simultaneously-waiting-a-poem-by-nechumelle-jacobs.html
For more poems by Nechumelle Jacobs (plus more of her personal story), please start at this link, then follow the links at the bottom: simultaneously-waiting-a-poem-by-nechumelle-jacobs.html
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In Rav Avigdor Miller's dvar Torah for Parshas Devarim – Exiled Among Neighbors, we encounter a very intriguing question: Why did Hashem destroy certain enemy neighbors, while others remained? For example, the powerful kings & kingdoms of Emor & King Og of the Bashan & Canaan disappeared. But Moav, Ammon, and Edom remained. (Edom remains until this day as the Anglo & European countries.) Why? The Exact Definition of an Evil Neighbor The first few of pages consist of Rav Miller expanding on the Gemara's definition (Brachot 8a) of a bad neighbor: "Anyone who has a synagogue in his town, but he doesn't go there to daven—he is called an evil neighbor." It's worth reading it inside to get the full idea. Then Rav Miller sums it up with this (page 6): An evil neighbor means someone who lives nearby, he lives in proximity to someone good whom he can learn from, and he doesn’t change for the better! This really spoke to me. One of the problems with becoming frum on the younger side (like the teen years) is that you still haven't learned to make good decisions—meaning, despite making the wonderful decision of turning toward Torah & mitzvot, you still may not be aware of how to make good decisions. A lot of young female BTs & converts need more supervision because their sense of self lacks fortitude. That, combined with the pull of society & the intensive anti-Torah propaganda (plus being completely on your own)...they need a firm foundation on which to stand, rather than floating around in the middle of universe. In other words, they should go to a good baal teshuvah school as soon as possible. During my early years of teshuvah (around ages 18-19), I encountered good FFB girls in a nearby mostly modern Orthodox community—girls who were more than willing to befriend me. I liked them a lot too. However, I still felt pulled after the assimilating modern Orthodox girls because it was so familiar and also they did interesting things, like go out to the scene downtown on Saturday nights. So I felt pulled after 2 different groups. I remember thinking I should really spend time only with the more committed frum girls, and I did indeed spend a lot of time with one very solid FFB girl because of the great chemistry between us (and I adored her family). But I still allowed myself to be pulled after the drifting girls and their families. Another undiagnosed problem: Because I came from a very secular & corrupt environment, I could not see how bad everything was. To me, all the corrupt values & wanton behaviors were normal. Later, I very much regretted not having followed the seichel of my yetzer tov; I should've associated only with the committed girls. Had someone sat me down for a heart-to-heart talk, I think I might have listened. Actually, the mother of one of the committed girls told me in a casual & good-hearted way, "You should be close friends with my daughter; she would be a good friend for you." I realized she meant, "She would be a good influence on you," and I wasn't offended. Instead, it warmed me to know that someone cared. Also, by suggesting her own daughter, I didn't feel like it implied something wrong with me, but that I possessed good character and potential, which her daughter could help me achieve. However, I was (and still am) the kind of person who needs things explained to me before I can wholeheartedly throw myself into them. So while the mother's statement was true, I needed more convincing to fully commit myself to friendship with only the committed girls. One modern Orthodox rabbi hinted to me that I should avoid the drifting girls, but I felt a bit offended on their behalf at his implied put-down. Much later, one of the committed FFB girls told me in confidence that she wanted to warn me away from the drifting girls and have me with her group—a group of solidly frum girls who were nice enough & idealistic enough to be willing to embrace me & give me the spiritual & social support I desperately needed, but that same modern Orthodox rabbi convinced her not to. He told her that she and the committed girls should just continue being nice & friendly to me, but other than that, let me find my own way. Probably he was afraid her doing so would push me away completely (likely because when he just hinted at it, I responded a bit defensively, as described above). However, she was a very idealistic person who spoke from the heart. She wasn't afraid to get into deep, thorny conversations. Furthermore, she was a particularly intelligent & articulate young woman who would have understood what I was going through and not been put off if I got a tad defensive on behalf of my going-off-the-derech friends. On the contrary, she would've seen that as an opening to explain things more. Having someone reach out to me from the heart & willing to hash it all out with me would've meant so much to me. So I think that rabbi made a big mistake. The idealistic, heartfelt teenage girl was right. (In addition to being an idealist, she also possessed a strong streak of Tzedek, tzedek tirdof, which also fueled her on my behalf. She knew that hanging out with those other girls was not the right way for me to go.) At the same time, I don't blame the rabbi for not reading my mind. He always made himself available to me and to all the other young people if we needed to talk. Based on what he could perceive of me, he thought that leaving me to my own devices was the best way to handle me. So he was wrong, but it's not really his fault. Most of the rabbis in that community were nice, decent guys. Whether they taught at the school or headed a shul, they probably felt overwhelmed by their responsibilities. They always made themselves available when someone needed them, but did not actively guide people. They acted more as consultants rather than leaders, though I still give them a lot of credit for just being there and keeping the frum community alive in a bastion of liberal secularism. (Later, when more idealistic & activist rabbis & rebbetzins joined the community, they made a world of difference by injecting much-needed vitality into the community, which strengthen the frum community & positively affected the kiruv of the secular Jewish community.) I wasn't the only floater. (Most of us floaters ended up in New York, Lakewood, or Eretz Yisrael. So that was a good thing. But some people just drifted off & got lost again.) The point is that I had access to good "neighbors": the solidly committed, friendly, FFB girls. But by associating with the "neighbors" going in the wrong direction, I went in the wrong direction too. Unwittingly, I retarded my spiritual progress for a few years! I could've been frumer, gotten married earlier, and avoided some really bad decisions simply by associating exclusively with the committed girls. As a side point, I knew the not-so-frum girls would look down their nose had I joined the committed girls (even if I still related to the not-so-frum girls in a friendly manner). It's interesting that the committed frum girls displayed more patience, understanding, and acceptance than the not-so-frum drifting girls. You see this a lot in life, that the people who consider themselves very liberal & open-minded & accepting often reveal themselves as being the most apathetic, narrow-minded, and controlling. While I don't think of myself at that time as "an evil neighbor," an honest self-accounting tells me that I was far from being as good as I could've—if only I'd allowed myself to be influenced by the wonderful "neighbors" Hashem made available. I lived in proximity to "good neighbors," yet did not change for the better nearly as much as I could have. I was, in Rav Miller's words, a neighbor who didn't take advantage of being a neighbor. And that really does impinge on your own goodness. Beneficial Envy & Why Hashem Puts Bad Neighbors by Good Neighbors Rav Miller goes on to state: When Hakodosh Boruch Hu puts enemies around His people, it’s for the purpose that the enemy should learn from us and become good. That's what it really is! Yet they think the opposite. Sometimes, even we think the opposite. But no. Rav Miller emphasizes: You hear that? Incredible. Yet if you think about it, it makes SO much sense. And to an extent, the plan worked. Rav Miller notes the important converts who came from these nations. Then Rav Miller discusses the importance of names, and how all this relates to constructive jealousy and destructive jealousy. Envy can be a terrible feeling. But used positively, it can take you to places you would never otherwise reach. But not only did Amon, Moav, and Edom refuse to learn from Am Yisrael... ...they also harassed & persecuted Am Yisrael. Idiots. Emulation Prevents Apathy Then Rav Miller makes a statement that explains why secular American society, despite all its proclamations of caring, always feels davka so apathetic & uncaring: People in their blindness typically ignore everybody else; they think that nobody has anything that's worth emulating and therefore each person continues on his beaten path. Rav Miller explains that you are either a good neighbor or a bad neighbor. Either you seek to emulate the good people in your society... ...or you go around with the bland mindset of "You're okay, I'm okay"—and never move from your daze of comfortableness. We are here to learn from everybody. We need to seek out the good qualities of others & seek to emulate those good qualities. Sometimes, we emulate the negative qualities. Sometimes, as Rav Miller notes, a person sees a shul where they daven super-fast or they daven late, so the person takes on all that (without the good aspects of those shuls). I once lived in a frum community where the women wore modest clothes & make-up. Sometimes, a girl went away to attend a frum seminary or she got married & went to live with her husband in another community—a community which possessed many fine qualities but also struggled with materialism. They returned & showed up to shul Shabbat night with garish fuchsia gashes of blush across the sides of their face. The logic behind that was by applying heavy make-up on Erev Shabbat, it remained until the end of Shabbat. They meant this in honor of Shabbat. However, the laws of tsniyus never allow heavy or garish makeup in public. That's adopting the not-so-good aspects of a community. Really, they should've ignored the garish Erev Shabbos blush application and only learned from the bountiful chessed & bikur cholim also prominent in those same communities. Rav Miller offers other examples: Another neighbor has good character and derech eretz. Of course, you can't skip steps. Who can leap from 1 to 7 in one go? But you start off with your baby steps in the right direction. And that's really, really good. I suppose the nations that disappeared never had the potential to emulate Am Yisrael. But Moav, Ammon, and Edom possessed that potential—yet for the most part, it lay dormant. Just by seeking what to emulate, we avoid becoming like Moav, Ammon, or Edom. And that's a wonderful thing. Credit for all material & quotes goes to Toras Avigdor. UPDATE: Please also see this post discussing the halachic borders of Eretz Yisrael, with information on how this affects Shemitah: https://dinonline.org/2021/07/09/the-borders-of-the-holy-land/ In the post on the God-given borders of Eretz Yisrael according to the Torah (the-original-borders-of-eretz-yisrael-as-defined-by-the-torah-a-stunning-photo-documentary.html), maps have been added for better orientation, plus another photo of the Nur mountain range in southern Turkey, which is the approximate location of Mount Hor & the northernmost boundary of Eretz Yisrael according to the Kaftor V'Ferach. Like this map: Additionally, this map shows where the Nile River appears, which is the "Stream of Egypt" mentioned in the Torah according to the Rambam (and upheld by the Lubavitcher Rebbe): As you can see in the maps above, God-given Eretz Yisrael includes modern-day countries of Lebanon, parts of Syria, and possibly even a bit of Turkey & Egypt. If we include the areas claimed & settled by the Tribes, then the original boundaries include parts of Jordan too: When someone complained to me about the State of Israel not giving up Land to the Arabs, I nicely countered that on the contrary, we've been way too generous. I explained that according to the Torah itself, a full reclamation of our traditional Land includes Lebanon, plus healthy chunks of Syria and Jordan. (At the time, I did not know of the opinions that include borders up to Turkey and over to the Nile.) "So actually, we're being more than generous," I explained good-naturedly. "We've already yielded way too much." The person looked startled, then gave a little laugh and said, "Oh. You really have! I never thought of it that way." And I never heard this particular complaint from this person again. I like this argument because it turns all the accusations on their head. It also stakes you in a firm position—which is a vital necessity. One of the arguments on which the Lubavitcher Rebbe always stood firm was the necessity of explaining to the Americans there is no compromise in this area: www.youtube.com/watch?v=kBTlPB4_8vY (from minute 3:02) "Holding on to the Land does not minimize peace. Quite the contrary—when the other side hears there is consideration to give them something, that brings 'intifada' and all the other negative results... (Other videos exist of the Rebbe explaining that "the Americans"—meaning, the American politicians & officials—must understand there is no compromise in this area, then they won't push for "peace" in this destructive manner. But this is the video available to me.) Look, the charedi position is basically that we don't like the Israeli government, nor do we like the way the State came into being. But once what's done is done and the status quo is what it is... ...then you can't just let people kill or traumatize you & your fellow Jews. There is more to this great oversimplification than that, but it's too much to go into now. So let's leave it at that for now. Anyway, even people who refuse to validate the Truth of Torah & who sneer at your reasons will still capitulate in the face of an unwavering stance (which is partly why the Lubavitcher Rebbe insisted on this stance). After all, no non-Muslim believes in or even holds much respect for anything in Islam or the Koran, yet look at how those same atheists & secularists capitulate in the face of Islam simply because the Muslims refuse to waver. So I like this argument because I get to say, "What do you mean 'it's not enough'? Our Bible insists that our Land actually includes Lebanon, plus parts of Syria and Jordan. Yet because we Jews are so generous and peaceable, we don't even consider invading or conquering those countries." That's right! Out of the goodness of our hearts, the Lebanese may keep Lebanon, the Syrians may keep Syria, and the Jordanians may keep Jordan. Peace, man! Aren't we Jews just so lovely & magnanimous? So you hold that stance tight—even if they laugh—and then don't bend one inch. The Original Borders of Eretz Yisrael as Defined by the Torah: A Stunning Photo-Documentary8/7/2021
Parshat Masei delineates the Torah's borders of Eretz Yisrael. It's hard to know exactly where these areas are today, but a lot of it is certainly known. Also, we have differing interpretations of these borders from Kaftor V'Ferach & Tevuot Ha'Aretz. Not very different interpretations, however. They're basically the same. Perhaps it's helpful to view photos of these borders to help us get a better picture in our minds. To get a better idea of what we're viewing, here's a modern map: One of the faint squiggly lines south of the modern Sinai-Israeli border is Wadi el-Arish, one of the locations for Nachal Mitzrayim (Stream of Egypt) and the God-given southern border of Eretz Yisrael. However, for those who go by the Rambam, Nachal Mitzrayim (and therefore, the southernmost border of Eretz Yisrael) is the Nile: The Northern Border of Eretz YisraelHere lies the biggest difference between the 2 interpretations. Tevuot Ha'Aretz pinpoints Eretz Yisrael's north-westernmost border of Mount Hor as just north of the Lebanon Mountain Range, around modern-day Tripoli, Lebanon. This is the Lebanon Mountain Range, the northernmost part would be that border and included within the territory of Asher (and also possibly Naphtali to its eastern side): Lebanon Mountains (Area of Mount Hor & the Northern Border of Eretz Yisrael according to Tevuot Ha'Aretz) — Image by kab_s According to Tevuot Ha'Aretz, the central northern border town called Chamat in the Torah is the city today known as Hama, Syria, which hosts a large river: However, Kaftor V'Ferach pinpoints Mount Hor much farther north (which also pushes Chamat farther north too), where today stands the Nur mountain range in the Hatay Province of Turkey, and would further extend Asher's territory quite far north: Here is a close-up of Mount Nur in Hatay, Turkey, the possible location of Mount Hor & the northernmost border of Eretz Yisrael: The Western Border of Eretz YisraelBoth identify the following along Eretz Yisrael's western border: HaYam HaGadol (the Great Sea—the Mediterranean Sea) Tzidon (today Saida in Lebanon) Tzur (today Tyre or Sur in Lebanon) Akko/Acre Haifa Yaffo Port of Yaffo (Image by noamarmonn ) Ashkelon Gaza The Eastern Border of Eretz Yisrael The above 2 books differ according to the exact location of Zifron, but one of the locations appears to be in the area of Maaloula-Seidnaya in modern Syria. Mount Hermon Mount Chermon in Eretz Yisrael ( Image by rbsa613) The Kinneret (Sea of Galilee) in Tiveria (Tiberias) Jordan River Yam HaMelech (the Salt Sea/the Dead Sea) Maaleh Akrabbim (east of the southeastern part of the Dead Sea) The Southern Border of Eretz Yisrael Where is Kadesh-Barnea today? Well, there's a settlement in the Negev called both Kadesh-Barnea & Nitzanei Sinai: Some say it's Petra, Jordan: Yet others see it as Ein Qedeis (note the similar name: Qedeis/Kadesh), known since 1905 as Ain-el-Qudeirat in Wadi el-Ain of northern Sinai. Shards of pottery engraved with Hebrew found there boost the theory that it hosted Jewish settlement. The southernmost border includes Atzmon and Nachalah Mitzrayim (Stream of Egypt), which some identify as Wadi El-Arish in present-day Sinai, but others say it's Nachal Besor. (To my great frustration, I could not find even one free photo of anywhere in Northern Sinai, let alone that specific location.) The closest thing I found was one of Israel's most southern towns, Nitzana, which lies not far from today's Sinai-Israeli border: However, the Lubavitcher Rebbe, going according to the Rambam, considers the Sinai part of Eretz Yisrael too (can't remember where that's written). (If so, that would explain the incredible sense of tranquility found there—never experienced such a thing anywhere else. Just the entire place is permeated with that feeling. I'm not the only one to feel this either.) The reason is because they identify Nachalah Mitzrayim as the Nile: And there you have it. Hope you enjoyed this photo-documentary of the God-given Biblical borders of Eretz Yisrael as defined by the Torah. If you wish to see photos of the original Torah-defined locations of the Tribes (updated with new photos & a quote from Rav Avigdor Miller, in addition the original psak of the Lubavitcher Rebbe), please click here: eretz-yisrael-in-its-entirety-a-photo-documentary.html Please also see this additional post for how the southern border of Eretz Yisrael actually includes much of the Sinai Desert, as per the Rambam:
more-information-and-maps-about-the-torah-true-god-given-borders-of-eretz-yisrael.html In Rav Avigdor Miller's dvar Torah for Parshas Matos-Masei - Life and Free Will, he talks about the difference between living like an animal in This World vs. living like a human being with a God-given soul. Living like an animal does not necessarily mean savage behavior. It means living how bees live: automatically and carrying out vital functions by instinct. Bees can't decide, "Oh, I don't feel like pollinating today. I'd rather watch cat videos." A bee cannot decide to live the life of a bird nor can a bee get so hungover, it cannot show up for pollination. Hashem could have created human beings to live like this, and we could have a very successful Olam Hazeh. We could all go about doing automatically whatever we should be doing, and the amount of sin would descend tremendously. However, we would miss out on Olam Haba. Bees don't merit Olam Haba. Olam Haba must be earned. And Hashem wants us to have a delightful eternity. The Meaning of LifeRav Miller gets down to the nitty-gritty meaning of life: Hashem didn’t make you a bird or a bee after all – He gave you that very rare gift of free will, and so you have to spend some time thinking about this question. The classic way to achieve this is by making for yourself a Rebbe, a Rav, a Mashgiach. Women also have a Rebbetzin or a Mashpia. Traditionally, Jewish women turned to a wiser (and usually older) female relative. They also turned to their father or husband—basically whoever was most qualified & available. (Sori Krauz, about whom was written here: in-depth-book-review-soris-story-an-amazing-life-of-survival-faith.html, relied on her father as her incomparable rav & advisor until his death.) But a community also works for this. We are very influenced by our environment, for better or for worse. Rav Miller quotes his former chevruta in Slabodka & talmid chacham, Rav Aharon Birzher, who was murdered by the Nazis along with the rest of the Jews of Kurdaneh: The best thing is that we should have yirat Shamayim (fear of God). But in case we don't manage it, then at least we should dwell in an environment of yirat Shamayim—an environment that forces us to be good. All these influences provide a healthy framework for us to move around within. They prevent us from being like an aimless boat in a churning ocean. The Loss of Positive InfluencesRav Miller stresses the importance of physically living near your chosen rav. Some aren't sure whom to choose, so Rav Miller advises to simply choose one because you can always switch later when you find someone better. From personal experience, it's important to choose the best one possible, with the most uncompromising daat Torah & best middot. Such a rav is getting harder to find, but truly desiring it, davening for it, and saying v'taknenu malkenu b'eitzah tovah milfanecha (found in Maariv before Shemoneh Esrei & the advice of Rav Levi Yitzchak Bender) helps achieve this. Partway through, Rav Miller briefly answers the questions so many people have on Shlomo Hamelech's marital choices. We used to have Neviim (Prophets) to tell us—and they told us the undiluted Truth! It came straight from Hashem, without the Navi interjecting his own views or middot into it. And even though it was the truth straight from Hashem, people could not always handle it. Rav Miller makes this interesting observation: It’s interesting to know that – a black man saved the life of Yirmiyah Hanavi. But those instances of turning against a Navi proved exceptional. Yet it told Hashem that people no longer held interest in what Hashem really wanted of them. Listening to the Neviim could have saved them from Galut, but they'd drifted too far away at that point. So a few older Neviim remained. But when they passed on, no one else arose to replace them. We should at least try to understand what we lost & what we still miss today. Credit for all quotes & material goes to Toras Avigdor.
At the risk of sounding really dumb, I admit to struggling in figuring out what was up with this new citizenship bill some Knesset members tried to pass. My relationship to the news is fluid; sometimes I remain out of the loop (for example, I didn't initially realize that Bennett had become Prime Minister), yet other times I read parts of it obsessively. So I thought maybe I struggled to understand because I'd been out of the loop. Then I realized...no. So regarding the Citizenship Bill: See, I thought that naturalizing within Eretz Yisrael non-Israeli non-Jewish citizens who are married to Israeli non-Jewish citizens is a bad idea. It's a bad idea halachically & a bad idea practically. It's especially a bad idea concerning a group that traditionally produces lots of anti-Jew terrorists and generally votes against the well-being of Jews & acts against the 7 Laws of Noach. Apparently, the Knesset enacted a law in 2003 preventing citizenship for Falestinians married to Israeli-Arabs. This happened because many of these married-to-an-Israeli-Arab Falestinians used their newfound Israeli legal status to carry out terror attacks against Jews. Bennett & his buddies wanted to extend this helpful law. Yet all the parties you'd think would approve this extension voted against this law—just for spite (although they included other reasons too):
Even a member of Bennett's own turncoat party—Yamina—voted against Bennet's extension. Even more confusing, 2 members of the Arab party Ra'am voted for the bill (which you'd think is NOT in their best interests). The Leftist secular Jewish parties voted for the bill (again, you'd think they wouldn't). Out of the bunch, Joint List was one of the only voting honestly. Mostly, Bennett-haters voted against their own interests just for spite—just to prevent him from passing a bill & to prevent any appearance of him holding real leadership. It got even more confusing when I read quotes by other Knesset members, who saw the bill's extension as a way give Falestinians the right to citizenship "in installments" & reaching agreements with supporters of terrorism—criticism of which seems the opposite of what this Jew-friendly bill's extension seems to do. So you see why I was confused. I tried asking more politically savvy people, who clarified things somewhat, but at the same time, they also seemed a bit confused. Everyone in the government is now operating out of spite & tug-of-war, rather than trying to actually govern the country. In other words, we still don't have a government. Yippee. (UPDATE: Lest this gives the wrong impression, I never supported Bennett. The late Rav Ovadia Yosef ztz"l definitely had Bennett's number when Rav Ovadia quipped that Bennett's Jewish Home party was actually "a non-Jewish home.") A Little Bit about Where I'm Coming FromThat was all just an introduction to focus on the terminology used & what's wrong with that. But before I discuss the terms like "Tziyoni" and "Tziyonut," it's important for you to know I USED TO BE A ZIONIST. I WAS A SECULAR ZIONIST AND THEN I WAS A RELIGIOUS ZIONIST. (I used ALL-CAPS here because sometimes people debate me on issues as if I'd been stuck in a bucket of frogs until now, and just recently emerged. So just wanted things to be clear.) So please know that at one point, I was firmly in the Zionist camp, longed to serve in Sherut Leumi, joyfully davened Hallel on Yom Ha'Atzma'ut, and so on. Also, I read Rav Kook. So if I reject the whole Tziyoni thing, it's not because I just emerged from living within a bucket of frogs & don't understand. It's because certain observations & research brought me to different conclusions. Ironically, some people are very enthusiastic about Zionism and proclaim themselves Zionists, yet will never settle in Eretz Yisrael. I've lived happily in Eretz Yisrael for over half my life. I own a home here. I produced children here. I haven't been outside of Eretz Yisrael for even a visit (not even to Eilat!) for over 18 years. Yet because I'm not politically Tziyoni, some people think I'm sludge. They think they're much holier & far superior for living in Chicago as self-proclaimed Zionists and writing impassioned pro-Israel letters to editors & congresspersons, and donating money to Agudah L'maan Hachayal (the Association for the Wellbeing of Israel's Soldiers). Okay. You can't please everybody. But, in addition to showing us that we have no leader other than Hashem, I think events are also Hashem's way of showing us He wants us to look at who we really are and our reasons for living in Eretz Yisrael and how to best help ourselves. What is Tziyonut & What Has Resulted from It? It must be acknowledged that many Jews serving in the IDF very much want to protect Am Yisrael in Eretz Yisrael. Many have and are willing to act with the highest self-sacrifice on behalf of their fellow Jews. It also must be acknowledged that there isn't much difference between Jews like me and the very religious Zionist Jews. In such cases, the word Tziyoni becomes more semantics than anything else. However, the terminology (as discussed here: a-look-at-mainstream-media-bias-how-it-affects-even-the-frum-media.html) proves a problem. As also previously discussed, the idea of Tziyonut does not exist anywhere in traditional Jewish scholarship. Tziyonut was only coined in 1890 by Nathan Birnbaum, who was a secular ethnocentrist at that time. (He did complete teshuvah later, baruch Hashem.) He promoted Jewish nationalism based on the Yiddish language and culture (which means...what exactly?). By amputating the idea of Jewish Statehood from the actual mitzvah, bizarre and harmful phenomena developed. One result is how my son shared a room on an IDF base with 2 Russian Christians wearing crosses, who also decorated their Israeli army room with shiny holiday tinsel and belted out carols ("We wish you a merry...!") during the month of December. Did I make aliyah for my son to be surrounded by pagan decorations & caroling while serving in "the only Jewish army in the world"? Do all the pro-aliyah Tziyoni proponents ever mention this type of phenomena? (Yes, my son served in the Israeli army. I should really put that in ALL-CAPS too so that people don't do the whole dynamic of: "Oh, you must have recently emerged from inside a bucket of frogs, so let me explain to you that...") But the Tziyoni Law of Return allows for the non-Jewish children of completely assimilated fathers & non-Jewish mothers to receive full citizenship in Israel—including the freedom to practice a religion that not only violates Eretz Yisrael, but also the 7 Laws of Noach (which insist on the belief of ONE God, not 3.) As IDF-serving Tziyonim, these cross-wearing caroling Christian Edomites are considered a more vital & worthier part of Israeli society within Eretz Yisrael than my family, who learns Torah & keeps the mitzvot (including the ones unique to Eretz Yisrael, like terumot and maaserot), and generally upholds the Torah. Because Eretz Yisrael is a Land that "vomits out her inhabitants" when those inhabitants don't toe the line, these cross-wearing caroling Christians with full Israeli citizenship—plus their embrace by Jews within society—actually ENDANGERS everyone living in Eretz Yisrael. Yet because of Tziyonut, they are seen as advantageous & really cool, rather than disadvantageous & really destructive. According to Tziyonut, THEY benefit society. Me and my kind are simply parasites who do not "share the burden." Irrational Values Proclaimed in the Knesset With all that said, let's take a look at an article with quotes from different Knesset members: https://hamodia.com/2021/07/06/coalition-suffers-defeat-knesset-votes-citizenship-law/ Here's a Likud MK, who believes that an extension of the bill is merely a cover-up to facilitate later infiltration: "My position is to vote against the bill and the anti-Zionist deal between Shaked and Abbas." His comment may not sound weird if you (like me) grew up with a pro-Zionist outlook. But to the currently more investigative me, it sounds bizarre. Is that really the core problem—it's anti-Zionist? What does that even mean in this context? The reason for the bill (and the whole issue) is that terrorists use marriage to Israeli citizens to facilitate terror attacks against Jews. (Sometimes non-Jews end up as victims too, but the main target is Jews.) What does that have to do with Zionism? Meaning, if they wanted to use legal means to carry out terror attacks prior to Nathan Birnbaum's coinage in 1890, would it be okay then? No. But that's what it implies. How about this instead (i.e. what a normal person would say): "We vote against any deal that opens loopholes for mass murder against Jews." That's the real issue at stake. It has nothing to do with nationalism—just morality. Now here's Netanyahu: “Bennett and Shaked say they have formed a ‘Zionist government,’ but they aren’t capable of passing such a simple law because they’re dependent on anti-Zionist entities that oppose Israel being a Jewish, democratic state.” Again, no one seems interested in forming either a moral government or a functioning government. Just a Zionist one—a nationalist government. Nationalist for whom? Because, as a Zionist nationalist government, they've let in a tremendous amount of non-Jews who are hostile to Torah values (both Yishmaelim & Africans & non-Jewish Russian Edomites who played a massive role in Avigdor Lieberman's success with his anti-Torah Yisrael Beteinu party). Intermarriage is a rising problem in Eretz Yisrael (something that both datim & charedim aren't paying much attention to, for some reason). Intermarriage with Muslims has always been an issue in the modern State, but even worse is what's happening with the many thousands of non-Jewish Russians who assimilated into Israeli society & speak fluent Hebrew. Living within Israeli culture & attending Israeli schools, they attain familiarity & comfort with Jewish holidays and customs, making them seem like any other secular Jew. They are perfectly attractive to secular Jews, who do not know enough to care. To marry a secular or tepidly religious Jew, these non-Jewish Russians can access compromised "conversion" programs without true commitment to Torah & mitzvot, which then provide them & their children the appearance of Jewishness without actual being Jewish. (If you cannot see this as a disaster in the making, well then...hopefully, Mashiach will come long before this all explodes.) These people will never vote in a way that truly benefits Jews, and they will always seek to turn Israeli society into something more comfortable for THEM—while being considered loyal to the Zionist ideal. Intermarriage (and all the pritzadik behavior that precedes marriage among secular people) is one of the most destructive forces against the Jewish people. It is all the more terrible within Eretz Yisrael, as has been shown throughout Tanach. Hashem hates it. This calamity is a DIRECT result of Tziyonut. It could never have happened with Jews who care about fellow Jews & Judaism. As for Netanyahu's slam on those who oppose a Jewish, democratic State—well, what's Jewish in the eyes of him and his followers? Again, everyone who votes for the Leftist parties, the Arab parties, and Lieberman's party opposes a Jewish State. Why? Because if you're not in favor of halacha, then you're in favor of non-Jewish values. And those values end up destroying the Jewish people. Also, the whole democracy thing...it really is 2 wolves and a sheep voting on what's for dinner. Without religious Jews exerting a lot of thoughtful advocacy behind the scenes, history shows that Jews always lose in a democracy. It's weird to place such an emphasis on the Tziyoni aspect of the issue when it's about brutal terror against Jews in Eretz Yisrael. Here's a statement from Likud: “Bennett and Lapid wanted to buy two Ra’am votes in exchange for allowing thousands of Palestinians to enter, endangering Israel’s Zionist identity.” Again, what is this whole "Zionist identity" concern? Again, aren't we concerned about JEWISH LIVES? What about JEWISH identity? Why do the leaders of what's considered a Jewish State avoid talking about Jewishness and instead keeping falling back on a purely nationalist identity (Zionism)—which includes both assimilated Jews & non-Jews who uphold beliefs & behaviors that destroy the Jewish people? Just being Zionist does NOTHING to preserve Jewish lives (including unborn Jewish lives)—as we've seen throughout the modern history of Medinat Yisrael. (Don't even get me started on the State's early treatment of religious Jews & Sefardim, especially the Yemenite Jews, and the whole Yemenite Children Affair horror. Or the hellhole created by non-Jewish African migrants against poor Jews living in North Tel Aviv—all facilitated by secular Tziyonim.) Some Examples of Why Defining Everything as Either "Tziyoni" or "Anti-Tziyoni" Creates Problems The reason why treif restaurants exist within Eretz Yisrael is because of Tziyonut. It's not anti-Zionist to eat pork on Holy Land. A Tziyoni does not even consider Eretz Yisrael as Holy Land because he views it from a purely nationalist perspective. A religious-Zionist may view treif as a problem (though not all do because some bought into the whole nationalism & democracy idea), but that's because he is religious—meaning, it's about Judaism not Zionism, whether he realize it or not. (Many religious Zionists conflate the two.) Another example: It's not anti-Zionist to watch illicit images on your computer. However, it's a terribly destructive force that brings down harsh judgement. Really, keeping our minds & eyes clean do the most to prevent terror attacks and other disasters within Eretz Yisrael. That's the best defense. The mandatory draft of teenage girls into the IDF is considered wonderfully Zionist. These girls consider it their Zionist duty to serve (some very reluctantly, some enthusiastically). This results in wanton behavior (including outright assault & harassment against vulnerable girls), which the IDF plasters over by providing free abortions to female soldiers. A little-known fact about abortion is the deep ongoing trauma it causes to many women & girls who choose to abort, in addition to the destruction of an innocent life—and in the case of many female IDF soldiers? The destruction of a Jewish life. Yet none of this is considered anti-Tziyoni, even though it's clearly destructive and anti-Jewish. By placing the emphasis on "Zionist," it also facilitates an alliance with Christian-Zionists (some of whom are truly well-meaning), but the majority of whom do NOT have our best interests at heart and who, if they got their way, would destroy us spiritually and annihilate our entire eternity...all with the best of intentions. Yet they're considered "kosher" and even really wonderful & beneficial solely because of the "Zionist" appellation. Another problem this terminology created is the idea that a Jew can be anti-Torah and married to a non-Jew and completely living in sin, etc....but as long as he considers himself a Zionist, he's okay. He's a good Jew. But he's not. He's a failed Jew on the path straight to Gehinnom. According to Rav Avigdor Miller, the Rambam doubts whether such a person is even from the seed of Yisrael. (See here: Rav Avigdor Miller on Are You a Descendant of Avraham Avinu?) So this leads to a lot of self-deception that harms uneducated Jews who might have otherwise done teshuvah. In fact, the Tziyoni government does the opposite by hosting toeva parades on Holy Soil, and generally allowing all sorts of appalling lewdness within the boundaries of its territory. This is all incredibly harmful—yet it's not anti-Tziyoni, so only the truly committed & knowledgeable Jews care. Because of all this, the whole Tziyonut issue presents an obstacle to true teshuvah and to becoming the best Jew you can be. It creates an imaginary issue when there's really no issue at all. In other words, it gets people debating whether something is Zionist or anti-Zionist—when the debate should really be about whether it's moral, whether it's just. Reaching Our Authentic SelfI realized that no matter how much you love Torah & your fellow Jews, and no matter how religious you are, and no matter how much you devote yourself to actually living in Eretz Yisrael...the minute you say, "I don't embrace this whole Tziyoni hashkafah," then you get eviscerated. So please note: If you are a religious Jew anywhere in the world, you are doing VASTLY more for the Jewish people than any self-described Tziyoni. If you are a religious Jew living in Eretz Yisrael for spiritual reasons, you are the only kind of person doing any good for the Jews in Eretz Yisrael. All the people who transgress Shabbat in Eretz Yisrael, who intermarry, who eat treif, and so on—they are bringing terrible din over Am Yisrael. This din is only mitigated by the truly religious Jews (or Jews who are at least on the path to true commitment—as discussed in an earlier post, it can take a while to get there when you first start out). As far as fighting or preventing Jew-hatred, Chazal has always been clear this has to do with our actions & relationship to Torah, and not just a matter of physical location. Meaning, creating a Tziyoni state does nothing to prevent & fight Jew-hatred (as we have seen). Yes, many people thought it would. Even many devotedly frum Jews initially thought it would (until after 1948, when they saw the terrible discrimination against religious Jews, particularly new Sefardi immigrants). But it didn't and it doesn't. Contrary to how many people will perceive this, my position is based on genuine concern for my fellow Jews. This is all really about being real with ourselves and who we really are at the soul level. Related posts:
"The primary purpose of going to Eretz An inspiring friend sent me a copy (via "Shabbos Stories") of Sholom Vigler's bar mitzvah invitation as written by his parents, Rabbi Yoseph & Rebbetzin Tzippy Vigler of the Maayan Yisroel Shul in Brooklyn, and this quote lay within. I don't know where in the Zohar it says this, but it's a vital point to keep in mind. "Each & every time you succeed in warding off |
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