Lazer Beams

Can You Judge a Horse?

A vintage Israeli anecdote tells about a meeting in the early 1970’s between Prime Minister Golda Meir and U.S. President Richard Nixon. Golda claimed that her job was tougher than Nixon’s. Nixon vehemently disagreed: “What are you talking about, Ms. Prime Minister? I govern a nation of 300 million people – one hundred times the size of your tiny nation!”

“True, Mister President,” remarked Golda, “but I run a nation of 3 million prime ministers!”

* * *

Like all my fellow “prime ministers” in Israel, I had many reservations about the Gilad Shalit deal and the release of so many terrorists with blood on their hands. The families who lost loved ones would now be reliving the sharpest of their pains by seeing the hideous terrorist murderers walk free. Yet, who could turn a blind eye to Gilad Shalit, already five and a half years held prisoner is a Gaza dungeon? On the other hand, what about future dangers of arch terrorists back in circulation? This seemed to be even more difficult than King Solomon’s case of the two mothers fighting over the live baby…

But, as soon as Rabbi Ovadia Yosef shlit’a, the leading rabbinical posek (law-giver) of this generation, gave his green light to the prisoner swap, I know longer had any more opinions. Daat Torah – the stance of Torah – had been officially established, and therefore there was no more need to speak or write a single word on the subject.

Unfortunately, there were those who took exception to Rabbi Ovadia’s decision, citing the dangers of so many arch-terrorists back in circulation. Surely, Rabbi Ovadia considered all sides of the matter. Yet, those who objected to his decision cannot fathom the depth of his thought process or the ocean of Torah sources that Rabbi Ovadia reviewed while making his decision. And thank G-d, Gilad Shalit is home, alive and recuperating...

Continue reading Can You Judge a Horse on this week's stimulating issue of Breslev Israel web magazine.

Also featured this week:

Rabbi Shalom Arush: 10 Remembrances

Rabbi Nissan Dovid Kivak: In Order, Out of Order

Rabbi Avraham Yitzchak Kook - Great Like the Stars

Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach: Air of Israel

Racheli Reckles: A Dead End

Gila David: Emuna Envy

Rivka Levy: Hamster Heaven

Yael Karni: Dear Failure

Chaya Ovadia: Flipping the Switch

Here's praying for a peaceful week. Blessings always, LB

 

The Morning After

My good friend Emmanuel lives 600 meters from me - the image below is from the parking lot in front of his house, where a GRAD missile fell yesterday, gutting six cars but miraculously not hitting the two adjacent 15-story residential buildings. The streets are very quiet in Ashdod this morning; schools are closed and people are sticking close to home.

Sunday Morning Missile Attack on Ashdod

At 6:45 AM, I was walking home after our sunrise minyan, and the Red Alert sounded. I sprinted to shelter, and 30 seconds later we heard 4 explosions - another barrage of 4 GRAD missiles. Thank G-d, all fell in open spaces; 2 of them were within a kilometer of where I live.

The Jihad Islami says that they're only warming up.

Multiple Rocket Attacks on South of Israel

The winds of war are returning the south of Israel. My beloved home town of Ashdod was attacked with a barrage of four GRAD missiles at 4:45 PM on Shabbat. The closest missile landed about 1200 meters from our flat. An elementary school suffered a direct hit, but miraculously, it was empty at the time. Another missile hit a house in a village immediately east of Ashdod causing extensive damage and injuring one person.

A second barrage of four GRAD missiles struck Ashdod at 6:45 PM. This time, one missing crashed into an apartment-building parking lot some 600 meters from where I live. As far as we know, two people have been injured and ten are suffering from shock. A miracle occurred here to, for the rocket - which caused several cars to explode in flames - started a fire in the adjacent building. Several people were trapped inside, but were rescued by fire fighters.

An hour later, shortly before 8 PM, our neighboring city Ashkelon, 8 miles south of Ashdod, came under missile attack. One home took a direct hit and one person has been killed and at least two others have been wounded.

Until further notice, public gatherings of 500 people and over have been cancelled. As of today, schools will be closed in Ashdod, Ashkelon and other communities in the Gaza periphery, also until further notice.

All in all, 30 GRAD missiles were fired at the south of Israel in recent hours. The Islamic Jihad has declared responsibility, threatening more attacks in the near future.

If you saw the structural damage in Ashdod, you wouldn't believe that there have been so few casualties. Like King David says in Psalm 127, if Hashem doesn't guard a city, then any other guards are wasting their time.

Dangerous Escalation: As opposed to previous missile attacks on Ashdod, today's two barrages or four rockets each landed in quick succession, on after the other. Ynet reports that these rockets were launched using a multi-barrel rocket launcher, the Islamic Jihad has claimed in a new clip it has published. According to the terror group, it was the first time such a device has been used in Gaza. The device, which was mounted on a vehicle, is reminiscent of the fire power demonstrated by the Iranian-supported Hezbolla in the Second Lebanon War.

Special Message to Parents in the South of Israel: Your children are looking at you to see how you react when the Red Alert sounds. Move quickly to shelter, but don't raise your voice or panic. Smile and pretend to the little ones like it's a game of hide-and-seek. Much potential fear and anxiety can be avoided when we show our children that we are calm and confident, for Hashem is guarding over us. This is the time to teach and talk about emuna to our children.

Let's all pray for good news and a peaceful week.

Your Own Path

Today's Emuna Lesson shows that your must be pursuing your won designated path in life in order to be truly gratified.

Parshat Noach: Created in Hashem's Image

Today's 10-minute mini lesson on this week's Torah portion tells how to win over people and exert your power over all of creation...

Moshe Rabbenu and NASA

So many people are worried that their sons prefer Torah study in Yeshiva to university. Be proud and happy, and please don't worry anymore. 

Hashem taught Moshe Rabbenu on Mount Sinai things that NASA is only discovering today, thanks to their advanced technological equipment. And, Moshe Rabbenu didn't have satellites or atomic clocks - he didn't need them.

My wonderful friends and colleagues at Israel National News have made a beautiful sanctification of Hashem's name by comparing NASA's latest research on the lunar cycle to what our sages in Talmud have known for the past thousands of years:

The Talmud states that the lunar cycle spans ‘29.5 days and 793 fractions of an hour’. In Talmudic terms, the hour is divided into 1080 parts.

793/1080 = 0.734259 hours.

0.734259/24 = 0.03059 days.

29.5 days + 0.03059 days  =  29.53059 days for the moon to travel around Earth.

NASA Research concluded that the lunar cycle is 29.530588 days, two 1/1000ths of a second short of the Talmudic figure. More advanced research in Berlin came to a figure of 29.530589 days, only one thousandth of a second short of the Talmudic figure.

The Sinai tradition of the span of the lunar cycle is thus corroborated by figures reached via advanced satellites and atomic clocks.

Put down the astronomy book and start learning Tractate Rosh Hashana, the Rambam's laws of the new moon, and the Tiferet Yisroel's commentary on Mishnayot. If you're looking for a degree, go to university; if you're looking for wisdom, go to the Torah.