Nothing Personal, Mickey!
Alex points out how we continue to see the sins of the spies. Even today we hear people slandering the land. "Who needs Gaza? It's too dangerous!" This reminds me of something I wrote a couple of years ago. While it was a response to a different comment, the slander - the loshen hara - remains exactly the same!

The title was "Why We Should Not Be Afraid":

What do you say? What do you say when someone, maybe a friend or a relative or simply just a another member of Klal Yisrael - how can you respond when they mention that for Pesach they were planning on going to Eretz Yisrael, the land promised to our forefathers. The land of Avraham, Yitzchok, and Yaakov Aveenu. The land ruled by Dovid and Shlomo Hamelach. The land of the Beit Hamikdosh [the Temple]; the first, second and BemiHayRah BiYamanu [speedily in our days], the third! They were planning on being Olah Regel, visiting our homeland, Eretz Yisrael, but alas, "you know, the 'situation.'" So instead, for Pesach, they are going to Florida, the land of Mickey Mouse and Goofey.

THIS...


OR...


Since such feelings of despair are so widespread I suspect most of us know someone who recently altered their plans. So what did I answer? There are different ways to address this issue. We've all heard the "we can't let the terrorists win" argument. Perhaps you've also heard the "there are still more people killed in car accidents than by terrorists" one. But I didn't use either of those approaches. Nor did I point out that America has not been immune from terror. Instead I pointed to a recent article from the new "Ask the Rabbi" feature on Arutz-7. Rabbi Samson plans on addressing this issue in depth over the next few weeks. He introduces his response by quoting a story brought down by Rabbi Dichovsky, ZT"L, in his sefer, Neot Desha where he recounts his visit to the Chofetz Chaim ZT"L, in order to ask him about moving to Israel at a time of clear and present danger.

The year was 1933, just a few years after the Hevron Massacare of 1929. I highly recommend everyone read the full story at israelnn.com but I'll quote the very end of it here where the Chofetz Chaim responds:

'The holy Torah tells us regarding Ishmael that he is a 'pere adam,' a wild beast of a man. It is known that our Torah is eternal, and if it says about Ishmael that he is a wild beast of a man, then Ishmael will remain forever a wild beast of a man. Even if all of the cultured nations of the world will gather together and try to educate Ishmael and transform him into a cultured individual, so that he will no longer be a wild beast of a man, obviously this will be impossible in every fashion or form. They will not be able to do this through any means whatsoever, because he is not capable of being a cultured individual, for behold, the Torah testified regarding him that he is a wild beast of a man. This means that forever, for all eternity, Ishmael is by definition a wild beast of a man. Even if Ishmael will be involved in intellectual endeavor, like being a lawyer, or some similar profession, then he will be a beastly lawyer. If he will study diligently to be a professor, then he will be a beastly professor. This means that the bestiality of Ishmael will never cease.'

"Then the Chofetz Chaim let out a long, painful sigh and said, 'Who knows what this wild beast of a man is capable of perpetrating against the Jewish people in the end of days?'

"Concluding his words to me, he said, 'Nevertheless, fear not - there is no reason for this to prevent you from making Aliyah to the Land of Israel.'

"Then he blessed me, saying, 'Go in peace, and the L-rd will bless your path.' So I left him, and journeyed in peace to the Holy Land."
[End Quote]

So we know how the Chofetz Chaim felt. Still I was puzzled about why he felt this way since he doesn't seem to explain. I'd like to suggest a possible explanation. It's interesting to note that the Chofetz Chaim used the words "fear not." He also said "It is known that our Torah is eternal." Which got me thinking about how the conversation I had paralleled parts of Parshat Shalach which I quote below using Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan's ZT"L translation from "The Living Torah":

"I was thinking of going to Eretz Yisrael. How beautiful it must be to be there on Pesach. But, you know, the situation. The terrorists are out in full force."
13:27-28) They gave the following report: "We came to the land where you sent us, and it is indeed flowing with milk and honey, as you can see from its fruit. However, the people living in the land are aggressive, and the cities are large and well fortified.

"But, that's no reason not to go!" I said.
13:30) Caleb tried to quiet the people for Moses. "We must go forth and occupy the land," he said. "We can do it!"

"Are you kidding? You can't go outside without having to worry about a bomb or a drive-by shooting, chas v'sholom. People are being slaughtered everyday. It's a war zone! The terrorists are more than we can handle."
13:31-32) "We cannot go forward against those people!" replied the men who had gone with him. "They are too strong for us!" They began to speak badly about the land that they had explored. They told the Israelites, "The land that we crossed to explore is a land that consumes its inhabitants. All the men we saw there were huge!

"Yes, I'm very sad about what's happening in Israel. But it's just too dangerous. Flordia, on the other hand, is nice and peaceful. It has nice weather this time of year and the hotels are so luxurious. Why should I have to worry about the Intifada? It's best to stay here in America where it's safe."
14:1-4) The entire community raised a hubbub and began to shout. That night, the people wept. All the Israelites complained to Moses and Aaron. The entire community was saying, "We wish we had died in Egypt! We should have died in this desert! Why is G-d bringing us to this land to die by the sword? Our wives and children will be captives! It would be best to go back to Egypt!" The people started saying to one another, Let's appoint a [new] leader and go back to Egypt."

Now I know how to respond as the Torah continues:

14:5-9) Moses and Aaron fell on their faces before the whole assembled Israelite community. Among the men who had explored the land, Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Yefuneh tore their clothes in grief. They said to the whole Israelite community, "The land through which we passed in our exploration is a very, very, good land! If G-d is satisfied with us and brings us to this land, He can give it to us--a land flowing with milk and honey. But don't rebel against G-d! Don't be afraid of the people in the land! They have lost their protection and shall be our prey! G-d is with us, so don't be afraid!"

And this is the Emes [truth]! It doesn't matter which government is in power. If Hashem wants peace there will be peace, and only if Hashem wants peace will there be peace. "If G-d is satisfied with us and brings us to this land, He can give it to us-a land flowing with milk and honey." So yes, say Tehillim and do Tschuvah, so we are deserving, but please "don't rebel against G-d! Don't be afraid of the people in the land! They have lost their protection and shall be our prey! G-d is with us, so don't be afraid!" As the Chofetz Chaim said "fear not!"

This seems like an appropriate place to end. But I would be omitting the scariest and most important part. Since Klal Yisrael WAS afraid even after all Hashem did for us...

14:23) They will therefore not see the land that I swore to their ancestors. All those who provoked Me will not see it.

Let us not repeat the mistakes of our past.

- posted by Pinchas @ 12:01 AM Permalink Home

 
The fruits of a life in Israel
Today I realized, for the hundredth time, exactly what it means to live in the Land of Israel.

I picked some Mishmish (apricot) from a tree outside my office at Israel National Radio today - 13 fruits.





If you pick more than ten fruits from a tree in the land, you have to take tithes from it. But I wasn't so knowledgeable about the fine details, so I took the fruits back into the office and asked my colleagues. Two of them proceeded to give me an entire shiur (lesson) on terumot and maasrot (during Temple times, in present day, during Shmittah year, during this year (the 3rd year)), and a third actually said the required passages to take the maaser, while the second then took the fruits and took upon himself the duty of giving the portion required to the poor. Then I said a blessing and ate from the portion of fruit remaining.

It was amazing.

It was the Living Torah, the Torah of today's Jew, the modern ancient person in the flourishing holy land. The fruit of a 30 year old tree being sanctified as was the fruit of her great, great, great, great grandmother. The bottom line is that it's all happening out here. It's for real, not just on paper. It's just so alive.
- posted by Malkah @ 4:16 PM Permalink Home

 
Spies, Wars, Disengagement, and Appreciation
I can't help but notice the string of symbolic events crossing paths this week. Parshat Shelach foreshadows the unfortunate theme of placing human reasoning before the immediate realization of G-d's plan. We all know the story of the spies sent on a reconnaissance mission to the land of milk and honey, meant to lay the foundation for the Jewish people's early entry into Eretz Yisrael. Their negative report (on a land even they confirmed to be quite fertile) doomed the Jewish people to remain in the Galut and wander the desert for forty years until their generation was purged, so that only the next generation would merit entering G-d's land. As a G-d loving Jew, it is difficult to sympathize with the sins of the incident, although we continue to see them throughout Jewish and modern Israeli history.

Though unattached to anniversaries or readings of this week, the Jewish people preferred to stay in the Galut during the era of the Second Temple as well. Many Jews today fervently proclaim their desire to pick up to Israel the second the Mashiach will arise and usher in the era of the Third Temple. This is easy to understand. It is difficult to understand why any Jew would prefer the Galut to an Eretz Yisrael with a Temple, as the Jewish people did during the times of Ezra and Nechemia.

I am now entrenched in Michael Oren's densely filled history book of Israel's Six Day War in 1967. In the weeks preceding the war, at a point when war was most certainly imminent, it is almost astonishing to note just how many Israeli politicians staunchly favored guarantees from the United States and the International community, versus placing our faith in G-d and taking our fate into our own responsibility. Only the military elite favored a pre-emptive attack. In fact, I was not sure whether to laugh or cry when reading of one General Arik Sharon's chastising of Levi Eshkol for attempting to 'pander' to the desires of America for material guarantees. Sharon and the Generals proved to be correct in their minority assessment, and conquering the lands Eretz Yisrael by force was indeed proven to be a part of Hashem's glorious plan.

Now, on the Gregorian anniversary of the historic Six Day War, Israeli politicians seek to give lands of Eretz Yisrael away. And, those very same lands which were boldly secured with Hashem's help in 1967. In fact, you can even read of ideas to bring back Jordanians into Yehuda and Shomron, Egypt into 'Azza, and talks of peace with Syria which may lead to a return of the Golan Heights. (I hadn't even realized that we were currently at war with Syria.)

Furthermore, Jews living abroad speak of remaining in the Galut until a time when responsibility no longer needs to be taken to secure one's fate in G-d's ultimate plan.

This disengagement talk and the stubbornness of the Galut wreaks of the same misguideness that steered the incident of the spies, the failure of Jews to return during the era of the Second Temple, and the ideas that came surprisingly close to costing Israel in 1967.

When you read Tanach, you realize that one must put faith in Hashem above all else, and recognize Hashem's plan for the Jewish people to inherit Israel (which often takes a foreceful effort). By loving and appreciating Hashem as the One with life's true logic, we can easily submit to his plan for the Jewish people and immediately realize our inheritance.

When the spies cost the Jewish people in the Midbar, Hashem's plan was not averted, only those who would realize the plan were changed. In Megillat Esther, Mordechai instructs Esther before the impending tragedy about to engulf the Jewish people (shortly before the eventual rebuilding of the Second Temple): "If you persist (in resisting your responsibility to the Jewish nation)... relief and deliverance will come to the Jews from some other place, while you and your father?s house will perish."

Esther met her responsibilities, the Jewish people were saved and the Second Temple was built soon after. In the Midbar, the spies did not meet their responsibilities and did not merit entering into Israel (except of course for Calev and Yehoshua), although the next generation of the Jewish nation would enter 40 years later.

In June 1967, Israel met its responsibilities with blessings and miracles from Hashem. I can only hope that today on the anniversary of thrilling victory, we will accept our responsibilities and destiny, appreciate G-d's love for us and our fear of G-d, and merit to fully inherit Eretz Yisrael for ourselves and the entire Jewish nation in our lifetimes.

- posted by alex @ 12:19 AM Permalink Home

 
Great photos from the Kumah trek to Gush Katif on Yom Ha'Atzmaut, Israeli Independance Day.





- posted by Yishai @ 6:26 PM Permalink Home