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It is during these weeks that in Jewish homes and synagogues all over the world, we read of the many intriguing anecdotes leading to the birth and the final establishment of our nation, as well as celebrating the renewal of our nation's vitality under the leadership of the courageous Hasmoneans, and as we approach the holiday of Purim where Mordechai defiantly and stubbornly led the Jews of his time to overcome their enemies, that a thought from R. Moshe ben Nahman, the renown 13th century Torah scion known as Ramban, comes to mind. In his exposition on the verse in Bereshit 12:6 in the Torah, Ramban explains, based on our Sages' comment in Tanhuma 9, that what transpires with regard to our forefathers is meant to be a guide to us — their offspring. Consequently, the Torah describes our forefathers' happenings, comings and goings, actions and decisions at great length; and it is incumbent upon us to scrutinize the actions and anecdotes of our forefathers in order to learn from them.
In relation to our forefathers, the famous Torah scholar R. Moshe Sofer, known as the Hatam Sofer (1762 – 1806), notes a passage in the Talmud, Bava Batra 17a that informs us that four people lived their whole lives without performing any wrongful deed that would entail punishment of any sort, and the only reason that these individuals ever died was because G–d so decreed it on humanity in general when Adam and Eve sinned. These individuals are Benjamin the son of Jacob, Amram the father of Moses, Yishai the father of David and Kilav the son of David. Why, the Hatam Sofer asks, is barely anything mentioned in our holy works concerning these flawless individuals while so much is mentioned about Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses and David? Why are these individuals, who never even once sinned, not treated as our forefathers from whose actions we should learn?
The Hatam Sofer points out that none of the aforementioned individuals had any real confrontation with humanity at large nor did they do anything to reach out to humanity. While their remaining sinless and most pious is commendable and laudable, it does not serve as a paradigm of behavior for us. Their behavior is not one to rank them amongst our forefathers. To keep to oneself, do all that is readily palpable and obvious and remain pious is a lot simpler than making the extra effort and exhibiting the sensitivity to reach out to one's fellow, which bring with it constant challenges and hurdles that need to be overcome. It is consequently our forefathers Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, as well as Joseph, Moses and David, who, in the process of "going the extra mile" and reaching out to their fellow, slipped up ever so slightly during their rich lives, whom much is written about. It is these who, by combining immense piety with piercing sensitivity and enormous efforts towards their fellow, should be our models of behavior. By making an extra effort and striving towards a greater measure of caring, we may be prone to more mistakes, but only by doing so can we approach the greatness that our forefathers exemplified and which G–d wants us to aspire to.
As an example of the added effort and sensitivity that we are expected to exhibit over and above manifestations of piety, we need look no further than the first of our forefathers, Abraham. Abraham pitches his tent, not in the center of civilization but at the crossroads where travelers pass through in order that he may be a source of refreshment to some stranger who would benefit from it. Moreover, we are informed in the Torah (Bereshit chapter 18), while Abraham is undergoing tremendous discomfort, certainly enough to warrant taking some time off from his normal activities, Abraham does not rest and does not cease to look out for a traveler that he may give some comfort to. And when he sees three such travelers, he races about to prepare for them a 5–star meal consisting of the freshest meats and delectables. Would these wayfarers die if Abraham did not offer them a meal during their journey? Unlikely. The average wayfarer expected to be on the road for a long time and would prepare himself with water and other means of nourishment to help him reach his destination. Even if a traveler were to be chanced upon who was not faring well, certainly it would be enough to give him some bread that commentators say Abraham always kept around or some fruits or vegetables to help the traveler regain his strength. What need is there for a full course meal. And in his condition, why race around to prepare for his visitors? Certainly if he asked Sarah, she would have gotten together the meal. Abraham is overcome with the concept of helping the traveler, the wayfarer, the one who is away from home, to feel at home. Abraham did not suffice with normal manifestations of piety. If he had any fear whatsoever of the welfare of the traveler, Abraham could just as well have offered him water and bread and we would certainly recognize the piety of the deed. Abraham was preoccupied with a deeper and more sensitive appreciation of the traveler's welfare — his very discomfort in being a traveler away from home, unable to enjoy the comforts of home, and feeling alone, a discomfort that one at home does not readily recognize. Abraham did not suffice with manifestations of piety. Abraham extended himself and reached out to this traveler, sympathized with his discomfort and yearned and strived to fill the void in his life. Abraham's love for "hachnasat orchim" is treated with such reverence that our Sages derive that it even supercedes greeting the Divine Presence (Talmud, Shabbat 127a).
On a regular basis, B'Ahavat Yisrael representatives make a special effort to actively reach out to their fellow Jews who are away from home giving them a feeling of being at home. For those who cannot be at home, unable to enjoy the comforts of home, we bring a sense of home to them. For those who sometimes feel alone, far from most of their acquaintances and normal lifestyles, we bring them new acquaintances. B'Ahavat Yisrael representatives strive to sympathize with those who cannot be at home, reaching out to these individuals, whether they be hospitalized Jewish soldiers and victims of terror or Jewish soldiers stationed in out of the way locations in the land of Israel, offering them gifts of delicious home–made foods and refreshing beverages along with an attentive ear, thereby filling their void to whatever degree possible. In this way, B'Ahavat Yisrael does not suffice with the routine and normal expressions of piety. We follow the ways of our forefather Abraham to extend ourselves and reach out and sympathize with the discomfort of our brothers and sisters.
With the approach of Purim, celebrating the Jewish people's success in overcoming its enemies, B'Ahavat Yisrael, in line with its usual activities, will be setting out once again as in prior years to fill some of the void in the lives of our brothers and sisters who are caught at the front lines of our modern–day struggle against our enemies — our IDF soldiers and victims of terror. With the help of donations from our more fortunate brothers and sisters, B'Ahavat Yisrael representatives will be distributing hefty, sizable mishloach manot packages for Purim containing large deli sandwiches, beverages, grape juice, condiments, pickles and oznei haman (hamantaschen) to soldiers stationed far from home, in Gaza, Samaria and along the Lebanese border and to soldiers and victims of terror finding themselves in Israel's hospitals as a result of attacks by our enemies. At this especially festive and joyous time of year — a time of giving — when the loneliness and distance from their homes tends to be accentuated, we feel it all the more important to bring some of the taste of home to these soldiers and terror victims.
May the actions of our forefathers guide their offspring to reach out over and beyond their normal confines and like our forefather Abraham show the sensitivity and concern for our fellow Jews who are not as fortunate as we are — to reduce their discomfort by bringing a taste of home to someone far from home. And may we merit, thereby, our hastened and speedy redemption at the hands of our Messiah. Amen.
As we approach the joyous holiday of Pesach (Passover) and we prepare for the festive seder, we are reminded of the verse in the Torah in which G–d tells the offspring of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, "And I shall take you to Me for a nation" (Shmot 6:7).
After many years on foreign soil, subject to mistreatment and persecution by others, G–d miraculously releases the descendants of our forefather Jacob and forges them into a nation to be guided to the Holy Land promised by G–d to our forefathers.
It is during this holiday that we celebrate our independence as a nation and as a people, with our own unique characteristics and with a land and country to ourselves — the Nation of Israel.
Being a part of a nation, G–d reminds us throughout the Torah, brings with it a responsibility towards fellow members of that nation and an obligation to care for and sympathize with them.
Since 1999, the organization B'Ahavat Yisrael has brandished the motto "One Nation with One Heart". B'Ahavat Yisrael has taken upon itself to help and assist all members of our nation throughout the Land of Israel. We have paid utility bills for terror victims whose careers have been destroyed. We have provided food packages and clothing for fellow Jews deep in the Shomron and elsewhere who are unable to make ends meet. We have helped desperate women whose husbands have abandoned them and their children receive a get (religious divorce) to allow them to remarry and start their lives over. We have visited countless victims of terror who are laid up in hospitals for weeks and months, bringing them some cheer and entertainment, some refreshments, sandwiches, snacks, plants etc. to make their day a happier one. We have hosted young Jewish men in pastoral settings in Israel to impart to them some of their rich heritage and help them identify with their history, land and culture. We visited hundreds upon hundreds of IDF soldiers in hospitals, at checkpoints in the Shomron and Gaza, and along the Lebanese–Syrian borders — gifts in hand. We have given lifts to individuals in out of the way locations, hoping to minimize the chances of their being grabbed by terrorist elements. All this we have done without any discrimination. Whether religious, hareidi, secular, Ashkenazi, Sepharadi, of Polish, Moroccan or American background, all are treated as members of "One Nation" and towards all we act with "One Heart".
Please take a few minutes of your time to browse some of the things we are doing this Pesach for our IDF soldiers and the needy in the Shomron to help them share in a meaningful holiday with the fellow members of our Jewish Nation.
May you, in merit of opening your heart to continue to bring together our people as "One Nation with One Heart", enjoy a very safe, healthy and joyous Pesach holiday.
Oslo has failed, as did the original Camp David. Israel has made many concessions and many Jews have died and many, many, more have been injured. The members of Israel's political establishment have no answers. They caused the mess and they are only making it messier. Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, long an advocate of settling the Land of Israel (let us not harp too much on his expelling the Jews from Yamit in the Sinai), has embarked upon a program of separating the Jews of Eretz Yisrael from the hostile 'Palestinians'. He and his cronies reason that if you can't negotiate with them, give it away! Of course with this line of reasoning a new precedent is being set, i.e. that all the Arabs of Eretz Yisrael have to do is continue their violence against Jewish targets and, in return, the Israeli government will eventually withdraw and even give the perpetrators vacated houses and roads for free! The Prime Minister has even gone so far as to offer to give up densely Arab populated areas in pre 1967 northern Israel (so much for the tale of the loyal Israeli Arab). Logically, it seems, from Arab babies to bombs to Gentile immigration, slowly but surely we are witnessing a disintegration of the Jewish state.
It is now in vogue in government circles to talk about transferring Jews out of their homes and businesses. A government that can destroy synagogues and imprison a Jewish father of 7 children indefinitely without trial (Noam Federman) has no problem throwing its citizens out of their homes. The barometer has been set. What was once a poorly kept secret is now out in the open. The official security policy of the current Israeli government is, "What will the Gentiles say?".
Are you one of those who feel differently? Do you believe that Israel's security and future as a Jewish state must be based in the belief that the Land of Israel belongs to the Jewish People as is G–d's will? Do you believe that those who live in the land who detest Jews and any form of a Jewish state must be encouraged and if necessary forced to leave in order to save our country? If you do, you are against the official policy of the current government of Israel!
In Jewish history, there have been many precedents where the good Jews overcame their evil adversaries. They beat the odds. They defied logic. We celebrate many holidays for this very reason. In modern history the very establishment of the State of Israel is such a case. It is now a well–documented fact that the state came into being due to the endless pressure from the Irgun and Lehi fighters against the British occupiers and the Arab murderers of Eretz Yisrael. The United Nations vote for or against a Jewish State in Eretz Yisrael didn't matter because the pressure exerted by the Jewish freedom fighters was what brought the vote in the U.N. into being. All this was done at a time when the governing Jewish leadership in Eretz Yisrael had abandoned the Jews of Europe to Hitler and were preoccupied with pleasing their British bosses by beating and turning over Irgun freedom fighters. History repeats itself.
Once again there has arisen a group of pioneers who are prepared to live in dire conditions in order to settle the land of Israel for eternity. When Ariel Sharon speaks of retaining settlement blocs, he is omitting dozens of villages all over Yesha. He means clearly that he is ready to destroy 10, 20, and 30 year old communities that were established where Jews lived before we were exiled. Just as the so–called right wing was never ready to destroy any of the Yesha communities until recently, the same can happen again in further stages. There is no red line. Settlement blocs can crumble just as easily once the smaller more isolated communities are destroyed. Each precedent breaks another taboo. There is a clear plan — call it a conspiracy — to disenfranchise the brave settlers.
For years now, the leftist dominated media has portrayed the settlement movement in Judea, Samaria, and Gaza as a bunch of parasites. They have continuously opposed past housing subsidies, reduced income tax rates, etc, for the new communities. Of course figures lie and liars figure. One would have been very hard pressed to find a major newspaper, radio show, or television show depict the kibbutzim that are perpetually bankrupt and constantly receiving bailouts from the government as parasites. Legitimate tax breaks for the Negev and northern communities such as Kiryat Shemona were seldom criticized either.
Then came the first Intifada that put the Yesha communities on the defensive. The success of the Intifada, mainly because the right wing government of then Prime Minister Yitchak Shamir refused to do all that was necessary to stop it, resulted in a Labor party victory at the polls in 1992. Yitchak Rabin and Shimon Peres brought us the infamous Oslo accords in 1993 and with it guns for the terrorists.
Now the big lie is that the settlements are not defendable or not worth the cost. This again is because the army has its hands tied by a timid government. The reward to the murderers is to destroy settlements. It all sounds so simple. Sharon and his cronies will put Israel into more debt to the United States by begging for funds to relocate people. At the same time, they plan to leave all the buildings, houses, and infrastructure as an additional gift to the thugs. But what if the great Jews don't want to leave? What if they can't be bought?
Almost 4 years of non–stop terror including infiltrations and non–stop shootings have not deterred the brave pioneers of Yesha. The overall population has been rising. Even rescinding the tax breaks hasn't stymied the settlement enterprise. So much for the argument that most of them are there because of the preferential finances. Now they are being threatened with forced expulsion. The possibility, G–d forbid, of Jew versus Jew is increasing. Many are talking about massive, passive resistance. The long war of attrition has begun.
The current government of Israel will do all that they feel is necessary to expel Jews from their homes. Beating people and forcing them out is definitely one of the options that they are prepared to do. In the last several months we have seen the tune up preparations. Soldiers and police have dismantled small outposts — many with people living there. They have even destroyed a few synagogues. In many cases, the authorities were met with huge resistance. In some cases, after the authorities were successful in dismantling a location, the residents returned and rebuilt again. The longer the dismantling effort takes the harder it is to implement.
Everyone has a role to play in saving Eretz Yisrael. If you live outside of Israel and don't agree with the government of Israel's actions, organize a petition. Tell your local synagogue that you don't want Israel Bond money to be used to throw Jews out of their homes in the Land of Israel. Ignore the leftist and apathetic voices who say that you shouldn't meddle if you don't live here. Peace Now and their ilk have no problem raising millions of dollars to further their cause of self–destruction. In Israel, there are those who can provide spiritual guidance to a Nation badly in need of a truly Jewish perspective. There are others who can provide great efforts in organizing legal demonstrations. The most important components are the actual residents of the embattled communities. Any businessperson knows that the economic climate cannot be good if the very physical survival of a community is in question. The residents of these communities need to have outside assistance for a number of reasons: If they can spend less time trying to sustain themselves financially they will be able to withstand a lot of outside pressure. Morally they will feel stronger knowing that many Jews both in Israel and the Diaspora are with them.
We're looking for a few good Jews
For several years, we at the B'Ahavat Yisrael organization have made food deliveries to needy families in Yesha one of our main activities. In light of the current situation, we have committed ourselves to doing all we can to supply food, cleaning supplies, and toiletries to sustain the needy in these communities. We are currently providing various options to contribute to these brave pioneers. If you can commit to one of the programs on a monthly basis it will help us to reduce our advertising costs and make our purchasing and distribution more efficient, as the more commitments we have in advance the easier it is for us to plan each week.
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