Lazer Beams

Coming Home

Home of the Kohen Gadol (High Priest) - Tel Shilo, sight of the Holy Tabernacle

Before King David bought Mount Moriah from Arnon the Jebusite, our Holy Tabernacle was in Shilo - that was about 2700 years ago. Eli was High Priest at the time. The dwelling in the photo above was most probably his home. Shilo is in the heart of the hill country of Ephraim, the land that Hashem gave to our people.

When you visit here, you feel at home. Why? A Jewish soul, when it comes to a place like the Kotel, the Machpela Cave, or Shilo, is coming home. The Jewish soul is even older than this land, and it has been here before.

A million UNs and a billion PA declarations won't separate us from this land, as long as we are worthy of it. That's why emuna and teshuva are the key words now. Chodesh Tov! 

Not the Time for Silence

This evening, we usher in the new month of Elul, the month of teshuva and the last month of the Jewish New Year. This was the day that Moses began his 40-day prayer stint atop Mount Sinai, begging Hashem to forgive the Children of Israel for the golden calf fiasco. The forty days ended on Yom Kippur, when Hashem told Moses, salachti kidvarecha - "I have forgiven as you have requested."

Today, I met with one of Israel's leading rabbis. I asked him, "Honorable Rabbi, why are all our spiritual leaders silent in the face of everything our people are facing now? Why don't they get up and speak? Why are you silent?"

The Rabbi answered me, "Our people are broken. They can't stomach any chastising now. We shouldn't speak if they won't listen. Besides, it will only make things worse."

I humbly disagreed. I told the Rabbi that in the army, the only way to bring a shell-shocked soldier out of his stupor is to slap him in the face. I also told him that in my humble opinion, all our troubles are the result of continued intramural hatred. Sure, there are so many wonderful things about our people - their Torah, the thousands of new BTs, mutual aid societies of every shape and form. But, the petty jealousies and the stupid infighting are still there - both of which are manifestations of lack of emuna. The Rabbi shrugged, indicating that the discussion was over.

Business as usual? Yesterday, we lost another magnificent tzaddik, Rabbi Moshe Yosef Reichenberg of Monsey, of blessed memory. Rabbi Reichenberg gave his life trying to save a child who in all likelihood he didn't even know. This was an act of the greatest form of ahavat Yisrael that can be. I have no doubt that Rabbi Reichenberg has already been ushered in the highest portals of Gan Eden.

Leiby Kletzky, Baba Elazar, and now Rabbi Moshe Yosef Reichenberg, all of saintly and blessed memory. Who needs more martyrs? Sorry Rabbi, I'm tired of funerals and Katyusha rockets. And what about Syria's doomsday arsenal of the most unthinkable deadly chemical warheads, all aimed at us? And what about a whole new stream of weapons pouring into Gaza from Libya? And what about the new wave of terror from Egypt and from the so-called Palestinian Authority? And what about the continued bombing of Israel's south? And what about Egypt's new regime that also wants to destroy us, starting with Eilat? And what about the back-to-back earthquake and hurricane in the USA? Is Hashem not raising the volume to make us listen? In 3 short weeks, the nations of the world will try to delegitimize our country by recognizing our enemy's so-called right to a homeland on our tiny piece of G-d given real estate. Do you know what that means? How can you be quiet?

Honorable Rabbi, with such a stormy start of Elul, you - who so many people look up to - can no longer be quiet. As a leader of our people, it's your task to raise your voice even if it's not the most popular thing to do right now. Now is a time for action. Being frum doesn't help much if you turn your nose up at a dark-skinned Jew. When Rabbi Moshe Yosef Reichenberg jumped out of his car in the middle of a hurricane to save a little boy, he didn't ask the injured lad what shtiebel his father davened in. Rabbi Moshe Yosef acted like Hashem's bravest commando. That's how we all must act - with dedication and willingness to risk everything for a fellow Jew, no matter who he or she is. 

I'm sorry, Rabbi. You have forgotten more Torah than I have learned. I am dust at your shoes. But I'm sick of the sacrifices and sick of seeing my neighbors wince every time they hear a siren. Hashem expects us to cry out in behalf of our people and to repair what we need to repair. That's exactly what Moshe Rabbenu did for the 40 days that begin today. Please forgive my insolence, Honorable Rabbi, but this is not the time for silence.  

Moshiach on the Way?

Yonah the Prophet had to suffer a tempest at sea and three subsequent days in the belly of a whale before he woke up and returned to Hashem with all his heart. Must we also, Heaven forbid?

As I'm writing this article, flood waters are rising in New York City despite the fact that Hurricane Irene has been degraded to a tropical storm. And, on the other side of the Atlantic, rockets fired from Gaza are still falling in the South of Israel, despite the fact that there's supposed to be a ceasefire.

Despite the fact... Are we starting to understand that we don't run the show? Is anyone foolish enough to see that our fate is not in our own hands?

Hashem is raising the volume in all of our ears, whether we're in the USA, Canada, UK, Australia, or Israel: It's time to anticipate Moshiach. Come home, beloved children, don't miss the glorious hour of Redemption!

Why don't we hear Hashem's call to prepare ourselves and to return home to Him with all our hearts?

The Evil Inclination desensitizes us. The EI is a master anesthesiologist - despite the hurricanes, earthquakes, missile attacks, and deaths of tzaddikim, we still don't feel the birth pains of Redemption. That must stop - we must begin preparing ourselves in anticipation of Moshiach right now!

But wait a second: The difference between speculation, that is, predicting the date of Moshiach's arrival, and between anticipation and preparation for Moshiach, is like the difference between light and darkness. The former is forbidden, and the latter is an absolute obligation. The Yetzer Hora, or EI (evil inclination) wants to convince you that they're both the same. He desensitizes us to believe that any mention of Moshiach is forbidden. Why? The arrival of Moshiach marks the beginning of the Yetzer's end...

Continue reading Anticipating Moshiach in this week's stimulating issue of Breslev Israel web magazine.

Also this week:

Rabbi Shalom Arush: Morality and Money

Rabbi Nissan Dovid Kivak: The Illusion of This World

Rabbi Avraham Yitzchak Kook: The Murderer's Admission

Rabbi Avraham Kletzky: Confession - A New Perspective

Tal Rotem: Rebirth of the Judean Flute

Zev Ballen: Emuna and Unity

Rivka Levy: God is Real

Natalie Kovan: Techno Kosher

Chaya Ovadia: The Sponge

Dovber Halevi: Taking Care of Our Own

We thank Hashem that all of our cherished friends in the East Coast of the USA are safe. Have a wonderful week with good tidings! 

Toying with Israel

It's amazing how the Gazans are toying with Israel. At the very moments of this writing, rockets are once again falling on Sderot and on the Gaza-area villages. Our government - if it acts at all - will perfunctorally bomb some sand hill in the south of Gaza so as not to ruffle any feathers in Cairo or in Washington. The Gazans declare ceasefires twice a day, then violate them four times a day. Our sniffling leaders do nothing. Why? Hashem has tied their hands.

Many here in the south of Israel are clamoring that the Government lacks backbone; that's only a symptom. What the Government lacks is emuna. Emuna would give them the strength to declare - by deeds and nort by words - that this is our land and we will build it and defend it and our citizens as we see fit. The strength of emuna is what creates deterrence, not macho declarations by double-chinned politicians who cannot control their own bodily urges, much less deal with the enemy. So what has happened? Hashem has put Israel in a situation where the government has lost control.

The government here is afraid to react to Hamas and friends, for the following reasons:

1. They don't want to anger Washington or Cairo.

2. They're afraid of a war opening up on a second front, namely in the North, for Assad and Hizbulla would love such a conflict right now.

3. The government itself doesn't believe in its absolute right to build in and settle our entire G-d given country.

4. As long as the simple southerners of Sderot, Beer Sheva, Ashkelon and Ashdod get bombed and not the atheist-elite sidewalk cafes of Tel Aviv, it's no big deal.

What the government doesn't realize is that the showdown with Assad and Hizbulla as well as with Gaza will come anyway. And, with September 20th fast on the way, if the PA succeeds in gaining UN recognition, a war will break out anyway. So what must we do?

We must throw ourselves in Hashem's arms with real teshuva. We must gird ourselves with emuna and rid ourselves of the appeasement mentality. We should not be afraid of international isolation. The Torah promises that isolation is the key to our security, Vayishkon Yisrael betach badad (Devarim 33:28), Israel shall dwell securely alone.

When you fear One, you fear no one. 

North Carolina's Jonah

The Gemara says that sailors are mostly pious people. Why? Sailors see all types of life-threatening tempests and squalls at sea, so not only do they have the fear of The Almighty in their hearts, but they're always calling His Name to save them. 

Scripture tells us that sailors have a sharp sense of spiritual awareness as well. When Jonah tried to run away from Hashem, he boarded a ship at the Jaffa port. At sea, the ship was tossed and turned by monstrous waves. The sailors drew lots, and the short straw fell on Jonah. They realized that Jonah was the reason for the impending catastrophe, for the ship was about to splinter, so they threw him overboard. The sea subsided and the sailors and their ship were saved.

Hashem doesn't do things at random. Why is hurricane Irene advancing toward the good
and decent folks of North Carolina? It's simple - North Carolina has its own Jonah: Jonathan Pollard, rotting away in a cell in Butner for the last 26 years when his crime should have incurred no more than an 8-year sentence. Words can't describe the cruel utterly inhuman way that Pollard has been treated, not being allowed to see his dying father or even attend his funeral.

The USA could save itself billions of impending damage and lives as well by freeing Pollard right now. There's no doubt in my mind or heart that Irene will just disappear if Pollard walks out of Butner. There's proof to what I'm saying in the Gemara - see tractate Brachot 59a: When Hashem sees that his children in exile are in anguish, He sheds two tears in the sea. Hashem's two tears because of Pollard could be what's causing Hurricane Irene to be such a threat right now.

What can you do to help? Phone, fax, or email the White House right now. For the safety of America, demand the immediate release of Jonathan Pollard. 

Cherished friends and family on the US East Coast, you have our incessant prayers for your wellbeing.

Where is Moshiach?

We pray for peace and for good weather, but if we endure earthquakes and rocket attacks, we have to thank Hashem for them as well as for anything else that comes our way.  In the following 9-minute clip, you'll learn why. Have a wonderful Shabbat!

Irene and Iran

Yes, the Geula is coming closer. We must observe what Hashem is doing in the world. In
Israel, we have the constant threat of Iran. Now, the USA is being threatened with Irene. "Irene" and "Iran" are spelled with the same letters in Hebrew - aleph, yud, resh, nun. If you scrabble those letters, you get nun-yud-resh-aleph, which means we must fear.

Yes, we must all fear - that's a law inherent in creation. But if you opt to fear One, then you need not fear anyone else. Emuna and yirat shamayim - true awe of Hashem - are the key words to keep us safe wherever we are, whether on the Mid-Atlantic Coast or on the Eastern Mediterranean Coast.