Category: Weekly Letters

Someone once asked Rav Zvi Yehuda Kook zt”l if we can be sure that we are in the process of Geula, that there won’t be another exile, and he answered that Atchalta D’Geula has been clear since the Balfour Declaration in 1917/תרע”ז, but after the Six Day War, we are already “up to our waist in Ge’ula”!

Today it’s already an empirical and statistical fact:

1. After the Six Day War there were 2,400,000 Jews in Israel, and today there are 7,200,000. Some statisticians say that it’s already most of the Jews in the world, but all agree that within 8 years in תשצ”ב/2032, the majority of the Jews in the world will be in Israel, for the first time since the exile of the 10 tribes about 2,700 years ago! If that mass gathering from 104 different countries is not Kibbutz Galuyot, what is?! Does anyone think that Hashem is bringing His children home even if we don’t deserve it (as He said He would), just in order to send us out again to bring us home once again?

2. Chazal say that when Eretz Yisrael will be revived from being a desert to once again blooming, that is the clearest sign of redemption (Sanhedrin 98a). Today Israel is the 11th strongest economy in the world, and we even export fruit and flowers all over the world. These are facts.

3. Halachically, throughout the exile whenever a Jew came to Beit Shemesh, Hevron or Be’er Sheva, he would tear his clothing as a sign of mourning (Shuulchan Aruch תקסא, א). The Mishna Brura explains there, that as soon as we will once again have Jewish rule, we will no longer have to tear kriya for we know longer will be in a status of “churban” (destruction). Has anyone ever seen even one Jew tear kriya upon visiting Israeli cities since the Six Day War? (some just still do kriya when seeing Har HaBayit as long as there is no Beit HaMikdash, but the Mishna Brura doesn’t differentiate even there). This is black and white halacha that Israel is no longer in churban.

In short, empirically today 55 years later, R. Zvi Yehuda Kook would say we are already “up to our necks” in Ge’ula! That doesn’t mean that the process will be “smooth sailing” or that we know how long it will take, as we clearly still have challenges and enemies. But as opposed to 2,000 years of exile, where we just went from one exile to another, from one Tisha b’Av to the next, we are told that in the Geula process there will be temporary setbacks, but they are just a “ירידה לצורך עלייה”. Just like we bend our knees in order to jump to a higher stage, and the lower one presses a spring the higher it will rise, we were told from the start that the occasional setbacks we see will always be a preparation for the next advancement in the process (Vilna Gaon, Kol HaTor 1, 13). Rav Kook (Ma’amarei HaReiya, p. 360), already showed this to be true 100 years ago after the first few decades of Zionism, and reminded us of this after the Arab riots of 1929/תרפ”ט. He didn’t even see the invasion of 6 Arab countries at the beginning of the War of Independence, or the siege preceding the Six Day War nor the surprise attack of the first day of the Yom Kippur War!

We already see that the ratio of terrorists killed in Gaza compared to IDF soldiers in the present battles, is by far the highest of any war in the history of Israel, as they hide like mice underground. Just as the Hamas is getting walloped, so will the Hizballah and Iran and anyone else who wants to be among those of whom it is written, “Woe to the fool who bothers a Father when he wants to redeem His children, or who tries separating the Lion when He wants to mate with His beloved lioness” (Sanhedrin 106a) after a 2,000 year separation. Let us just pray that we should have as few casualties as possible! Shabbat ‘Nachamu’ Shalom! Rav Ari

“If Haredim Should Serve in the IDF, So Should You”- IDF Service for Young Jewish Men from America

In short, Israel today is preoccupied with the urgency of drafting many thousands of lacking combat soldiers into the IDF, especially after so many of our best boys have recently fallen or been wounded. Many point the finger at Haredim in this context, especially those who are not really learning Torah full-time (but even those who do), where there is no halachic justification for them whatsoever, not to observe this great mitzvah. Together with that, it’s about time that someone point out that this obligation of Milchemet Mitzvah applies equally to all of the healthy Jewish boys living in America, as well, especially those working or studying in universities. This extremely “readable” yet scholarly article suggests much food for thought, and can potentially be a game-changer for many readers, regarding many issues in this period of Achdut, anti-Semitism and sincere soul-searching and reassessment in the Jewish religious and Haredi communities both abroad and in Israel. Please forward it to as many people as possible!

Q. Should a Jew celebrate the Independence Day of the country where he lives, assuming it is not Israel? Answer: In my opinion it’s wrong to celebrate another country’s Independence Day, for Judaism is not just a religion but also our nationality and country. As opposed to a non-believing Christion who is, by definition, no longer Christian, and a non-believing Muslim is no longer Muslim, contrarily a non-believing and non-observant Jew is still 100% Jewish, because it’s our nationality, not just our religion! Even if a Jew unfortunately doesn’t live in Israel, he should totally identify with the Jewish nation/people and be proud and celebrate as his own: our national language (the Holy Language of Hebrew), our national land (the Holy Land of Israel), our national army (the IDF), and our national state (the State of Israel) and her independence. Just recently, not a few Americans have reminded us not to feel so at home there! Just as I feel kinship with a Nobel Prize or Olympic medal winning Jew, and justly so- even though their achievements are not “religious”, Rav Soloveichik said that similarly, I shouldn’t go around wearing and being identified with a Scottish kilt or Arab kaffeyah (although he did celebrate Thanksgiving, but the difference of thanking for salvation from a negative danger of anti-Semitism, as opposed to identifying America as a positive ideal and happy celebration, is obvious). An American should celebrate the 4th of July, but a Jew (even if he lives in the US), should be as proud and loyal to his people as possible, and not spread out his loyalty with other nations. Jonathan Pollard taught us well that sometimes there’s a problem of “dual loyalty”, where he had to choose “am I more Jewish” or “more American”, and Nazi Germany drove this point home even more, that exile is not Home. The Torah teaches, and we all know from experience that all exiles, yes even America, are temporary for Jews, and we must remember our real and eternal identity. These are the ABC’s of Judaism from the very beginning of Sefer Breishit: we’re the Eternal and Chosen Nation with the Eternal Chosen and Promised Land and should be proud of it! Our sages teach (Dvarim Rabba 2, 8) that Moshe was punished not to be buried in Israel, for, unlike Yosef, he identified to the daughters of Yitro as an Egyptian, unlike Yosef who presented himself to Potiphar as a Hebrew, from the Land of Israel. Even though Moshe was just telling the truth (for in fact, he never had been to Israel and really was from Egypt!), Rav Soloveichik explains that every Jew, regardless of his temporary location, must identify that his country is Israel (even though R. Soloveichik himself lived in America!)! Like a child who is sent away from the table, 2,000 years of exile was an unfortunate punishment, and we surely should not turn G-d’s punishment into a celebration! Shabbat Shalom! Rav Ari Shvat

It’s no secret that anti-Semitism is on the rise, in France, England, America, Ukraine and really everywhere. In Israel we also have enemies, but at least here, the norm is not to just suffer Jew-hatred, and not only band together and fight, but BezH, do so successfully!

On this week’s parsha of the Cheit HaMeraglim, Chazal teach that the generation who saw super-natural miracles, had no reason not to want to enter Israel. Hashem tells them: “you cried for no reason, so your punishment will be to cry for generations” (Bamidbar Rabba 16, 20). Just as the sin of not wanting to make Aliya happened on Tisha B’Av, accordingly we were sent twice to galut on that very date- again losing Eretz Yisrael (Ta’anit 29a). The Meshech Chochma points out that Hashem forgave the sin of the golden calf which was against Him, but did not forgive the sin of the Meraglim, which was against His beloved Land (Shmot 14, 22).

But just as every year we learn all night on Shavu’ot as a “Tikkun” or correction for our fore-fathers’ not waking up for Matan Torah (Shir HaShirim Rabba 1, 12), similarly the spies’ sin of “offending the beloved Land” (Tehilim 106, 24) is just waiting for its latter-day Tikkun. Unfortunately, most Jews didn’t want to make Aliya even from their bondage in Egypt (so 80% died in the plague of Darkness, R. David Pardo, Maskil l’David, Shmot 13, 18), and even their children didn’t learn, and also didn’t want to make Aliya (Cheit HaMeraglim). Similarly, most Jews also didn’t come from Bavel with Ezra and Nechemya to build the 2nd Beit HaMikdash (Yoma 9b)! We always hoped that at least in the final return to Israel of Kibbutz Galuyot, we would fulfill “ובאו ציון ברינה”(Yishayahu 51, 11), that we would make Aliya out of happiness and ideal, not just necessity!

The G-d of History is now giving us one last chance to do the “Tikkun” of Cheit HaMeraglim. As of now, it’s unpleasant to be in exile, but Jews aren’t yet being “chased out” of most galuyot, as they were from Europe and the Moslem countries. Jews in New York can either pretend that “Los Angeles is different”, or use it as a catalyst to open their eyes and fulfill their dream of living with Am Yisrael in Medinat Yisrael in Eretz Yisrael, before it reaches them. Tens of thousands are now considering Aliya, and we urge them all to still come out of ideal, before they too, like most of the exiles, will have to come out of necessity! Let’s call now to our family and friends, to do the Tikkun of that recurring historical sin of the Meraglim, once and for all! You too can be like Yehoshua and Calev by declaring “עלֹה נעלה… טובה הארץ מאוד מאוד”! (Bamidbar 13, 30; 14, 7), “We will surely make Aliya… for the Land of Israel is exceedingly great!” Shabbat Shalom,

B’Ahavat Yisrael, Shabbat Shalom, Rav Ari Shvat (Chwat)

This morning, I heard of the falling of a family friend (Sa’adya Deri) together with the son of Olympic medalist (Omer Smadja), in the area in Gaza where my son-in-law is presently serving.

Those who don’t understand how the entire country is united together in our war against Hamas, is really missing out on a unique experience of Achdut! When Edan Amedi, the super-popular singer and international TV star of “Fauda”, first delivered pep-talks in uniform at the beginning of the war from the front, and afterwards was seriously wounded (BH he’s better!), I said to my wife, “אשרינו מה טוב חלקנו”, how fortunate we are to live in a country with more Jewish and less western self-centered values.

As most countries prepare for the upcoming Summer Olympics, it’s worth remembering that 6 of the 13 Israeli medals have been in judo, almost all of them connected with Oren Smadja, the national coach of that field. I can’t imagine in western countries having such a VIP, not using his “pull” to get his son out of a dangerous combat unit, if not totally out of the military. Today Smadja will don a kipa, and say kaddish for his son, in the presence of many national super-stars, because that’s what is preoccupying Israel at this time. Priorities.

Our very name “Yisrael” is because “we have wrestled (sarita) with angels and man and have succeeded” (Breishit 32, 29). Rav Kook praised the sports that the youth of Israel do (Orot HaTchiya, 34), not so much to win gold in the Olympics, but because in Galut, we forgot that “just as we have holy souls, we also have holy bodies” (ibid, 33)! Just as in Tanachic times (Orot haMilchama, 2), we once again need to develop our muscles to be “healthy souls in healthy bodies” (Orot HaTeshuva 5, 1), showing the unity/monotheism of creation/Creator, but even more so, to enable fulfilling the ideal of altruism, imitating the Creator (who didn’t need to make this world for Himself, Tanchuma Kedoshim, 8), in “freeing the Jews from bondage”, even at the ultimate altruistic sacrifice.

Just as it’s the religious-Zionists who lead the charge in Gaza, it’s also no surprise that we have by far the highest rate in the world of life-giving (!) altruistic kidney donors to strangers, overcoming instinctive and animalistic self-centeredness to be that much more G-dly and altruistic. Ashreichem “Yisrael”!

In having to comfort so many students who lost their husbands and sons over the past 8 months, not even once did I hear even one word of remorse or regret for having made aliya or educating our youth to be altruistic for the sake of Am Yisrael. To the contrary, I hear words of idealism, encouragement and love of children and nation, clarifying where this unbelievable youth grew up. Yes, war is painful, but I truly feel sorry for the Haredim as well as my friends who didn’t make aliya, and are missing out on being “Yisrael” in this most serious of our eternal wrestling matches with our enemies, missing out on this beautiful period of solidarity and idealism, of really being Jewish.

Just as we recall twice a day and every Shabbat and Yom Tov (not to mention Pesach!), that Hashem took us out of Egypt, the educational message is that we too should be G-dly, and save our fellow Jewish hostages from Gaza. Judaism isn’t a “religion” of “ceremonies” but rather a handbook of Imitateo Dei, how to emulate G-d. He created us b’Tzelem Elokim (Breishit 1, 27), literally, in His image, to copy Him and be His emulating “shadow” (tzel). As soon as He created the world, He commanded man “Pru u’rvu”, you too have children, thus creating worlds like Him. He then tells us that on Shabbat He “rests”, not for our general knowledge, but to teach us that we should, as well. He is altruistic, loyal and as if it were, even “puts on tefillin” (Brachot 6a), and so must we!

When the IDF bezrat Hashem, carried out the surprise raid this past Shabbat, for the 3rd time to save 4 hostages, we must not only thank G-d and commend the soldiers for their super-daring mission, but also for their G-dliness, taking our brothers out of captivity!

Rav Kook explains that our One and only G-d wears 3 “hats” which constantly interplay: the Creator, the Torah-Giver and the G-d Who runs history. The Sefer haChinuch (600), writes that the way He prefers to answer prayers, is not through super-natural miracles (which he gradually stopped doing already 2500 years ago in Megillat Esther), but through having commanded us (!) in the Torah 3336 years ago to not only listen to Him, but to be like Him, and save our brothers from danger and poverty. This is the same Creator (who created us with a conscience, bringing us to want to help our brothers and sisters), and the same Torah-Giver who taught us to learn from Avraham who went to war to save the hostage Lot (Breishit 14), and Who also commanded us to join the IDF (throughout Sefer Shoftim; Sotah 44a; Rambam hil. M’lachim u’Milchamoteihem 7, 4 and 5, 1)) and the same G-d of History Who redeemed us from Egypt and brought us success in the recently celebrated Six Day War, as well as the Entebbe raid and this past Shabbat in Gaza.

When Am Yisrael was fighting the Romans, R. Akiva and his 24,000 students left the Yeshiva to lead the charge (Otzar HaGeonim Yevamot 62b, Rambam M’lachim 11, 3 and Ta’anit 5, 3), as opposed to the pacifist Jesus who (in the previous rebellion) abandoned his brothers and sisters to the barbaric Romans, to wander and contemplate his own spirituality in the Judean desert! Moshe Rabbenu (Bamidbar 32, 6), Devorah HaNeviah (Shoftim 5, 16 and 23) and the Rambam (Teshuva 3, 11; M’lachim 7, 15) come down very harshly against those who don’t come to help Israel during war! This is a major difference between the Living Torah of Israel and Christianity. They say a man “is” god, while we say all men should “be like” G-d and join the IDF, like Moshe Rabbenu, Yehoshua, Gidon… David HaMelech and the Maccabees, our role-models of Imitateo Dei.

Just last night I attended a wedding of the son of a leading Rosh Yeshiva, who left his yeshiva and fiancé’, to spend 7 months endangering his life and future, to fight Hamas face-to-face! His soldier friends who were let out to attend his wedding, were exhaustively sprawled out on the couches right after the chuppa, during “yichud”, to grab a few minutes of sleep, before dancing with the chatan, and going back to being G-dly in Gaza. “אתה אחד… ומי כעמך ישראל גוי אחד בארץ”, “You (the Creator, Torah-Giver and G-d of history) are One, and who is like Am Yisrael who emulates You with our oneness, unity, altruism and Imitateo Dei! Chag Same’ach, ub’Ahavat Yisrael! Rav Ari Shvat (Chwat)

The essence of Yerushalayim is that she “unites it all” (Tehilim 122, 3). When she is complete, our capitol unites the national (King’s palace), the religious (Sanhedrin) and the universal (Beit Hamikdash, “כי ביתי בית תפילה ייקרא לכל העמים”, ישע’ נו, ז), or the right-wing, the left-wing and religious. As we learned together, Rav Kook writes that these are the 3 ideologies which comprise mankind, and like 3 sides of a triangle, they must each kiss, as well as limit the other 2 from going to an extreme (Orot, pp. 70-72). It’s not a coincidence that davka David HaMelech, who was a nationalist, religious and sensitive/poetic leader, acquired Yerushalayim.

Accordingly, Yom Yerushalayim during our present war with Hamas is an ideal time to call the Haredim to join our dangerously under-manned army. Just as Rav Sraya Deblitzky zt”l, one of the leading Haredi (!) rabbis of the previous generation in Bnei Brak, couldn’t believe that many Haredim don’t celebrate Yom Yerushalayim, simply because religious people are often so “wary of change”, they forget the elementary decency of thanking Hashem for His great salvations. Similarly, any objective study will reveal within 5 minutes that all Yeshiva boys are obligated to serve in the IDF, as they must in every Milchemet Mitzva (Sotah 44a; Rambam hil M’lachim u’Milchamoteihem 7, 4 and 5, 1) of protecting Israel from dangers.

But let’s be honest, that part of the real problem is that the army must also take a step forward to accept the Haredim and leave their hubris and anti-democratic position of trying and convince those wavering Haredim who do draft, to leave their understanding of religion (albeit galuti).

It took me years in the army to realize that most generals in the IDF are not leftists because they’re generals, but rather they are generals because they are leftist, and they are the only ones who can advance past Brigadier General. Those idealistic leftist generals must become truly democratic and also stop “stopping” the advance of religious Zionist colonels. If most of the officers on the battle-field are religious-Zionists, and similarly are most of the fallen combat soldiers in this present war, it’s unthinkable that just a disproportionately small minority of RZ are allowed to become generals and influence the army to be more offensive and spiritual. The biggest mistaken conception which led to this war with Hamas is the IDF’s thinking that defense is enough. Just like we need an over-haul in our political leadership, so too we need to have equal representation in the only left-wing army in the world! Not just for the sake of fairness and true democracy, but mainly, because we need to add (not replace!) an additional alternative military mindset, to the present homogeneous and “war-avoiding” generals.

David HaMelech knew that Yehuda alone (in sefer Yehoshua 15, 63) and Binyamin alone (in sefer Shoftim 1, 21) couldn’t conquer Yerushalaim, so he left Chevron (the capitol of Yehuda) and united the sons of Rachel and Leah and only then succeeded. In the War of Independence, the Hagana, Irgun and Stern Gang were not yet united, so we didn’t liberate Yerushalayim until the united IDF did so in the Six Day War, 19 years later. Similarly, we don’t want to “overtake” the leftist monopoly in the Supreme Court or the upper echelons of the IDF, but the time has come for true equality and democracy. This will enable the Haredim to draft, and bring all camps to unity and mutual respect. Both Religious-Zionism and Yerushalayim show that yes, we can unite and harmonize the nationalist, moral and religious!

Shabbat Shalom,

Rav Ari Shvat (Chwat)

start of the war but I haven’t really wanted to say it out loud /write it out but I just needed to ask. Ever since the war there’s been a lot of discussion especially in the dati leumi (religious-Zionist) community about how this war is one of the signs that we are in ימות המשיח and how these are part of the “growing pains” before geulah . But we also know there’s a concept of the land “throwing us up” when we’re not doing what we’re supposed to as a nation. So I guess that’s the pessimistic way of seeing it, but how do we know we’re interpreting the message Hashem was trying to send us through this war the right way? Is there a possibility we should be focusing on doing more introspection as a people instead of being excited that this is all part of the geulah process when it could possibly be the opposite?

Sorry to hit you with such a heavy question on a Friday morning but I’ve just been thinking about it a lot and it’s been bothering me. I was just reflecting on how long this thing has been /will be going on and I was really just struggling a lot with this question.

A. Great question! The fact that we are in the ge’ula process (Google my article: “Could Zionism Be Just Another False Messiah?”) doesn’t at all mean that everything is fine, and that we don’t have to solve problems. To the contrary: for 2,000 years we ran away (!) from our problems by fleeing from one galut to the next. Now that we’re home to stay, we must rediscover how a normal nation must often fight together (!) to deter our enemies.

Accordingly, the fact that Chazal (!) tell us that this third return is the final one (Tanchuma Shoftim 9; Yalkut Shimoni Zecharya 581), teaches us that the land isn’t “throwing us out”, and rather than “fighting with our passports” by running to another exile, we have no choice but to break out of that “galut mentality”, dig in and stand up together to fight those who wish to annihilate us, as did King David, Gidon, Shimshon and the Maccabees.

That doesn’t at all contradict your correct point that davka because we are in the historic process of our national renaissance, we should be doing a lot “more introspection” and self-improvement religiously and especially as a society. Recall that literally overnight, this war against Hamas stopped the potential “civil war” between religious and anti-religious Israelis (who even remembers the fighter-pilots who threatened they will ‘dis-obey Bibi’s orders’?!), and reminded us that we are really one nation, and must unite shoulder-to-shoulder against our sadistic enemies. When a significant historical “shake-up” inevitably (!) causes us to reunite, rethink and resolve our differences, that’s clearly what Hashem wants us to do- that’s how we know the “message He’s trying to send us” (His eternal and inevitable Torah teaching that achdut/unity is the only solution). In short, reuniting Israel (not only geographically but also nationally, religiously and emotionally) is the exact opposite of that exile which you mentioned- where we were a “dispersed and separated nation spread among the other nations” (Esther 3, 8): that division which is the last thing Hashem wants now and the source (!) of our problem, and surely not the solution!

Accordingly, if you ask “how long will this be going on?” The answer is: until our reunited nation (see all the volunteering and unity among soldiers from opposing backgrounds) revamps our divisive politicians and replaces the “defeatist” generals (who hoped for quiet, knowing full well about the 100’s of kilometers of Gazan tunnels prepared for the next war against us), with IDF officers who will fight together (not against each other!) until Israel’s decisive long-term victory. Until we elect true Zionist visionaries (to replace the self-centered galuti leaders), who think beyond “our 4 year term”, and immaturely “buy” quiet, by pushing off problems until the next prime-minister’s term. Being “here to stay” is a totally different mindset which Ben-Gurion had, but Rabin’s Oslo government (“this nation is too tired to fight any more”) lost. The Arabs have forced us to rediscover who we really are and clarify what we really want.

How long this war is going to take, really depends on the aforementioned introspection. When we stop looking for quiet, and start solving our problems rather than running away from them, the problems will inevitably begin to solve themselves. When the Arabs understand that rather than running away from Sinai, Lebanon, Gush Katif and Judea and Samaria, we are here to stay, they will relate to us totally differently. When it registers in our popular conscience that we have national pride, as G-d’s eternal Chosen People, returning to His Chosen Land which He promised us in order to be that “Or LaGoyim”, Light for the Nations, then also our neighbors and the U.N. will relate to us with respect. We can’t live like Switzerland even if we’d like to, for are destined for a much bigger and greater role, as the Nation of Prophets, revealing the fulfillment of the prophecies, to advance monotheism and morality in the modern world, as well.

Just as we already demonstrate to the world how a moral army fights even against an immoral enemy who use their own children and hospitals as human-shields, and teach Europe for example, that being moral doesn’t mean one gives in to Islamic terror, but rather defending our civilians and fighting evil. This delicate balance of gevurah (which Islam takes to an absurd extreme) and chessed (which European and American Christianity take to a naïve extreme), is one of the central challenges of mankind, and as the world is maturing, the time has come for Am Yisrael to show the ideal balance. Like David HaMelech, the sweet, moral and spiritual poet of Tehilim, who demonstrated his morality davka by slaying the threatening and barbaric Goliath. Ironically, the anti-Semites absurdly accuse us (!) of genocide (!) and losing our balance on this very issue, as the Moslems and many liberal Christians form a coalition with Hamas terror against democracy and the victims. But we’re not worried, for b’ezrat Hashem, eventually the truth always wins out, especially in the Ge’ula process (which reminds us not to lose hope). Davka their accusations and Biden’s criticism sharpen the necessity to demonstrate how to run a moral state and even army, and that true morality isn’t decided by feeling sorry for the one who started. Eventually the world will understand that in dealing with the Jihad philosophy, the victim isn’t decided by “who suffers more casualties”, but rather by clarifying who is right and the innocent victim, as opposed to the ideologically motivated aggressors who try stealing our land, who eventually will get walloped. In the end, the truly innocent Arabs will also benefit from this clarification and rid themselves of their barbaric leadership.

With Love of Israel, Rav Ari Shvat (Chwat)

We were naïve in thinking that having a Jewish State to where we can flee if necessary, would guarantee that modern America can’t turn into the uncomfortable Germany of pre-WWII.

It turns out that even if Jews in America have where to flee, many are so immersed in American culture that they don’t even realize they aren’t wanted there, even among the liberal whom we always supported. Many semi-affiliated Jews and children of Holocaust survivors, are genuinely surprised to find their own children siding with the anti-Semites.

As the campuses where many looked forward to 4 years of intellectual and social coziness, have become uncomfortable for Jews to even walk, it’s time to remember our personal vows upon “temporarily” leaving Israel, not to forget our resolve to return: “אם אשכחך ירושלים תשכח ימיני”.

We can understand adults who are tied down, finding it difficult to part with their jobs, money, homes and elderly parents. But young adults who are more objective and “free”, are more idealistic, have their future ahead of them, and actually dreamed and even planned to raise their families in Eretz Yisrael, now is the time to see “the writing on the wall”.

Accept the Torah (Devarim 28, 65, “ובגוים ההם לא תרגיע ולא יהיה מנוח לכף רגלך…”, “And [in exile] among the nations, you will not find calm, nor will your foot find rest…) and the anti-Semitic helpful reminders that Galut is temporary. Israel is Home! 🇮🇱

We are still blown away by the miraculous defense of BH taking down more than 300 Iranian missiles and drones just last Motzai Shabbat with 99.9% success. We must truly and immensely thank Hashem and the IDF immensely (with all due respect to Biden’s praise of the US squadrons: “you guys are the best in the whole damned world!”, they only took down about 2% of those missiles!). Those outside of Israel may not realize the pressure felt when the emergency news reported that hundreds of accurate missiles have been fired at once towards Israel, and we have several hours to daven, say Tehilim and prepare our shelters (Google reported that many thousands searched that night for “Tehilim”, obviously almost all of them those who aren’t familiar with finding and knowing what to say!). This Kiddush Hashem is great, but many don’t even realize how great!

This is the very first time Iran dared attack us directly from their country and BezH they got walloped. After Simchat Torah, they (!) confidently chose to claim this war decides whether G-d is Moslem or Jewish, and they had to eat their words pretty quickly. Their fabricated claim to their people that their missiles hit and hurt us terribly [just as Ashurian archeological finds claimed 2500 years ago that Sanheirev’s “surrounding” Judea “like a bird in a cage” and then returning home, omitting that in this war, in one night, Hashem miraculously smote 185,000 of his soldiers with a mysterious plague, and we woke up to another G-dly victory! “And it came to pass on that night that an angel of the Lord went out and slew one hundred eighty-five thousand of the camp of Assyria. And they arose in the morning, and behold they were all dead corpses. And Sennacherib, the king of Assyria, left and went away, and he returned and dwelt in Nineveh.” (M’lachim II 19, 35)] are also an opportunity in our globalized world for their people to see how they are ridiculously being lied to, and this will greatly harm both their national and religious motivation. About 80% of Iranians already oppose their theocratic leaders and who knows how much this can bezH contribute even more to their downfall.

They openly claim they want to destroy Israel, and we have no choice but to symmetrically answer them, and we will bezH! They thought that the fabric of Israeli society was ripping, but they succeeded in uniting us. They thought that the world is against us, but Biden, Britain and Germany now chose a side, our side (at least for the time being…), and we can and should utilize this G-d-sent opportunity to finally destroy the Iranian nuclear reactor.

It convinces Saudi Arabia and others, who had their doubts after the Simchat Torah massacre, whether it’s worth it for them to have relations with Israel. The “proxies” of Iran (Hamas, Hizballah, Syria, Yemen), also suddenly realized that their patron has placed them on the wrong side.

In short, it’s not just that Hashem and the IDF caused their missiles to miss, but they have begun their colossal defeat bezH on so many different accounts that only Hashem could have caused this! May Hashem grant us the wisdom and dare to take advantage of this G-d-sent situation asap! Chag Kasher v’Same’ach! Rav Ari