חרות ואחריות

 

" החרות היא רק חלק מהסיפור ומחצית האמת.... משום כך אני ממליץ כי לפסל החרות החוף המזרחי יוסיפו את פסל האחריות גם בחוף המערבי " – ויקטור פרנקל, "אדם מחפש משמעות"

 

בעולמי, אין נעימה ערבה יותר לאוזן מצחוקו המתגלגל של ילד. ארחיק לכת ואאמר שבאוזני, צחוקו של ילד יהודי בארץ ישראל הינה מתנה, הינה נס אשר עליהם אני מברכת בכל עת שאני עדה להם.

"חג האופניים," כפי מכונה יום הכיפורים בפי ילדים רבים, הינו ללא ספק אחד מאותם ימים אשר בהם ניתן לחוות שוב ושוב הרגשה זו. השנה, לצערי, עקב המציאות המוזרה אשר אליה נקלענו, אלה מאיתנו החיים בציון, נדם במידת מה גם צחוקם של ילדינו. מכורח המציאות, נאלצתי להשאר בביתי, להתפלל לבדי ובפעם הראשונה מזה זמן רב, להאזין לצלילי השקט האופפים אותי בקדושתם ולתת דרור להרהורי ליבי.

מספר ימים לפני "חג האופניים," עוד לפני שנכנס הסגר "הנוקשה יותר" לתוקפו, כבר שמעתי את נציגי תעשיית האופניים בוכים על מר גורלם. משפטים כגון, "זו הפעם הראשונה שבתקופה זו, אין לנו עבודה," התלונן אחד. "בשנים קודמות, לא יכולנו לנשום מרוב עומס," אמר אחר בקול חנוק.

בוודאי שצר לי לשמוע הצהרות כגון אלה. כל פגיעה, תהא זו פגיעה בנפש, בגוף או בפרנסה, הינה קשה. "חג האופניים" בהחלט הרגיש את הפגיעה עקב ההגבלות אשר הוטלו עלינו.

תהיתי ביני לבין עצמי אם תזמון מגיפת הנגיף הסיני, הסגר שהוטל עלינו בעקבותיה ועצם יישומו ביום הקדוש ביותר במסורתנו, המוגדר בתורתנו כ "שבת שבתון,"  הינו מקרי. מהם הלקחים, השיעורים אשר הוזמנו, אנו, יחיד כרבים, להפיק וללמוד מהצעדים שננקטו במטרה לעצור את המגיפה, שאלתי את עצמי.

 ומה הוא הזמן הטוב ביותר לעסוק בשאלות אקזיסטנציאליות ואחרות, אם לא ביום הכיפורים, היום אשר בו אנו אמורים "לענות את" נפשותינו תוך בדיקה עצמית כיחיד וכעם?

במדינת ישראל, מדינת הלאום של העם היהודי, אנו מחוייבים לשני ערכים חשובים ,מחוייבותנו כעם למסורתנו בת אלפי השנים , מחד, החרות, והמחוייבות לשלטון הדמוקרטיה, מאידך . שני ערכים אלו מעוגנים במסמך החשוב ביותר בהיסטוריה של מדינת ישראל המודרנית, הלא היא הכרזת העצמאות.

אין אדם, בתבל כולה, אשר יקום ויאמר שישראל אינה דמוקרטית. הדמוקרטיה בישראל הינה מן היציבות בעולם. ואם יקום אדם שיכחיש זאת, אזי הוא משקר במצח נחושה!

דמוקרטיות יציבות יש רבות בעולם. מדינה יהודית, בעלת צביון דמוקרטי שריר וקיים, יש רק אחת.

אותי מטרידה, לא פחות ואולי אפילו יותר, השאלה האם אין אנו, אט אט, מאבדים מאחריותנו לערכינו היהודיים, אותם ערכים המייחדים אותנו כעם, כלאום

"חג האופניים" הינו, ללא ספק, ביטוי לרוח החרות הדמוקטית הנושבת בארץ. העובדה המצערת היא שכבר מזה שנים הפך הוא להיות שמו הנרדף של יום הכיפורים, שם השגור בפי בני נוער רבים, ומשמש, לדעתי, דוגמא להתפוררותה של אחריותנו היהודית.

האם אותם הורים המאפשרים לילדיהם לחגוג את "חג האופניים" עצרו והבהירו לילדיהם את משמעותו האמיתית של יום "נורא ועצום" זה לכולנו הן כיחידים והן כעם אשר כל בניו ערבים זה לזה?

במילים אחרות, הם הקימו עבורם את פסל החרות והמהות הדמוקרטית של ישותנו הפוליטית. צעד נפלא וחשוב עד מאוד. השאלה המטרידה היא, מה קרה לפסל האחריות?

דמוקרטיה וערכים יהודים מעולם לא עמדו בניגוד זה לזה.

צביונה היהודי והדמוקרטי של מדינת ישראל כבית הלאומי של העם היהודי ניתן לה דווקא על ידי מדינאים ומנהיגי עולם אשר אינם יהודים.

לורד בלפור, שר החוץ הבריטי, הראשון שהגדיר את אופיה, לא היה יהודי. בהצהרתו מנובמבר 1917, קבע:

"ממשלת הוד מלכותו רואה בעין יפה הקמת בית לאומי לעם היהודי בארץ ישראל, ותשתדל במיטב מאמציה להקל על השגת מטרה זו, בתנאי ברור שלא ייעשה שום דבר העלול לפגוע בזכויות האזרחיות והדתיות של עדות לא יהודיות בארץ ישראל או בזכויות ובמעמד המדיני של יהודים בכל ארץ אחרת"

ציביונה היהודי של מדינתנו, כפי שמראה הציטוט לעיל צויין בראש ובראשונה בהצהרת בלפור ורק לאחר מכן הוזכר הצורך בעיצוב ושימור אופייה הדמוקרטי. "פסל האחריות," אשר עליו מדבר פרנקל, כך עולה מדברי ההצהרה, הוקם לפני "פסל החרות."

ועידת סאן רמו משנת 1920, אשר נציגיה אף הם לא היו יהודים, גיבשה החלטה  על מסירת המנדט לאימפריה הבריטית ובה נאמר: "בעלת המנדט תהיה אחראית להגשמת ההצהרה שממשלת בריטניה פרסמה ביום ה-2 בנובמבר, 1917 ושנתקבלה על ידי ממשלות ההסכמה האחרות, לטובת יישוב מחדש "הבית הלאומי" לעם היהודי בארץ-ישראל". כלומר אימוץ דבריו של בלפור ובאופן עקיף את חשיבות עיצובו של "ערך האחריות" לצידו של "פסל החרות."

תוכנית החלוקה של עצרת האומות המאוחדות מתאריך 29 בנובמבר 1947, אף היא מתייחסת ל"מדינה יהודית" לצד מדינה ערבית.

 לכולם היה ברור מהי מהותה של המדינה אשר בה מדובר. לכולם, כך מסתבר, למעט חלק מבני עמנו בארץ ומחוצה לה.

אז מישהו יכול לומר לי, בבקשה, היכן טעינו?

Be Beautiful

 

We have entered the Ten Days of Awe which is the period between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.

For many Jews, it means days of introspection and re-evaluation of their demeanor during the previous year. It is a solemn period which many take very seriously.

For the sake of our People and the future of our Jewish Homeland, I sincerely hope that many do examine their actions, improve their deeds and continue to choose Life.

Yes, I know, Life is not always what we want it to be. We are faced with choices, good and bad, daily. To exist in this world is to survive unfair choices. But are we here just to exist? No, we are here not merely to exist or survive, we are here to Live. I believe that everyone of us, born into and reared in our wonderful Jewish tradition and legacy has the power to make a difference. All they need to do is want. Some,  unfortunately, are forlorn and need guidance and support along that journey.

The notion of providing people with tools, that I had only recently discovered, to help them through the “road less traveled” first  sprouted in me when I lived in New Zealand.

It was the early years of this century. I had just gone through a very traumatic business experience which nearly destroyed my life. I could not indulge in the status of victimhood for too long. I had a daughter, whom I raised single handedly after I divorced her father, to support. I needed to be strong for her.

In the midst of the chaos, an inner voice told me to join a gym and engage a personal trainer. That was one of the most meaningful milestones in my life.

Two years later, I participated in a body sculpting competition and won first prize in the senior category. As I stood there holding the trophy, I felt the inner glow of timeless beauty. The discovery of a new layer in me, one I had never known existed was overwhelming. A decision sprouted in me to become a personal trainer in health and fitness and a Life Coach. I chose to focus on maturing women, a segment in our population which was rather neglected.

Towards that end, I set up my own business, “The Art of Living Well,” (http://www.bat-zion.name/html/the_art_of_living_well.html) (http://www.bat-zion.name/artoflivingwell/)

The underlying concept of my practice was to help women peel off dusted inner covers and bring out the hidden beauty in each one. “Be Beautiful” became my motto.

To emphasize that goal, I even ordered a personal license plate for my car which reads:   

Some might read it as “Be Buttfull” but that would be dichotomous to my mission. After all no one hires a personal trainer to increase the size of their behind…….

Beautiful, not just pretty (for that we have beauticians and plastic surgeons) is what I was hoping to help bring out in them.

I was not always successful. However, those lives that I was able to touch cloaked  me with optimism. It was wonderful to see them discover the divine present of their inner essence, to see frozen rivers in them gradually melting away. The wonderful process through which they learn to be grateful for the small miracles in their lives and to be witness to them starting to live as they had never lived before was the greatest reward.

Discovering one’s inner beauty, the one that has been part of us since time immemorial, is the key to healing ourselves. We need to stop looking at each other with superficial eyes. We are each a universe with similar desires, dreams, and urges.

If we learn to recognize the beauty that is hidden in each of us and bring it out, we could light our Life’s path that will help guide us through the forests of reality and reshape the terrain of our lives. It will put us in charge of our destiny.

Amazing, as I am writing these lines, I hear the Shofar blowing loudly outside my home (because of the pandemic, it was sounded outdoors, this year) for Am Yisrael to hear. I can feel my eyes welling and the pressure of the growing lump in my throat. I cannot help but see the symbolism in the timing of it all.

The word Shofar originates from the same root of the word “improve.” The Shofar is blown to remind us that on Rosh Hashanah we need to improve ourselves and our ways. It is believed that if one makes a wish during the sounding of the Shofar, that wish will come true.

Remain beautiful, dear people and get better at it. That is my wish.

Shanah Tova Am Yisrael and fellow Jews.

 

G-d, Parents and Children

 

Rosh Hashanah marks the beginning of the Jewish New Year. On that day are all supposed to be in a festive mood, dress in white and, of course, blow the Shofar (ram’s horn).

What many do not know is that, on Rosh Hashanah, we skip the magnificent Torah portion, “Ha’azinu” in Devarim (Deuteronomy) 32. Instead, we read from Parashat “Vayera” in Bresheet (Genesis).

Vayera, which is read, in parts, over the two days of Rosh Hashana, narrates the birth of Yitzchak, the son of Avraham and Sarah, the banishment of Hagar and her son, Yishmael, and ends with the binding of Yitzchak.

G-d, as we learn from it, remembers His promise to Sarah and blesses her and Avraham with a son, Yitzchak who is circumcised at the age of eight days.  Sarah, who is concerned about the future of her son demands that Avraham banish Hagar, her maid, along with, Yishmael, who Avraham sired. “Cast out this slave woman with her son, for the son of this slave woman shall not be heir with my son Isaac,” she tells Avraham in Bresheet 21:10. Avraham does not like it but listens to G-d who commands him to obey to Sarah. Avraham acquiesces and Hagar and her son end up in the desert and are, later, saved by an angel of G-d.

Many, myself included, have difficulties with this narrative. Although G-d stands behind Sarah’s decision, banishment into the desert is, still, a harsh verdict, particularly one that is executed by a parent, in this case Avraham.

Without underestimating or belittling the suffering of Hagar and Yishmael, which resulted from Avraham’s move, it is important to look at this episode in the context of practices in the ancient world where our narrative takes place. I am referring, particularly, to those pertaining to the inheritance rights of the son of a maid/slave in the circumstances of our story. These, as we learn, seem to be Sarah’s main concerns.

Rabbi Elchanan Samet suggests that for that purpose, we turn to the Hammurabi Code of Law which reflects the social and legal norms of that period, at least in Mesopotamia.

Article 170 of this Code states that if a man’s main wife bore his children and so did his maid, the father shall bequeath all he owns to the children from his main wife, during his life. If the father passes away without declaring the rightful inheritors, his assets will be divided equally between all of his offspring regardless of who their mother was.

Hagar was never the legal wife of Avraham. Sarah was. Hagar was a maid and a servant who bore a son, Yishmael, to Avraham when Sarah thought that she was barren.  Yishmael was never the legal heir of Avraham.  Now that Sarah has her son, she is the Lady of the house and wishes to secure her son’s future and ensure that he is the sole inheritor. Avraham is old, and Sarah, the worried mother, wishes him to affix it while he is alive. Banishing Hagar is removing last hurdle that stands between her and her goal.

Nevertheless, should Hagar and Yishmael be “cast out” after all those years?

Avraham does not really “cast” her out. In chapter 21 verse 14, the Torah tells us that Avraham “sent her away.” There is a softening of the verb “cast” by replacing it with the verb “send” which, in a way, mirrors Avraham’s sentiments and the nature of his actions. In Biblical context sending away generally means releasing or letting go. The same verb “send,” incidentally, is also used in the Torah pertaining to the releasing of slaves. Might it be possible that this is what the case is here?

I turn, again, to the Hammurabi Code. Article 171 of it does address an issue similar to the one discussed here. According to it, if, while he is alive, the father does not will anything to his offspring from his maids or mistresses, then they will receive nothing. Following his death, the release of the maid and her children will be secured, and the children of the main wife will not turn them into slaves.

Since Avraham has already decreed that Yitzchak is his sole successor, we would expect that Hagar and Yishmael  will be freed, accordingly. In the act of “sending them away” Avraham is, as it seems, in accordance with the customs as practiced in his world, the ancient world. As far as “the desert” scene is concerned, let us not forget that entire land of Canaan was  a desolate wilderness in those days.

On the second day of Rosh Hashanah, we read the account of the binding of Yitzchak. It tells us that G-d commands Avraham to sacrifice his son, Yitzchak, to Him.

Sacrificing the first-born son to Molech, an Amonite deity worshipped also in Canaan, was common practice in ancient times. The Torah strongly condemns and forbids such a act. Avraham, again, as in the case of Hagar, accepts the verdict without protesting or questioning it. It is clear from the text (Chapter 22:1) that G-d was testing Avraham and the extent of his dedication to Him. Still, why did G-d choose that specific experience to put to the test Avraham’s devotion to Him?

It seems that G-d’s directive was not aimed to see whether Avraham was ready to slaughter his son. As mentioned above, in the context of the times, the practice was common and everyone sacrificing their son to Molech would have done it willingly.

The underlying cause for that stems from the deepest levels of Avraham’s faith in G-d. Throughout the exchanges between G-d and Avraham, G-d repeatedly promises Avraham that he will have great and powerful posterity. If Yitzchak dies, those promises will never be kept.

In my view, it is not only Avraham that is put to the test. In Avraham’s eyes, it is also G-d that is being assessed. Yet, he never complains, never questions, or protests the decree.

His unconditional faith in G-d, regardless of whether G-d keeps His promise to him or not, is what Avraham is put on trial for in this episode. Avraham did not fail and was blessed for it. Just as he was about to put the knife to Yitzchak’s throat, an angel called Avraham from heaven telling him to stop. A ram appeared in the bushes nearby and was sacrificed to G-d instead of Yitzchak. That is the reason we use a ram’s horn to make the Shofar.

The lesson of this Parashah is clear. Life is going to present us with many challenges and rattling experiences where we will need to make hard choices. As long as we, old and young, parents and children adhere to our belief in G-d, choose Life, do Justice and practice Hope, we shall always prevail.

May we all have a great year padded with abundant health and only good news.

The Winner Takes It All

 

The following is the English translation of a Face Book post published by Tal Gilad on September 2nd, 2020 and translated by Bat-Zion Susskind-Sacks

Columbus was not the first European who arrived in America. Today, we know that the Vikings already arrived there about 500 years before him. It bears no significance as they did nothing other than to settle and leave after a short while. Columbus’s discovery is the one that bore international significance, political and economically and opened for Europe a new horizon to the New World. Therefore, credit was given

To Columbus and justly. Erikson and the Vikings remained in the realm of an anecdote, nothing more.

Magellan was not the first to   orbit the earth. In fact, he himself did not complete the voyage as he was killed in the Philippines. His Malaysian interpreter, defected the expedition and probably returned to him homeland after the death of Magellan and this way, in fact, became the first person who encircled the earth – from Malacca to Spain, from Spain with his crew around America and then back to Malacca. His adventures interest no one since his “operation” had no strategic, international, political, or economic significance. The credit was not even given to Sebastian Elcano, the captain, who completed the entire round aboard the only ship that remained. Magellan was the initiator, leader of the expedition, the organizer, therefore the glory is his and rightfully so.

 

Alexander Graham Bell was not the only one and possibly not the first one to invent an apparatus which served as a basis for the telephone. The 19^th century was a century of amazing inventions which accompany us until this very day in modern variations, the light bulb’ the camera, the train and more. Quite a few people worked on all these discoveries at the same time. The Italian, Antonio Meucci, invented a similar device, twenty years before Bell. Six hundred people claimed to have come up with a similar invention and filed suits against the recognition of Bell as the inventor of the telephone. All of those are irrelevant (though the U.S. recognized Meucci’s “contribution”) since they never turned their invention – real or otherwise - into something useful for general use and meaningful to the entire human race. The credit was given to Bell and justly so, even though he was getting tired of all the lawsuits, the gossip and after his retirement, he refused to hear about the matter.

Benjamin Netanyahu is not the first Yisraeli who has visited the Emirates and not even the first leader who has met with leaders from that region. He is the first one who has made it meaningful when he brough Yisrael to a powerful economic, political, and strategic position through clear vision and an understanding that the agreements between the countries rest on mutual interests and not the sentiments of the Left which a political insight of a tofu. He is the firs one  who has brought about a formal visible agreement, diplomatic and commercial relationships on the table meaningful agreement to all of Yisraeli citizens , he is the first one who turned the negotiations from “covert” ones to normalization, to a clear and official given which all factors in the region have to take into consideration from now on. If Shimon Peres or Joe Blo did at one point flew over to the Emirates and sang Kumbaya, it bears no relevance and it had no “preparation” to anything.

Therefore all the wailing from Leftists claiming that it was actually Peres who started it all, and that who needs this peace and how it hurts that Netanyahu is successful- these are just background noises which will fade out to the complainers’ section in the basements of history. The credit will be given to Netanyahu and rightfully so. Thank you for listening. Hopefully, it has been understood.

ישראל, לא יזר(ע)אל

 

מטרת מאמר זה, אין בכוונתה לקרוא לשינו עמדות ופרוטוקולים מסוכמים ומוסכמים. אין בכוונתו להפוך יוצרות או לכפות דעות. 

הוא נכתב במטרה אחת ומטרה אחת בלבד, להביע את עמדתי בנושא אשר לי, אישית, הינו קרוב ללבי.זהו צו המחוייבות שלי לעברנו כעם, קיומנו בהווה והבטחת המשכיותו בעתיד.

כפי שחלק מכם יודעים, אני כותבת בעיקר באנגלית. רבים פונים אלי בשאלה מדוע כאשר אני כותבת  

  ISRAEL -   ולאכYISRAEL על ארצנו באנגלית, אני מאייתת את שמה כ-

.שאלה הגיונית, מסכימה

במספר כתבות שכתבתי בנושא באגלית, הבהרתי ונימקתי את הסיבות לאיות זה.

הגיע הזמן להגיב בעיברית לשואלים האדיבים השואלים מתוך צימאון אמיתי לדעת את הסיבה וגם לאלו שאינם כל כך אדיבים, קוראים לי בשמות גנאי ושולחים לי הודעות פרטיות לא כל כך נעימות, בסגנון של "מי שמך לשר ושופט?" 

אותם שמכירים אותי כבר יודעים שחוץ ממצפוני ומהקב"ה אינני יראה אף אחד. אינני כאן על מנת להשתתף בתחרות פופולריות או לזכות בתמיכה. אני כאן כדי להביע את השקפתי ממש כמו כל אחד מכם. אינני מצפה שכולם יהיו תמימי דעים עימי. אני כן מצפה לכיבוד השוני.

אז הרשו לי, בבקשה.

אבקש מכל הקורא כתבה זו לבטא לעצמו את שם מדינתנו כפי שהוא מתבטא באיות הבא :

.Israel

.תודה

 

עכשיו, הרשו לי,בבקשה, לשאלכם היכן נמצאת האות Z במילה הנ"ל ? הרי כאשר קראנו את המילה, החלפנו את האות S באות Z. אנחנו "ישראל," לא "יזר(ע)אל," נכון?
איך הייתם מרגישים אם שמכם, נאמר, היה "רואי" (ROEY) ןמישהו אשר מעולם לא נתקל בשם ואינו מבין את משמעותו היה פונה אליכם כאל "רוי" (ROY)? מה לגבי שם כמו "עידן" (IDAN)?

כן, כבר נתקלתי במישהו שביטא זאת כ"איידן."

אל תשקרו לעצמכם שלא הייתם מתקנים אותו או אותה בו ברגע לפני שהטעות תיטמע במוחם של הטועים

לצערי, זה מה שארע עם השם של ארצנו, עמנו ומולדתנו. ולצערי הגדול עוד יותר, לא קם צדיק אחד בסדום אשר העמיד אנשים על טעותם לפני שהאיות קובע בדפי ההסטוריה ובמוחם של אנשים.

.אתם עדיין איתי? מעולה

 .כדי להבין את מקור הבעיה ועומקה, הרשו לי לקחת אתכם במסע זמן לאחור

במאה השנייה לפני הספירה, שלח תלמי, מלך מצריים, אדם משכיל אשר רצה לקרוא ולהבין את כתבי הקודש של עמנו, אגרת ובה בקש את עזרתם של 72 חכמים בתרגום התורה, תחילה, ליוונית

למרות ההצלחה לכאורה של תרגום זה, הכריזו חז"ל כי יום צאתו לאור הינו  "יום חושך לעולם."

ישנן מספר סיבות ובהחלט מוצדקות לטענת חז"ל אשר אותן אשמח למנות בכתבה אחרת. 

בחיבור זה, אתמקד על הנושא אשר העליתי בכותרת. 

עקב תרגום זה, נוצרה, לדעתי,  אחת העוולות הגדולות כנגד שמו של עמנו, כנגד מהותו וייעודו. באנגלית שגור ביטוי האומר:

 "What's in a name?" 

זוהי בדיוק הנקודה, חברים.

.בבקשה התאזרו בסבלנות ומבטיחה לכם שתרדו לסוף דעתי גם אם תסכימו עימה וגם אם לא

אז בואו נתחיל עם השם יזר(ע)אל אשר הוא האופן שבו מבוטא שמה של מולדתנו במספר שפות זרות

אילו הייתי מאייתת אותו ללא האות ע' שהוספתי בסוגריים, הרי שהשם היה ריק מתוכן וחסר תכלית. ונניח שאכן היה השם מאויית בעיברית בתוספת האות ע, נו, אז הייתה לשם "יזרעאל" משמעות כלשהיא, "אלוקים יזרע." שם נחמד, ללא ספק בעל חשיבות רבה, ואפילו אחד שהפך להיות לכינויו של אחד העמקים היפים  בארצנו, "עמק יזרעאל."

אולם, לא זו לא הייתה הכוונה של אותו פסוק בבראשית אשר על שמו החליטו גדולי האומה, אנשים אוהבי תנ"ך ואשר בתכניו ובמסריו היו בקיאים.

השם ישראל מופיע לראשונה בספר בראשית פרק לב' פס' כט' :" לא יעקב יאמר עוד שמך כי אם ישראל כי שרית {נאבקת} עם אלוהים ועם אנשים ותוכל."

חברים, הפסוק הזה מתמצת את מהותו של עמנו בעבר, בהווה ובעתיד.

עד קום המדינה, היינו כמו יעקב אשר כשמו כן הוא, צועד בעקבות דרישותיהם של אחרים. במשך אלפיים שנים, עשו בנו עמי העולם כרצונם. בלית ברירה הסכמנו להכנס לגיטאות (הרבה לפני השואה), קבלנו עלינו גזירות, צייתנו להן ועוד ברכנו והודנו על כך שנתנו לנו להישאר בחיים.

הקמת המדינה הייתה צריכה להיות השלב אשר בו הפכנו מעם מובל לעם מוביל, מעם משועבד לעם חופשי. יעקב הפך להיות נחלת העבר ופינה את מקומו לישראל.

שרית" אשר משמעו "נאבקת" הוא מנת חלקנו היום יומית במלחמת הקיום שלנו. עם הקב"ה אנו, העם "קשה העורף," ממשיכים, כמו תמיד,  להאבק.השכם והערב, אנו מתמרדים נגדו, מנסים לפרוק את עול המצוות ולא למלא את חלקנו בברית שחתמנו עימו.

כמו כן, אנו עדיין ממשיכים להאבק יום יום כנגד אנשים, אותם הקמים עלינו לכלותנו, זוהי חובתנו.

אולם, חברים, החלק הטוב ביותר בברכה שניתנה ליעקב הוא זה הנוגע לעתידנו - "ותוכל." המסר הוא שיהא אשר יהא, תמיד נצא עם ידנו על העליונה, תמיד  נ  ו  כ  ל, כפי שמנבאת המילה האחרונה בפסוק הנ"ל וכפי שמוכיחה ההיסטוריה. למרות כל הנסיונות להכחידנו, להשליכנו אל תוך כבשני השנאה ולהפוך אותנו ל"מוצג" מן העבר, יצאנו לא רק כשורדים אלא כמנצחים ההולכים מחוסן אל חוסן.

 .היינו ונמשיך להיות עם הנצח

עכשיו אימרו לי אתם, חברים, איזו עוד מדינה, איזה עוד עם נושא בשמו, ביהלום כותרתו, את עברו,

 ?ההווה שלו ואת ההבטחה לעתידו המזהיר

אז, מי מכם שהספיקו להכיר אותי, נראה לכם שאני אתן לשפה, לתרבות של עובדי האלילים,תרבותה

של יוון העתיקה להגדיר אותי ואת ציביוני?

ישראל, לא יזר(ע)אל, הוא שמה של מולדתי. וכמו שמו של כל אדם, זהו הנכס החשוב ביותר שלנו מיום הולדתנו עד יומנו האחרון, עלינו לכבד זאת בכל שפה

ישראל הינה אתה, את, אנחנו, אתם, אתן ואני. ומי מאיתנו היה מאפשר לזרים אשר לא יבינו זאת לסרס אותו

 

לא אני!

A Son of Zion

He was born in a small town in Belarus in the latter part of the 19^th century. His father, Yitzchok, was a distinguished rabbi. His mother, Tscherna, was a hard-working woman who raised him and his eleven sisters and brothers in the finest way .

As the years went by, one by one, several of his siblings left the nest to roam in greener pastures, overseas. Unlike them, he elected to stay and get certified as a Jewish ritual slaughterer.

These were not easy times for Jews in the Russian Empire. Many were exposed to the Haskalah ( Jewish Enlightenment Movement) which promoted the use of Hebrew, in Literature, instead of Yiddish, exposed many to the noble ideas of the French Revolution which ignited their political and social involvement and pushed a great number of them  to follow the Marxist doctrine and even attempt to set up a Marxist party in Minsk in 1898. He was one of them.

As someone who is opposed to any form of such doctrines, I try to rationalize this young man’s political and social choices. These were times when the Marxist ideology seemed like the ultimate panacea for injustice, inequality, and illiteracy. No one, including our young hero, had expected that it would fail and fade into the realm of utopia and in such a short period.

His strong desire to make the world a better place also drove this inquisitive young man to travel to Warsaw in order to meet and befriend Dr. Zamenhof, the Jewish linguist who invented Esperanto. The idea of a world without wars, without religious or linguistic barriers which could be materialized by the use of an international, easy to learn language which would be accessible to all, pushed him to master it almost to perfection. He became one of its most avid advocates and supporters.

In the early part of the twentieth century, this ambitious young man decided to join his sister, Hilda, who had moved to London several years earlier and try his luck there. He started his way as an encyclopedia salesman, albeit not with much success. There were days, I was told, when he suffered hunger and cold. During those times, he would deliberately break a window merely to be arrested, spend the night in a warmer jail cell where he would also get to eat a free hot meal.

Sales, obviously, were not his strong suit. He left London and moved to Oxford. There, our brilliant hero earned a PhD in English Literature.

At the onset of world war I, he was deployed by the British army. During the war, he travelled with the navy all the way to southeast Asia. He did not like what he witnessed there. In his outspoken manner, he criticized the colonial endeavour and protested the way the British treated the locals.

For me, he was an early version of George Orwell.

His words, protests and harsh condemnation of British imperialism did not go unnoticed. He was dismissed from the army and forced out of the kingdom.

Left with no choices, our young man moved back to Russia where the early buds of the Bolshevik revolution were beginning to sprout. Being a firm believer in the Marxist ideology, he joined the effort.

A short while after the onset of the Revolution, disorder settled in. Our intelligent perceptive hero realized that it was a dream which would never come to fruition. He was a living witness to its collapse and the unavoidable conclusion that as attractive as the solution  that it offered to end world maladies, it was doomed to failure.

Shattered by what he observed, he decided to move to Poland.

One day, during a train ride to Vilna, he noticed Sarah, that was her name as he learned later, sitting  across the aisle from him and instantly fell in love with her. Her green, lovely eyes and her red wavy hair mesmerized him. Sarah was on her way to get betrothed to a young man that she had never met. When their glimpses met, they both knew that she would never reach her destination.

Sarah was the daughter of a very wealthy wholesale merchant. Our young man joined him, soon after he married Sarah, learned the art of trade, and eventually ran the whole business together with his fiery wife Sarah.

Yesterday’s Marxist became a capitalist and he loved it. He raised two brilliant talented children. They had everything money could buy, maids, nannies, trips and a summer home.  They even had a radio where they would listen to the finest operas while our man would describe to his children in, as vivid a manner as possible, the various scenes as he experienced them at Covent Garden or other concert halls. Poland, Polania (in Hebrew translates as “here G-d slept”) for him, was just that, the land of milk and honey.

Unfortunately, history had other plans in store for our protagonist. Twenty years later, the world was thrown into chaos when World War II started.

The infamous Riventrop-Molotov agreement of September 1, 1939, put him and his family at harm’s way. Luckily for some, not for our man and his family, though, they were situated in that part of Poland which fell into the hands of the Russians. As a business owner, a rich bourgeois, our man suddenly became the enemy of the state. “Criminals,” like him deserved only one fate. They should be sent to the Gulag where they would be placed in forced labour camps. On September 3^rd, the “culprit” was already on a howling train which made its way eastward to the unknown. He never came back.

This great man was my maternal grandfather, Ben – Zion (son of Zion, in Hebrew). I, Bat-Zion, am named after him and I pledge here and now that I will never desert his legacy and will continue to share his story with the world.

Shanah Tova, Am Yisrael <3

Three Mountains, Two Different Ceremonies

This week’s Parasha, “Ki Tavo,” opens with two Mitzvot which are practiced in Eretz Yisrael only. Both are connected to the Land.

The first is the directive to bring the First Fruits of the Land to the Temple in Yerushalayim as a sacrificial gift.

The second is the mandate to observe a ritual dedicated to blessings and curses that are associated with the Mitzvot. It is to be performed immediately upon entering the Promised Land.

Most of Moshe’s words, in this Parasha, are reminiscent of his ongoing reminder of the importance of keeping the Mitzvot and the rewards and punishments that are attached to them. This idea is already echoed in his words earlier in Deuteronomy 11:26 where he says, “I am setting before you today the blessing and the curse”.  

Towards that end, Moshe designates two mountains in Eretz Yisrael. One is Eyval, “The Mountain of Curse,” the other is Grizim, “The Mountain of Blessing.” Moshe then outlines before Am Yisrael the exact details of the “The Blessing and the Curse” ceremony, in which they are all requited to physically partake.

The first part in that rite, which Moshe decrees in the name of G-d, is to take place on Mount Eyval. There, Am Yisrael is required to write the words of the Torah on big whitewashed stones.

Following that, the tribes are divided into two groups. Shimon, Levi, Yehudah, Issaschar, Yosef and Binyamin will stand on Mount Eyval. Reuven, Gad, Asher, Zevulun, Dan and Naftali will position themselves on Mount Grizim.

The Levites and the Kohanim will remain in the valley between the two Mountains. When they sanctify the People through the blessings, they shall turn to Mount Grizim, the Mountain of Blessing. When the curses are recited, they will turn to Moun Eyval. At the end of each, the People shall respond by saying “Amen.”

For me and perhaps for some of the readers, these events are reminiscent of another, very impressive, memorable, and most important milestone in our People’s history, the receiving of the Torah at Mount Sinai. The only obvious difference though is that in this case, we are dealing with two mountains instead of just one, as was the case there.

Is this really the only difference between the two events?

Not at all.

When Am Yisrael received the Torah, they had just recently been released from slavery. They were still confused by their sudden liberty, mesmerized and scared by the spectacular scene of the “thunder and lightning… and the “sound of the trumpet.” (Exodus 20:14) Few, if any, did understand the importance, the meaning and the gravity of the contract they had entered with G-d when they said: “we shall do, and we shall hear.”  (Exodus 24:7).

Moreover, until the decree to write the Torah on the stones on top of Mount Eyval Eyval, the Torah had been passed orally. As slaves who had just come out of Egypt, the Yisraelites did not know how to read or write, let alone understand the Torah when it was given to them at Sinai. Forty years of wandering in the desert, however, were expected to have rectified it. The former slaves can no longer only see, hear, and speak, they can also write. This is the first time, Am Yisrael, the People itself, every member of it, will have partaken in the task of recording the Torah in a written form.

As studies show, writing down anything is not only the more effective way to acquire, understand and assimilate new information, it also makes us remember as well as master it better.

The second and not less important difference is that unlike the event on Mount Sinai, where Moshe was the only one on the Mountain while the People were camping in the valley below, this time, it is Am Yisrael that is on a mountain and their leaders are situated below. Here, they are active participants in an event which amounts to reaffirmation of the contract that they made with G-d at Sinai, an experience which will surely leave its footprints on their essence.  

A third and very important difference is that, unlike the occasion of Mount Sinai which occurred in a foreign land and which may have faded from the memory of many members of Am Yisrael, Mount Eyval and Mount Grizim are here in Eretz Yisrael, their new and Home. They will serve as a visual, moral agent and an eternal reminder of the Covenant we entered with G-d at Mount Sinai.

Lastly and most importantly is how Am Yisrael responds in both ceremonies. At Mount Sinai, unlike here, Am Yisrael automatically responded “We shall do and hear,” to the decree of Mitzvot even though they may not have fully understood them and the weight they carry.

Here, however, Am Yisrael is directed to say “Amen” which is recited following the reading of the list of curses and blessings by the Kohanim and the Levites.  The Hebrew word, “Amen,”  which many translate as “so be it,” shares the same root with the words, trust, belief and faith.

That points to a huge leap from what we witnessed at Sinai. Since then, when Am Yisrael was at its infancy, our People have matured. Forty years of wandering in the desert, it seems, have equipped them with the right tools and are expected to understand G-d’s message, learn to assume responsibility, have better judgement, trust G-d, believe and have faith in Him.

Wishing all of you, Shavua tov and a great year ahead of us, a year of understanding cushioned with faith and trust in G-d and our leadership.

Amen!  🇮🇱🇮🇱🥰🇮🇱🇮🇱