Jerusalem Insights

one candle

Beginning With One Candle

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one candleFor the first time in history a people rose up in rebellion as a result of their spiritual life being threatened rather than their physical survival. In the 2nd century BCE, the Syrian- Greek regime of Antiochus sought to pull Jews away from Judaism, with the hopes of assimilating them into the darkness of man centered Hellenism. The Syrian Greek warlord Antiochus outlawed aspects of Jewish observance such as circumcision, celebrating the new month and torah study. In response, a small band of courageous Jews took to the hills of Judea in open revolt against this threat. Antiochus sent thousands of well-armed troops to crush the rebellion but in the end he was himself defeated.

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Esav and Jacob

The Two Sides of Esav ( Esau)

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Esav and Jacob

The government of Israel is again being pressured and attacked. It is again being forced to compromise and retreat without any similar request being transmitted to the other side , that is the Palestinian side. All this without any tangible guarantees or assurances.

Instead of the Palestinians offering concrete proposals to enhance the possibility of peace we are receiving vague promises from this American Administration. The US Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton has offered Netanyahu some “gifts” in exchange for the building freeze in the Biblical heartland, among them 20 F-35 jets worth $3 billion, a veto on a unilateral declaration of statehood by the Palestinians, and a vow that the freeze would not include Jerusalem.

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We are not for sale

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If Netanyahu wishes to be remembered as something more than another hack, he should end these destructive talks and tell the Obama administration the truth. Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu is playing with fire. And Israel is getting burned.

pomegranate

The Seeds of the Pomegranate

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pomegranate

Before the recent days of Rosh Hashana  I was standing in prayer at the Kotel .A man from the new community of Yevul that I had known from the days of the expulsion from Gush Katif ,tapped my shoulder. After warm greetings he said that he had a gift for my family in the car

The people of Yevul were all former residents of the Netzarim community that had been situated perilously close to the city of Gaza. They were a community that painfully suffered many losses to terrorism but nevertheless steadfastly held on to their belief felt that holding unto their land was critical for Israel’s security.

Yitzchak Rabin once said of this community, ” If Netzarim did not exist I would have to create it. Netzarim is the greatest reason for our military presence to be in an area so close to the city Gaza and its port .The Gaza port   has been the main funnel for destructive weapons and due to the courage of these people we are right there, watching”

What terrorism could not do,though, the government of Ariel Sharon did.

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Yom Kippur War

Re-Experiencing the Challanges

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The Ba’al Shem Tov  the founder of modern day Hassidism said “Forgetting is the beginning of Exile; Remembering is the beginning of Redemption.”

Yom Kippur WarPresident Shimon Peres said in an interview with David Hume (2000) the following chilling words, “You know, they say the Jewish people have a long memory. What we need is a rich imagination today, because the things that are going to happen-or did happen already-are so revolutionary that the past becomes pale-irrelevant.” We are living in a world that glorifies the present and denies its responsibilities of the past. As a result we continue to get mired in the same erroneous conceptions and mistakes that have plagued us for generations. This is because destiny and time do not run in linear fashion but rather as a cyclical spiral ascending to its climax. Yet as the spiral ascends the same challenges reoccur and the same points of decision reappear. It is at those junctures that responsible and destiny driven decisions must be made or else the same mistakes will reoccur.

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Nazi Salute

The Specter of Palestine

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Nazi Salute

Last week another chapter of Israeli-Palestinian “peace talks” began. It hasn’t gone very far yet, and it still could all break down. But for those who see a sovereign Palestinian state in the West Bank and Gaza as an intolerable security threat to Israel, it’s enough to induce unease.

Imagine cutting two chunks out of New Jersey, adding up to almost one-fourth of its land mass, and setting up a deeply hostile statelet in them with a population nurtured in hatred for generations. Rocket firings, sniper fire, and terror incursions are some of the problems that spring to mind. Not to mention—particularly since this “New Jersey” is in the Middle East—alliances with enemy countries, which could include inviting such countries’ armies into its territory. Collusions involving sabotage or even WMD attacks are not at all far-fetched.

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Yom Kippur

Yom Kippur, the Festival of Freedom

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Yom KippurYom Kippur, the holiest day of the year is marked by great intensity fervor and meditation. While it is true that the gates of the Divine Palace are always accessible to each individual every day of the year, nevertheless the gates are there, the guards are in place and the moat encircles the Palace. That is to say that “Life” and all of its continual flow continues to place obstacles in our way in our attempt to find the way within our soul , into the heavenly palace.

On these Days of Awe,　the “King” is in the field. He is (metaphorically speaking) standing in the spot where we are standing and is within easy reach. As we reach the final day of the ten days of Awe the urgency of the moment overtakes of and the sense of the “closing　 of the gates” seizes our hearts　 in its dramatic grip.

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Obama and Bibi

Withstanding Presidential Pressure

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Yoram Ettinger, “Second Thought”
YnetNews, September 4, 2010

Obama and BibiIsrael’s support among Americans is as robust as always, expected to be reinforced following the midterm November, 2010 election.
Anyone claiming that Israel’s Prime Minister cannot endure US presidential pressure – and therefore must accept sweeping concessions – is either dramatically mistaken, outrageously misleading or attempting to justify inability to endure pressure.

In August 2010, Israel was ranked by “The Rusmussen Report” – for the second year in a row – as the third most favored ally of the USA (71%), following Canada and Britain, ahead of Germany, Japan, France and Mexico, significantly ahead of Egypt (42%) and Saudi Arabia (21%).
In April 2010, “The Quinnipiac Institute” – often quoted by The New York Times, the Washington Post and CNN – documented public support of Obama’s national security policy, other than one issue: Israel!  By an overwhelming majority of 66%:19% Americans expect President Obama to further his support of Israel.

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