Lazer Beams

Pick Your Horse, by Baruch Becker

Nachman Emuna (left) joins Lazer (right) at the stable of Israeli politics. Out in the pasture, you see four scraggly old nags with the flies buzzing all around them. You see, not even the slick PR people can make these old horses look young and spirited. Here's the picture:

Livni (Kadima) - this old mare isn't even loyal to her own party, much less to the country she wants to lead. "Either make me Prime Minister or I quit!" As Olmert's Foreign Minister, she lied through her teeth about the virtues of UN Resolution 1701 that marked Israel's capitulation in the Second Lebanon War two years ago.

Bibi (Likud) - Bibi as Prime Minister wanted to surrender Hevron to the Arabs. As Sharon's Treasury Minister, he adopted a rob-the-poor give-to-the-rich policy cutting child stipends which financially crippled many large families. Israel doesn't need a poor-man's Clinton.

Mofaz (Kadima) - another general who wants to lead; as Chief of Staff in the army, he didn't do much to improve Israel's readiness.

Barak (Labor) - father of the "secular revolution" whose aim is to rid Israel of anything Jewish. Another former general who as Prime Minister pulled the army out of South Lebanon and allowed Hizbulla to fill the void. Long on rhetoric, short on virtues.

Hey, who is that beautiful filly to the right? Her name is Emuna - she is the one you can count on - always.

Lazer Beams, by Baruch Becker

Our wonderful friend and well-known Disney illustrator Baruch Becker, the father of Emuna Outreach mascot Nachman Emuna (image, left) , has presented us with the first of the "Lazer Beams" comic strip, featuring Nachman Emuna and Lazer. We hope they put a smile on your face.

IMPORTANT NOTICE: Lazer's weekly Sunday broadcast on Tamar Yonah's weekend edition of Israel National Radio will now be at 3:10 PM Israel Time (8:10 AM EDT) instead of 4:30 PM, starting from today. Tune in!

Winning the War

Our special friend Baruch (Ken) Becker, talented Disney illustrator and the father of Nachman Emuna, has been worried about the various headlines lately: talk about relinquishing parts of Jerusalem, Judea, and Samaria to the PA, tension on the Syrian border, threats from Iran, Hizbolla, and the Hamas, and the constant media barrages against the religious public in Israel. He wrote me and asked me what he can do. I told him that the only way to win all the wars is with emuna - putting all our trust in Hashem. This is a two-fold battle - strengthening ourselves, and helping to strengthen others by doing whatever we can for Jewish outreach. Baruch wrote back, "Fine, I'd like to volunteer for Emuna Outreach's recruiting office, calling people to get closer to Hashem." I didn't exactly know what Baruch meant until he sent me this:

No need to Worry

Nothing in the world cures worry, stress, anxiety, sadness, and depression like emuna. Just ask little Natty Emuna. Natty Emuna magnets, such as the one pictured above, are included in every CD or book order over $15. Folks who order $25 or more get a Natty Emuna 5768 Calendar magnet. Seeing Natty Emuna smiling at you from your fridge door every morning helps you smile all day long.

Buried Treasure

People spend their entire lives searching for buried treasure. Really, the most precious commodity in the universe is latent and buried within each and every one of us. Would you like to know what it is? My good buddies Dry Bones and Natty Emuna are here today, and paraphrasing an old Beatles tune, I'm getting a little help from my friends:

Emuna is priceless. With emuna, you'll never have a negative emotion in your life, even under fire.

There's a sweet story behind the above caricature. Dry Bones and his talented wife artist Sali Ariel have been together for nearly forty years. Bones told me that Sali never once asked for a printout of a single one of his thousands of drawings. But, when she saw Natty Emuna and the buried treasure, she was enchanted; she asked for a printout to put on her wall.

Don't waste your life on the cheap stuff - be a high roller and put all your chips on the square that says "emuna." You'll be a guaranteed big winner, in this world and in the next.

Meet Natty Emuna

You all know Nachman Emuna, the hero of Emuna Outreach, created by our special friend in California, Disney illustrator Baruch (Ken) Becker, may Hashem bless him.

Hashem in his ever-loving kindness has sent Nachman a sidekick to help spread emuna in the world. Israel's famed political cartoonist, my esteemed buddy Dry Bones, has come up with Natty Emuna, a delightfully simple, loveable, and and beautifully innocent (tmimus v'pshitus - the hallmark of a Breslover) to beef up our staff.

I'm sure you and your children will love little Natty Emuna as much as we do here. Say hello to Natty:

The Adventures of Nachman Emuna

This is the first of something that I hope will evolve into a regular feature here in the Beams, thanks to the dedicated help of Emuna Outreach's cherished friend, Disney artist Baruch (Ken) Becker of California, may Hashem bless him always.

Nachman Emuna scores a direct hit on the Yetzer (evil inclination); no wonder - look at the ammo he uses!