ‘you see how normal it is here? Where we come from people are polite and that person would have held his resentment inside for a week a month, maybe years, from one silly comment. Here people react, they get upset, they yell at each other, and then it’s forgotten and they are brothers again. It’s great to be Jew in a land of Jews and learn how to be the same outside as you are inside.
Sparks From Israel
For Better or Worse
I told myself I would never write another Sparks from Israel. But tonight I am absolutely drunk, and it’s the 5th night of Chanuka and so I will tell you about the holiness of our nation, even though I still think we are a bunch of slaves and taskmasters.
At 3 am, after drinking all night in one club, I went to another club that was still packed, and lo and behold at 3 a.m. two men with black hats and beards had the DJ stop the music, as they lit the Chanuka candles, and the crowd sang along with the Chanuka prayers. I thought I was hallucinating, but no, this is Israel.
At 4 a.m. as I left that bar and staggered home, I stopped into the chips store, and asked the cook, what wisdom he could impart on the 5th night of Chanuka. He told me, that he always liked the passage regarding Yacov, that he worked for 7 years for Rachel but to him it seemed like only days. I kissed the Rav of the chips, and blessed him that his light should increase in the world.
Who would think the man who fries potatoes in oil all night would think of such passages of Torah. Such holy people, even though they worship America, and New York, and all that is there. Still in the middle of their parties and drunken stupors, they can light Chanuka candles and give divreh Torah.
There is no other people like the Nation of Israel, and in my mind, I don’t even have a choice to leave here. There is nothing like this land and I have absolutely no desire for a different land. Even if we lack vision and faith, still this is a land like no other. These are the sons and daughters of prophets, and the sons and daughters of slaves. There is absolutely no other choice in my mind. Better an Israel that is infected with foolishness, than an exile that dreams of a perfect Israel that will never be.
July, 2006
Sparks from Israel
Soldiers off to War
When you watch those old Hollywood movies of young people going off to war, it always seems so distant, like a far off time of romance and adventure. Here in Israel the war time past is always present. You see eighteen year old boys dressed in uniform, machine gun slung over their shoulder riding the bus with their girlfriend on their way to the base. You see them in love and kissing wondering inside if it will be the last kiss. Bravery and self sacrifice are part of the fabric of this society and distinguish it from the complacent and fearful worlds that exist in other places.
We are a strong and passionate people, an army of poets and scholars. Even though we stumble like a lion cub tripping over its feet I still feel proud to be part of this Nation. I heard in Seattle one crazed Arab went and shot some Jews. The city was immobilized. Every synagogue was locked. Although the military plans of our leaders may not accomplish the job, our brothers in the exile have no plan at all. There is no force that protects them except trying to look invisible.
I feel far safer here in the middle of the raging sea then alone in a world disconnected from the current of life. Certainly everywhere there is existence. But existence is not life. It’s better to be alive and living well in Israel than being invisible and safe in a lonely guarded palace.
A friend of mine who is a 16 year old chabbadnik recently got his drivers license. He has rented a car and gone repeatedly to the northern border to put tefillin on the troops. He described to me the deserted highways, the missiles falling all around, dodging the bits of shrapnel on the roads. For him and his friends it was a thrilling experience. He wondered jokingly what was a better way to die; by a Ketusha or by a Kassam. These are your people Israel, from soldiers to civilians. There is no fear, only duty, perseverance and prayers.
Rosh Hoshanna 2006
Sparks From Israel
Gush Katif a Year Later
On Rosh Hoshanna, a year after the Hitnatkut I sat at a Shabbat table with some exiled Gush Katif residents. We reflected on the teshuva the Nation had done over the year. Our host, who was a resident of Sfat, had lived through a summer of 600 katusha missiles falling in his back yard. He said he could not help thinking as the missiles were falling all around him, what his friends in the Gush had lived through for many years and realized that even he, who was sympathetic to their plight, could have felt more and done more.
Surprisingly some Tel Aviv friends of mine who were ardent supporters of the Hitnatkut where shocked when the Arabs had the audacity to bite the hand that gave them Gush Katif. They mostly have woken up to the realization that the Arabs are not interested in creating a Palestine, but rather in destroying Israel. I didn’t think one needed to be a rocket scientist to come to this conclusion, but some of my friends actually are rocket scientists, and they are still putting together the broken pieces of their delusions.
We spoke about the strange fate of Sharon, not alive and not dead from the moment the Hitnatkut began till now. A friend of mine heard from a Mekubal that the reason he has not died is because the earth does not want to take him. The man who disturbed the dead and unearthed so many Jewish graves may not have the privilege of being buried and like the rest of the Nation he too must go through a process of teshuva before being laid to rest.
When asked how the Hitnatkut had affected their faith, one of the exiled guests said some remarkable things. She said her faith had not been diminished even though she had fought to the last minute expecting a miracle. In retrospect, she said, one must also accept that this decree was Hashem’s will. She went on to say that one of the Rabbi’s of the Gush comforted the people by telling them that they had the privilege of being the Tzadikim who were sold in order to avert possibly harsher decrees against the whole Nation and like Yoseph who was sold to Egypt these perfidious events are still unraveling and leading us somewhere.
The most haunting image that she remembered was the teshuva she witnessed entering the hearts of even the hardest soldiers. They had been trained to expect an armed rebellion and were ready to shoot and possible kill their brothers. What they met were people dancing with Torah’s and singing and praying. They saw the heart and the soul of the Jewish people and no one had trained them for this experience. The children and grand-children of those who had escaped persecution had now become the persecutors and this was the family that they never knew. Many soldiers broke down and were sobbing.
She went on to say, that the effect that the Hitnatkut had to the Nation and the war that followed was profound. Not only did the whole Nation see that we are all Gush Katif but the seeds that were sown from those tears are still bearing fruit.
From the self sacrifice of the children of the Orange Revolution, the Tzadikim who’s homes and livelihoods were destroyed, the soldiers who found a crack in their armor just below their hearts, the masses of Northern refugees that suddenly became Gush Katif, the tears of the families of the fallen, the bubble of indifference and complacency that was shattered, the isolation and fear, which is the beginning of faith and wisdom, all of these pieces are finding their place in the puzzle as the new light of the year approaches. May it speed the way for us to rebuild all that which is broken.
Yom Kippur 2006
Sparks From Israel
The Quiz
In the old country before January 1st you might see some news shorts about people and their New Year resolutions, along with a list of places to party. In Israel, however, it is a little different. The day before Yom Kippur I was stopped on the street by a group of 12 year old kids. Their teacher was taking them on a Yom Kippur outing and their job was to interview people about Yom Kippur. They asked me if I planned to fast this year, and what was the meaning to me. Was their anything I would do differently this year? What was the meaning of the Yom Kippur prayers to me? What role does Hashem play? They wrote down my answers in their books and it felt so nice to connect with the children of our Nation on such a deep level regarding the meaning of prayer. Our New Year isn’t a party, but a re-awakening.
Outside and Inside
A late comer ran into the synagogue to say Kadish in a loud voice followed by a Baruch Hu. The congregation answered ‘amen’ and then one person said to him we don’t do ‘Baruch hu’ now, we have an order that we follow, you should come early. He yelled back at this man for embarrassing him and went on to say that he missed the Boruch Hu prayer and it’s the obligation of the congregation to respond ‘amen’ regardless, and then others began debating and the man said in a loud voice. ‘Is there anyone else who would like to publicly embarrass me the day before Yom Kippur, please, I invite you’.
Threatened with the prospect of divine retribution the crowd settled down and after a few more moments of bickering everyone was sitting at the same table eating a nice Kiddush sharing Vodka and words of Torah. I turned to my Canadian friend and said ‘you see how normal it is here? Where we come from people are polite and that person would have held his resentment inside for a week a month, maybe years, from one silly comment. Here people react, they get upset, they yell at each other, and then it’s forgotten and they are brothers again. It’s great to be Jew in a land of Jews and learn how to be the same outside as you are inside.
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