"Yisrael, My Firstborn Son."

This week’s Parashah, Bo, is another stirring chapter in the saga of the Exodus from Egypt. It details the last three of the ten plagues that were poured upon the Egyptians.

Of special interest in the tenth plague the smiting of the firstborn son of every Egyptian family. It is, the Torah tells us, the last straw which prompted Pharaoh to let the Yisraelites go.

A bird’s eye view of the host of plagues reveals that the tenth plague was different from its predecessors. Firstly, it is already hinted at before Moshe was to meet Pharaoh when G-d sent this message to him in Shemot 4:23-24 : “Yisrael is my firstborn son, and I told you, Let my son go, so he may worship me.” In other words, the confrontation will reach its pinnacle when it will be Pharaoh’s first-born son against G-d’s first-born son, Am Yisrael.

Secondly, the tenth plague does not bear the usual structure of the previous nine plagues. There was no warning. There is no description of the plague and unlike the others, Pharaoh did not protest or request that it be removed. Instead, Moshe presents him with a fact: “About midnight I will go throughout Egypt. Every firstborn son in Egypt will die….” (Shemot 11:4).

Were the same sequence of the other plagues to follow, we could expect the next part to describe the plague. Instead, the next section Shemot 12:2 starts with the following: “This month is to be for you the first month, the first month of the year.” This segment includes the commandment of the Passover sacrifice as well as the laws associated with this Holy Day and as part of these laws comes the description of the forthcoming tenth plague: “On that same night I will pass through Egypt and strike down every firstborn of both people and animals, and I will bring judgment on all the gods of Egypt.” (Shemot 12:12). What connects the two is the commandment to slaughter the Passover sacrifice and the decree to smear its blood on the doorposts of the Yisraelites so that G-d could pass over the homes of the Yisraelites and spare their firstborn.

A very brief description of the tenth plague is given in two verses (Exodus 12:29-30) “ At midnight the LORD struck down all the firstborn in Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh, who sat on the throne, to the firstborn of the prisoner, who was in the dungeon, and the firstborn of all the livestock as well. Pharaoh and all his officials and all the Egyptians got up during the night, and there was loud wailing in Egypt, for there was not a house without someone dead.” One might ask, why was there a need for the blood on the doorposts? After all, G-d would know which homes belongs to the Yisraelites and which to the Egyptians.
The answer has to do with the unique nature of the tenth plague. While the plague was aimed at hurting the Egyptians, it is also the one that brought about the release of Am Yisrael from the House of Bondage. Surely, G-d could have picked other ways to reach that result. It seems that in this plague did not only subjugate the Egyptians, it was also meant to put the Yisraelites through the test.

The commandment to engage in the Passover sacrifice forced Am Yisrael to employ another Mitzvah, that of Brit Milah or circumcision. Shemot 12:48 forbids uncircumcised males from partaking in the Passover sacrifice: “A foreigner residing among you who wants to celebrate the LORD’s Passover must have all the males in his household circumcised; then he may take part like one born in the land. No uncircumcised male may eat it.”

It seems that the Torah is more interested in stressing the passing over the homes of the Yisraelites and turning the tenth plague into an instructive experience for them than on killing the firstborn of the Egyptians. Hence the little attention the text gives to describing that plague. Rather, its main concern is in ensuring that the Yisraelites understand the Passover laws, internalize them and live the unique role that G-d has assigned to them to be “My firstborn son Yisrael.”

Shabbat Shalom

Asking the Right Questions

This article was written in Hebrew by Tal Gilad and translated into English by Bat-Zion Susskind-Sacks

Listen and listen well’ you inquisitors, naggers, serial “insultees,“ head hunters, lynch pursuers and KGB operatives of the politically correct.

We are fed up, so fed up with you.

Let is be clear, first and foremost, that I have no issues with gays, bisexuals, multisexuals, lesbians, transgenders or anyone who wishes to have breast implants on their foreheads if this is what makes them happy. As far as I am concerned, let each one do what is good for them, let them enjoy and dance as long as they hurt no one. I have a problem, though, with people why forbid others to speak and think.

Minister of Education Peretz responded very moderately to a provocative and rude question. He is a religious man. Is it possible not to ask him questions related to sex or sexual tendencies? There are those who do not wish to talk about sex all the time. Is it ok? Thank you. However, since you asked, what kind of an answer exactly did you expect? This is his view and it has nothing to do with his role as a Minister of Education. I am unaware of any conversion lessons introduced by him. This is his opinion as a private citizen, the question was phrased and addressed to him as a private citizen and he would not have said anything if he had not been asked in order to utter something that one could have a field trip over.

What was the big deal about it?
“And if one of your children will display a different sexual tendency?”
“My children grew up in a natural and healthy way.”

Wow is me, just horrible, how can a religious man hint that in his view to be heterosexual  is to be normal. The sticker song – to fire, annihilate,  remove,  throw out,  banish, destroy, kick out, insult attach to a pole with a sign that reads:
“ I am a backward person who believes that a family is a mother and father.” Rotten eggs and tomatoes straight to his face.

But try to understand something even deeper, robots of the thought dictatorship. When you ask a person about his children, he does not think about virtual collective of children, the kind you imagine in your progressive eyes that are in constant search of all-think-together. He sees in front of his eyes “his” children.

His children are the apple of his eye; they are the most important thing in his life. He raised them according to his values and world view, raised them, watched over them against any danger and was ready to sacrifice his life for them. As far as he is concerned, they are the purest thing on earth.

One does not ask a father, a religious father, questions the deal with the sexual tendencies of his children. This is impertinence, unlike any other, discourtesy, insensitivity, disrespect, tactless and lacking basic education. Get out of people’s vein, leave their children alone. In fact, that should be considered harassment. On this, one needs to have a lesson plan, what not to ask a father and why questions which start with “and if your child- “  and so on, are hurtful, and unnecessary. Manners before PC

No one disturbs anyone from doing what they feel like doing, how he is doing it and who with. It has been a while since anyone really cares who is gay and who is not and it does not stop them from getting ahead in any area. Involving the children on such topics stems from the same way of thinking according to which children are the property of all, their education is the respo9nsibilityh of society which needs to turn them into “thinkingwell” in the language of Orwell.

Calm down with this Pavlovic shock over each word, each breath, each thought. If I were a gay person reading the words of Minister Peretz, I would shake my head and move to the next page. What is this urgency to get offended, what is this constant need for an adrenaline shot?

Perhaps it is time that people in Peretz’s stature answer simply : ”I request that I not be asked such questions as it hurts me. However, it is easy to suggest it when we are not in the place  of some sniveling person surprises him with a provocative question in order to get his fiftee4n minutes scandal.

Time for you to recognize the right of a person “to think” differently, especially a religious one, espedcial.ly when it is expressed in re4sponse to a question that was meant exactly that and was phrased for that purpose – to find that shred of the politically incorrect in order to feed professional violently - shaken and awareness engineers.

Am Yisrael, the People destined to Eternal Life

This week’s Torah portion dwells mostly on the death of Ya’akov, his funeral and burial. It is entitled “Vayechi…” -  and he lived. 

As many know, the Torah portions generally get their name from the first word of the portion. That is the case in this week’s portion.

Considering the main subject and the content of the reading, which deals with death and the rituals associated with it why was the name “Vayechi” chosen?

And herein lies the beauty of Judaism.

“You shall choose Life,” is an inalienable principle in Judaism. Death is inevitable, as we all know. The question that we all need to ask is, “Have we lived a life to its fullest? Has it been lived and guided by a proper moral compass, padded with values, and saturated with gratitude for its gifts?”

The good work that people do in their life continues to live long after their physical death. If children internalize and imitate the good example of their parents, then their teachers, be it parents or strangers, continue to live through them.

That, dear readers, is the reason Ya’akov summoned his children to his death bed. The Torah portion tells us what he told each one of them. The Oral Torah, however, gives us an account of what happened behind the scenes.

It seemed, according to Chaza”l, that Ya’akov was worried about posterity and wanted to know if all his offspring  observe their faith and, like him, follow his belief in the G-d of Yisrael, a concern he expressed on that occasion. The Oral Tradition further tells us that his children responded by saying, “Hear oh, Yisrael, the Lord, our G-d is One.” Thas way, they confirmed and reassured Ya’akov that his G-d, the G-d of Yisrael will always be their G-d. That calmed and soothed their father who, in turn answered “Blessed be the name of His kingdom forever and ever,” (which is part of the Shema and its blessings but, interestingly enough, never appears anywhere in the Tanach). It was, so we are told, a form of relief and acknowledgement of their piety.

Ya’akov’s name, as we all remember was changed following his nocturnal struggle with a strange man. Following that encounter, he received a blessing, "Your name will no longer be Ya’akov, but Yisrael, because you have struggled with G-d and with humans and have overcome." (Genesis 32:28). He was blessed with the gift of eternity for no matter who or what his adversaries or those his descendants face are, they shall always prevail.

With Ya’akov’s children remaining devoted to his legacy and his faith, he could join his forefathers knowing that it was not merely for the sake of remembering him. It was the gift of eternity that was bestowed upon him and his progenies after him. By following the path that Ya’akov paved, his contributions, genuine and virtuous way of life and his life’s work will continue to thrive through them and eventually through us as well. His spirit will never die.

The title for this Parasha is, hence, most appropriate. Yisrael (AKA Ya’akov) will linger and continues to live among us. His legacy will guide us and light our course, in what can more than often be a world shrouded in darkness, and ensure that we continue to fulfill what we were destine to be, the People of Eternity

Shabbat Shalom. 

Humility

“Before Honour there is Humility.” – Proverbs 15:33

Humility, in my opinion, is one of the lessons of Parashat “Miketz.”

The story begins with Yosef’s childhood.

As it unfolds, we learn that, unlike his brothers, Yosef has been blessed with sublime foresight, wisdom and abilities. Unfortunately for him, since he was not the oldest, he had little, if any, say in everyday life or important matters that pertained to him as well. Imagine how frustrating it must have been for him having to follow the advice and directives of those who did not share his level of acuity. His older brothers must have felt it as well.

To add insult to injury, Yosef was also Ya’akov’s favourite son. The reason could be double fold. The first might be related to Yosef being his son from his beloved wife, Rachel. The second, he must have recognized Yosef’s talents from early on and thus preferred him over the others. Or was it perhaps because “he had been born to him in his old age,” as Bre’sheet 37 :3 tells us? Whatever the reason, Ya’akov never made his preferential attitude towards Yosef a secret much to the disdain of his older children. As a token of his love for Yosef, Ya’akov made an “ornate striped robe” for him.

That gesture by Ya’akov, naturally, was resented by his other sons. It developed into great, unbearable hatred which, as the story in Bresheet tells us, ignited in the brothers a burning desire to hurt Yosef and wish to dispose of him.

There is a question that is begging to be asked here. Why would an “ornate striped robe,” propagate such a deep-seated hatred towards Yosef?

Rachel Sivilia undertook the task of finding out. In her article entitled, “Joseph’s ornate robe, brotherly jealousy just because of a robe?” (http://www.daat.ac.il/daat/ktav_et/maamarim/sivilia6.pdf) Sivilia, states that she decided to research the clothing closet of that period according to their soc ial class . What prompted her to engage in it was a picture she saw of a wall painting in a tomb from ancient Egypt. It depicted a group portrait of a family or tribe who were on their way to Egypt to purchase wheat. What caught her attention was their garb. They were all wearing ornate striped robes of different fabrics and different colours.

According to Sivilia, different robes, their texture, their splashy hues were the marks of the social class of those who wore them. She, therefore, concludes that the robe given to Yosef was not only exceptional to the status of Yosef’s brothers but to that of Ya’akov as well. It classified him as nobility. He was their superior. It gave him the confirmation that he was above them.

It did not, however, stop at merely feeling superior. Yosef was not apprehensive about expressing his overflowing pride, arrogance and vanity through his dreams of dominance and preeminence.

It was evident that Yosef had not yet mastered the art of humility.

We can only imagine the frustration, jealousy and sense of revenge that brewed through his brothers like a burning fire. The eruption was imminent. As we know, they sold him to a convoy of Yishmaelites who took him to Egypt where he was sold as a slave to a man named Potifar.

The turning point Yosef’s life’s journey, the journey towards reaching maturity, adulthood, ridding himself of his vanity and above all reaching that point of rare integration between his exceptional talents and humility seems to have happened when Yosef was in prison. He was jailed following following the episode with Potifar’s wife who accused him of sexual harassment.

Even after all the hardships that he has endured, Yosef does not lose his faith in G-d. In prison, he ascends to a higher spiritual level when he realizes that his special gifts and abilities come from G-d. “The answers lie with G-d,” he tells Pharaoh’s wine steward and chef when they ask him to interpret their dreams. From the depth of his awareness of the source of his powers, sprouted his salvation.

“I cannot do it," Yosef, similarly, replied to Pharaoh, "but G-d will give Pharaoh the answer he desires" (Bresheet 41:16) is what Yosef answers Pharaoh when the latter asks him to explain  his dream. He has undoubtedly learned the importance of being modest and humble. Just then, when Yosef insists that his solution does not come from his ability but from G-d, just then Pharaoh finds him worthy of being freed from prison and serve as his right-hand man.

Is Yosef, perhaps, what Pharaoh was looking for, not just a talented man but a man of honour, a man who practices humility “one in whom is the spirit of God ?” (Genesis 41:38).

Shavua tov and Chodesh tov.

The real victory Jews celebrate on Channukah

It has always seemed to me that Chanuka does not receive the appreciation which it deserves. Dreidles, jelly donuts, jokes about calories, perhaps because we are dealing with one of the later holy days of the modern era.

But Chanukah is the genuine independence day. On Chanukah, the Jewish People was saved not from physical annihilation but from slow extinction and disappearance into the creases of history, as it happened to many other nations.

The most dangerous enemy on Chanukah were not the Greeks. With them history would have got along: they come, flex a muscle, gradually slide into fadeout and disappear like the rest of them. The big and serious problem was posed from the enemy within, the . Militarily, they were insignificant. They were merely the spoiled and sly protégés, but a shared diabolical interest was forged between them and the Seleucids regime.

The Hellenizers, the elite of they, not only wanted to adopt the Hellenistic lifestyle and in many cases 

also the pagan religious customs of the Greeks, but also wished to turn it into the prevalent norm.  The Greeks, of course, were eager to assist their allies to turn Judea into another Hellenistic entity among many. They issued forced conversion edicts, forbade circumcision and Shabbat observance, the heart of the Jewish faith. Had the revolt not erupted and the Hellenizers been successful in their plan, there would be no more Jewish People. It would have disappeared within no more than two or three generations.

Many a times, the question of what happened to the Romans arises, how could there remain not a 

single Roman out of such a powerful empire? The answer is that they did not disappear, they lost their identity in a long process which started before the physical liquidation of the capital of the Western Empire in 476 CE. Even this was, incidentally, carried out by allegedly "Roman" soldiers, that is, a barbaric army which was enlisted for money or lands. The agreement was not honoured, they burned the club and a minute later, there was not one Roman left, at least not on the Western side since no one of the Empire's residents cared whether they are called Romans of Hotentotes. They were a rabble, a mob of nations, tribes, languages and religions. One just changes the name of the sponsor printed on the shirt and moves forward.

Throughout history, even during genocides, the victim was never eradicated entirely. Nations disappeared because they assimilated among other populations and after a few generations there was no trace of them, they had no unique traits to distinguish them from others. That is precisely what the revolt of the Maccabees stopped and prevented.

The war had three stages:  the first, the rebellion was the most important one and the one we celebrate. During it, the Temple was rededicated. It ended with the defeat of Nikanor – religious autonomy was reinstated, the edicts cancelled and the goal achieved.

The second stage started when Judah, the Maccabee dismissed the corrupt high priest Alcimus who summoned his Seleucid patrons who sent an army of 20,000 soldiers headed by the warlord Bacchides against Juda's 800 men.  Judah was killed, the Greeks took partial control over the land. However, Judah's brothers restored the army on the eastern front of the Jordan river until a few years later, Bacchides was defeated by Yonatan and Shimon and left the land not before he unleashed his anger and carried out a small massacre over the Hellenizers as he saw them as responsible for his defeat. Bacchides, it is noteworthy to mention was pressured to fight Yonatan and Shimon by the hellenizers who wanted to do away with the rebels which, as we saw, was a bad idea. Hence Bacchides’s decision to massacre some of them. The Greeks maintained control over a few fortified cities, among them Jerusalem, even though Yonatan who situated himself in the nearby, Michma

The last stage was the most chaotic of them all since upon the onset of the internal struggles in the Seleucid kingdom, each side tried to pull the Hasmoneans to his side and ingratiated them with appointments, gifts and titles. Finally, Trifonas the traitor, the last Seleucid ruler who still tried to cling on to Judea, pretended to be a friend in order to slyly capture Yonatan and demand ransom money in exchange for him. Shimon paid, but Trifonas murdered Yonatan and tried to invade the country. Shimon's army came out against him and the Seleucid turned around and escaped.

This incident signifies the onset of the political independence of Judea. Two years later, Dimitris the II, who returned to his country, officially recognized the independence of the Jewish state under the ruling of Shimon. These two events are not mentioned in our history and even their precise date is not known as they are considered less significant

There are those who claim that the Hasmonean kings were “hellenizers” themselves, and as proof 

they cite the fact that they adopted a Greek way of life as well as their names – Alexander, Horkanus, Aristobelus etc. This is inaccurate. The difference between calling oneself Alexander and Hellenizers, in the sense of pre-revolt, is the same as between eating MacDonald’s and becoming a Christian.

Coins that are minted in our times carry an image of rays of plentitude, the same as those minted by Yochanan Horkanus. It is a pagan symbol which is more pagan than pagan. It originates from the 

story of the goat that nursed Zeus, the godhead in the Greek mythology. So what?

Neither Horkanus nor us are idol worshippers, but there are always natural influences on our lives, 

language and terminology from our surroundings – this is insignificant. The main problem on the eve of the rebellion was the attempt to outroot that Jewish faith in the wider sense, the popular kind, not  whether anyone wore a fashionable Grfeek dress or listened to Aris San.On Channukah we celebrate 

the main victory, the removal of the threat of cultural annihilation. 

Political Independence  was but a by-product much later because then, as today, the losers did not sit idly, but continued to apply pressure  and hoped to win "this time around," Each such effort merely created a chasin of events which brought about their final and absolute defeat and strengthened the Jewish state.

В последнее время Мири Регев вновь получила привычные порции уничижительной критики. На сей раз за то, что выступила в защиту Биньямина Нетаниягу. Как обычно, ее критики не удержались от соблазна внести немного расистских ноток вкупе со старинной легендой, якобы "Государство Израиль создано левыми".

Так ли это на самом деле? Большинство из нас, включая меня, многократно повторяли миф о первопроходцах-социалистах с русским акцентом и в рубашках с засученными рукавами, смело отбросившими древние иудейские традиции и проложившими путь в заброшенную Землю Израиля, с тем чтобы превратить пустыни и болота в цветущий сад.

Прежде чем изучить реальную, полную картину событий, давайте признаем, что роль левых сионистов в возрождении современного Израиля была велика.

Действительно, они основали кибуцы, мошавы (кооперативные фермерские хозяйства) и населенные пункты, устроенных по принципу «хома у-мигдаль» ("стена и башня"), четко установили свое присутствие на этой земле и создали еврейскую территориальную целостность как свершившийся факт.

Еще до провозглашения независимости Израиля левый сионизм создал основные структуры, послужившие основой становления государства в пути, вернул ивриту роль разговорного языка. Когда Элиэзер Бен-Йегуда оживлял и обновлял иврит, именно представители левых сионистских движений восприняли его проект всерьез и настояли на внедрении иврита в повседневную жизнь.

Левые сионисты последовательно проводили политику захвата, обработки и охраны земли. Они внедрили в сознание общества, что евреи должны сами возделывать землю на своей родине, а не пользоваться наемным трудом арабов. Левые были доминирующим фактором в создании еврейских вооруженных формирований «Хагана» и «Пальмах», которые со временем переросли в ЦАХАЛ. Короче говоря, вклад левого сионизма недооценивать нельзя.

Но - и это очень большое "но" – в своих славных свершениях левые были не одиноки! Одновременно с левыми сионистскими движениями, до и после них, были многие другие. Исторический грех левого сионизма заключается как раз-таки в том, что он решил полностью скрыть участие всех остальных, вместо того чтобы честно разделить с ними полагающиеся почет и уважение. Левые узурпировали нарратив создания и развития государства, диктуя грядущим поколениям, что им знать положено, а чего - нет.

В начальной школе мы с друзьями сочинили песню на иврите для утренника с такими словами: "Вначале были болота и необработанные поля, пока не пришли наши братья из движения БИЛУ, которые построили поселения и вынужденно воевали с арабами".  Именно это мы впитали на уроках. Ни один учитель, ни один родитель не подправил нас, не объяснил, что БИЛУ была лишь маленькой, далеко не самой значительной группой в первой волне алии. Эта группка насчитывала 60 человек, половина из которых вернулась в Россию, а оставшиеся здесь переругались друг с другом, как часто случалось в кругах идейных социалистов.

Когда началась первая алия? В 1882 году, как написано в израильском школьном учебнике истории? Неверно. Волны алии начались еще в 1881-м. Среди первых репатриантов были 2500 йеменских евреев. А лишь в 1882 году в Палестину (она же Эрец-Исраэль) прибыли первые 14 членов движения БИЛУ.  Большевистская система образования внедрила в наше сознание, что именно они стали предвестниками и символами первой большой волны репатриации. Такое утверждение значится и на сайте партии "Авода".

Вот еще один тщательно скрываемый факт: в 1880 году, до первой волны алии, в Эрец-Исраэль проживало 27 тысяч евреев – в большинстве своем сефарды. Им присвоили название «старый ишув». Они были потомками многих поколений евреев, постоянно живших на этой земле.

34 поселения были основаны репатриантами первой волны. Сколько из них было построено членами БИЛУ? Всего одно - Гедера! Да и это лишь благодаря участку земли, приобретенному для них раввином Йехиелем Пинесом – приверженцем религиозного сионизма.

В официальной учебной литературе нет ни единого намека на то, что большинство репатриантов первой волны и практически все евреи «старого ишува» были религизными людьми, соблюдали еврейские традиции. Зато везде упоминаются члены социалистического БИЛУ. Однако название этого движения представляет собой аббревиатуру на иврите - это начальные буквы фразы из ТАНАХа, из книги пророка Йешаягу: "Дом Якова, иди и пойдем". И уж тем более нигде не приводится полная цитата: "Дом Якова, иди и пойдем в свете Вс-вышнего". Социалисты ведь считают себя просвещенными людьми, зачем им упоминать религиозную "чепуху".

А многие ли слышали об истории евреев-выходцев из арабских стран?.. Дискриминационная политика системы школьного образования выставила левого светского ашкеназского еврея в центр всех событий сионизма, как нечто само собой разумеющееся. Остальных как будто не существовало, зачем вообще о них говорить, ведь государство якобы основали левые?!

Из чистого любопытства я решил выяснить, сколько городов в Израиле основано левыми сионистскими движениями.

Выход кварталов Иерусалима за стены старого города начался еще в середине XIX века, так что левых социалистов там еще быть не могло. Это были евреи разных общин, ашкеназы и сефарды. Главным им спонсором был Мозес (Моше) Хаим Монтефиоре  при поддержке фонда  американского еврейского филантропа Джуды (Йегуды) Туро. Оба они были выходцами из сефардских общин, не имевшими никакой связи с социализмом.

Квартал Ахузат-Баит, за год превратившийся в город Тель-Авив, основали в 1909 году евреи из Яффо. Большинство их, судя по фамилиям, - ашкенази, однако ни о какой групповой политической ориентации в данном случае говорить нельзя.

Кварталы, появившиеся раньше, чем Ахузат-Баит, впоследствии примкнули к Тель-Авиву. Речь идет о Махане-Йегуда, Неве-Цедек и других районах, основанных выходцами из Йемена и Северной Африки. Нет оснований полагать, что они хоть в какой-то степени являлись социалистами.

Первыми евреями в Хайфе были сефарды, за годы первой и второй алии городская еврейская община разрослась.

Йоэль Моше Саломон - персонаж популярной песни о Петах-Тикве - был раввином. В ней, конечно, не упоминается, что он также является одним из основателей иерусалимского района Меа-Шеарим.

Продолжим движение на юг. Ашдод был создан вскоре после основания государства, первыми его жителями были евреи из Марокко. Ашкелон населили репатрианты из восточных стран, а главный вклад тогдашнего социалистического правительства Израиля заключался в том, что оно путем давления и угроз изгнало из Ашкелона и окрестностей последних арабов, не бежавших в 1948 году.

Ришон-ле-Цион был основан в XIX веке Первопроходческим учредительным комитетом, который основал хасид по имени Залман Левонтин на землях, приобретенных бароном Ротшильдом и Хаимом Амзалагом. Последний, как явствует из фамилии, был далеко не ашкеназом.

Город науки Реховот основан религиозным движением «Менуха ве-нахала» («Покой и земельный надел»).

Мазкерет-Батья, Зихрон-Яаков, Рош-Пина и многие другие поселки возникли на участках, которые были выкуплены на деньги барона Ротшильда и заселены представителями различных подгрупп движения «"Ховевей Цион" («Любящие Сион», палестинофилы), в том числе отколовшимися от БИЛУ. В попытках осуществления своей утопической мечты, в которой не должно быть денег и богатых патронов, они столкнулись с реальностью, в которой оказались необходимы деньги и богатый патрон (спонсор).

Герцлию основали американская еврейская ассоциация - отнюдь не социалистическая «Кеилат Цион» ("Община Сиона") и профсоюз "Бней Биньямин" («Сыны Биньямина»), который из-за своей правой ориентации не получал финансирование от левого Гистадрута.

«Бней Биньямин» основали в конце 20-х годов и город Нетанию, названный в честь филантропа Натана Штрауса, к которому члены этой организации вынужденно обратились за неимением другого источника финансирования. Кстати, Штраус во время посещения Святой Земли в 1912 году сломал ногу и вследствие этого отменил запланированное путешествие из Англии в Нью-Йорк на самом фешенебельном лайнере того времени "Титаник".

Холон появился в результате слияния пяти кварталов, первый из которых основал Шломо Грин – коммерсант из Яффо, сразу же открывший возле своей хижины синагогу. Бат-Ям основала инициативная группа религиозных семей из Тель-Авива происхождения. Бней-Брак создало ультраортодоксальное движение «Баит ве-нахала» («Дом и земельный надел»). Раанана основана в 1912 году американскими евреями без единой политической ориентации.

Первые земли Кфар-Сабы были куплены раввином Йехиелем Пинесом – вышеупомянутым спасителем БИЛУистов. Первые поселенцы в Кфар-Сабе в 1903 году были религиозными и светскими людьми без коллективной политической принадлежности.

Современная Беэр-Шева появилась по инициативе турецких властей Османской империи в начале ХХ века. Ее первыми жителями были бедуины – очевидно, ни ашкенази, ни социалисты. А первым современным еврейским войском, которое освободило территории Эрец-Исраэль от турок, была рота из 38-го батальона под командованием – кого бы вы думали? - Зеэва Жаботинского. Только не вздумайте упомянуть его имя на большевистских уроках истории!

Нес-Циона возникла во время первой алии усилиями хасида из ХАБАДа Реувена Лерера, члена "Ховевей Цион", потому что немец, продавший ему этот участок, заверил его, что он недалеко от Иерусалима.

Бейт-Шемеш вырос из маабары - поселка временного проживания новых репатриантов, в частности выходцев из восточных стран, а также Румынии и Болгарии. То же самое касается Кирьят-Гата, который превратился в городом благодаря репатриантам из Марокко; именно в их небогатой несоциалистической семье в 1965 году родилась девочка по имени Мириам Сибони, впоследствии ставшая министром культуры и спорта Израиля.

Еще раз подчеркнем: левые делали многое достойное песни и хвалы. Но стоило им прийти к власти, как они уничтожили остальных, создав политически субъективный исторический нарратив, лживый, в лучшем случае - полуправдивый. Таков левый подход со времен Французской революции: кто не с нами, тот против нас. А кто против нас, тому мы спокойной жизни не дадим.

Итак, товарищи левые, вас ждет неприятная новость: эта страна не только ваша. Израиль никогда не был и не будет вашим эксклюзивным брендом.

Вы хотите поговорить об уважении к другим? Начните с себя!

“And he took one of the stones of that place…”

“There will always be rocks in the road ahead of us. They will be stumbling blocks or steppingstones; it all depends on how you use them.”

Friedrich Nietzsche

I was seven years old when I first learned about the story of Ya’akov’s (Jacob) dream. It has captivated me ever since.

Imagine Jacob, a fugitive who is forced to leave his home and his family, a man who is doomed to a life of wandering after stealing the first born right from Esau. A man, so it seems, who is well on his way to becoming a "tragic hero."

At one point, he decides to follow the advice of his mother and visit his uncle, Laban, who lives in Haran. Haran is outside of the boundaries of Eretz Yisrael.

Needless to add that his journey is perilous and carries him through unfamiliar terrains. It takes much courage and determination to embark on such an undertaking.

Additionally, it is essential to preface here that in ancient times, the prevalent belief was that G-d dwelt and was present only within the boundaries of Eretz Yisrael. ”Eretz Yisrael is the House of G-d” (Or Ha Chayim Shemot 20:2). “He who dwells in Eretz Yisrael is like one who has a G-d, and he who dwells outside of the Land is like one who does not have a G-d.” (Ketuvot 110b).  

I can only imagine the emotional agitation and the storm that rages within Ya’akob as he is getting ready to spend the night in no man’s land, alone and consumed by the fear that G-d is not there to watch over him.  

After he finds a place to rest and sleep, Ya’akov puts a stone under his head and falls asleep. We all know that a hard stone could never take the place of a comfortable, soft pillow.

The question that is begging to be asked is, why would Jacob do that? Surely, he could use something less harsh in place of a pillow.

What role does the bulky stone under Ya’akov’s head have in this story?

The answer has everything to do with the dream that Ya’akov is about to dream. In it, he sees a ladder placed on earth, its head reaching the sky and the angels of G-d are climbing and descending it.

“Dad,” I asked my father after reading that dream for the first time at the age of seven, “where do angels dwell?” “In heaven, of course,” came the obvious answer. “So, why,” I persisted in my innocent way, “does it say that the angels first climbed the ladder and then came down? If they are in heaven above, don’t they need to come down first and then climb up?”

My father was speechless. “I have read this story so many times,” he admitted, “but the question that you raise never occurred to me.” He decided to go and see Rabbi Sokolover, the then chief rabbi of Ra’anana, my home town.

“What a wise girl,“ I remember the rabbi saying when my father posed the question to him. Rash”i and a seven years old girl ask the same question. Rash”i, “continued the rabbi, “explains that the angels that descended were those that accompanied Ya’akov on his journey throughout Eretz Yisrael. As he was about to leave Eretz Yisrael those bid him farewell and he was joined by the angels of foreign lands who were entrusted with guarding him. As the dream continues, Ya’akov suddenly experiences G-d who blesses him, promises to give him the land upon which he lies, and pledges to watch over him and protect him. Through his dream, Ya’akov learns that G-d’s presence, his guardianship and the protection of his angels continue to cloak him with a blanket of security and ensure his well-being. It must have been quite a relief for his forlorn soul.

Back to the stone that Ya’akov put under his head. I believe that it plays a very important role in this episode The hard stone, naturally, causes Ya’akov’s head to be tilted. Tilting the head is one way of showing respect. In a symbolic way, the stone prepared Ya’akov to the revelation of G-d, something that Ya’akov had never expected.

Moreover, unbeknown to him, Ya’akov spent the night in what we learn is a holy place. He takes the stone upon which he rested his head, sets up a monument, pours oil on it and names the place Beit El where a House of G-d will one day be erected. He also vows to give one tenth of his possessions to charity should he return to Eretz Yisrael safely.

The stone, as many perceive it, represents the lowest point in nature – the power of the inanimate. Frankly, how many of us truly look at or regard stones as bearing any significance?

However, as the episode above suggests, even stones, can be of value and capable of absorbing sanctity and divinity. Not only do they not disturb the revelation of G-d, they support and facilitate it as well as join it.

In the words of Nietzche, I hope that, like Ya'akov, we all turn the rocks/stones which could threaten to become the stumbling blocks on the journey of our life into stepping stones and veer our experiences along that path into rewarding and meaningful encounters which will lead us to a life of fulfillment and sheer bliss.

Shavua tov  to all. ❤ ❤ ❤