Capitalism at the Tipping Point

By Moshe Feiglin

There is a strong feeling in Israel that the State has become wealthier but the people have become poorer. This is due to the fact that the means for productivity are concentrated in the hands of a small minority. The first and foremost means of productivity was and remains land.  Israel's economic leadership has conducted itself according to the best criteria known to it: capitalism. This saved Israel from descent into the depths of socialism that had previously brought us triple digit inflation and has toppled the economies of Europe right before our eyes. There is no such thing as a socialist economy. Economy means creativity, productivity, creation and life; emulating the Creator. Socialism is a euphemism for robbery and self-righteous theft – perpetrated by the law. Creation and robbery go together like life and death. There is not and cannot be a socialist economy. On the other hand, we are currently at the dangerous tipping point of the type of capitalism that does not enjoy the faith-based framework of charity and kindness. Jewish philosopher Shabtai Ben Dov predicted this tipping point fifty years ago, explaining exactly what happened to us until and during the recent crisis: "Under certain circumstances, individualistic, divisive capitalism is the best method to achieve prosperity for society as a whole. But it is a method that protects itself from itself. After a short period of flourishing and prosperity, when the divisiveness and competition at capitalism's foundation begin to take their toll, the weaker, less competitive sectors of society realize that the economic power accumulated in the hands of the stronger sectors prevents them from successfully competing, condemning them to eternal inferiority. The superiority of the successful sectors no longer stems from the important social role that they fill, but rather from the very fact that they control the economic power that they have accumulated. " In other words: The weaker sectors of society realize that they are being taken advantage of and that in order to attain economic superiority they do not have to fill a more vital social role. Rather, it is enough to artificially take control of the existing economic power. Shabtai Ben Dov continues: "When the capitalistic society reaches this stage, the competition is no longer productive and no longer develops society. It turns into competition over reaping the rewards of past achievements. It becomes a rebellious competition that destroys society and wastes its energy for naught. It forces the controlling strata of society to artificially inflate the market that impoverishes ever-increasing numbers of people." The concentration of wealth in the hands of a few families in Israel, the salary gaps that are among the highest in the Western world, the inevitable crisis and the economic reaction that tries to "save the economy", but really just keeps repeating the same mistakes – were all precisely predicted by Shabtai Ben Dov. Is the solution a return to socialism? Not at all. Shabtai Ben Dov has much worse things to say about that method. If so, what is the economic regime appropriate to Israel? The answer is the Jubilee Economy. First and foremost, allocation of the national land reserves to the people of Israel. Israel's Land Authority currently controls 93% of the land reserves marked for building in Israel. The even more amazing fact is that more than half the land that is marketed for construction does not come from the Land Authority, but rather from the remaining seven percent of private land. The result is a sharp increase in the price of land and housing that drags the other consumer indexes after it. The Torah instructs us to be a fee people, insisting that the Land of Israel should also belong to each individual personally – not just nationally. The Land of Israel belongs to the Nation of Israel first and only after that to the State of Israel. Israel must return the fundamental means of productivity – land – to its rightful owners. The first step toward a healthier economy is to close the Israel Land Authority and to allocate land by lottery to every Jewish family in the Land of Israel.

Clouds over Jerusalem

By Tuvia Brodie

It’s November, 2012. Clouds hover over Jerusalem. Some say these are rain clouds--because our rainy season has begun. These clouds are good. They carry rain. Others say these are fire-clouds. They say local Arabs burn garbage in open pits.  These clouds are bad. They carry pollution.

Others disagree. They say these clouds do not bring rain or pollution. These clouds are different. They are not natural. They are political.

They are clouds of war.

Are they?

Israel, they say, is at war. She was born in war. She grew up at war. She lives at war.

The clouds simply remind us: Jerusalem is under attack.

Is that true?

Modern Israel has never been without war. She is at war because she is called ugly. This ugliness has a name: ‘Jew’. Her ugliness is a scar. It makes her repugnant. That scar is so hateful to certain Jews they would do anything to erase it.

Anything.

The war against Israel began before the announcement (in 1947) of her impending birth. That war has never ended. It will go on, our enemies claim, until the entire Zionist entity is erased.

Read the Hamas Charter. Read the Fatah-PLO Charter. Zion is the Jew. Zion scars the land. The land can be healed only when the scar has been removed.

If Hamas and Fatah win this war, everything Jewish will be removed. Everyone who remains a Jew will be removed. The land will be cleansed. The scar will be gone.

Our pioneer fathers came to Israel because they loved the land. They came. They fought. They died—all, for the land.

Our pioneer fathers had a passion for the land. They didn’t care if they were hated. They loved the land. Wasn’t that enough?

No, it wasn’t.

The pioneers are gone. They have mostly all died. Their passion for the land has died with them.

Yes, we once loved this land. But land is too tangible—and love of a tangible can carry you only so far, one generation, it turns out, maybe two. Today, for some, land means only security; for others, it’s a burden; for still others, it is passionless, inert.

For too many, this land no longer excites. Now, the only thing that excites is that scar. It’s so visible. It’s so ugly. It must be removed. Otherwise, how can we be accepted among the nations?

Haven’t you noticed? No other nation is Jewish—no one else has this scar. Why must we?

Can’t we just be like everyone else?

Jews forget. We forget what the Arab remembers: G-d rewards those who have a passion for the land of Israel. Look at how the passion of the pioneers has been rewarded; we live today because of that passion.

The Arab understands this.

We are also rebellious. We refuse to see that the point of the passion is not the land or the struggle for the land. The point of the passion is to feel the presence of G-d—because nothing happens in Israel without G-d.

The Arab understands this, too. That’s why he calls to his god; it’s why he wars against the Jew.

This was the pioneer’s mistake. They felt the passion. But they rejected G-d. So their passion has died with them. Read your Tanach (Jewish Bible). G-d did not give Israel to the Jewish people because they had a passion for it. He gave it because that land was linked to Him.

Accept that link and you secure the land. Reject that link and you lose the land.

The Arab understands this.

Does it make you uncomfortable to think that this land could be linked to G-d—that anything real could be connected to G-d?  Wake up. Read your Tanach:  the prophesies of Judaism are not stories. They are fact.

G-d is real—and He is in this land. 

This war is about G-d. It is about land.  But most fundamentally, it is about belief.  Belief is the key. It allows man—any man--to stay on the land. It is the catalyst that activates the passion needed to own the land.

He who believes, wins.

We are at war. It is a religious war. Whose god will win? Ask Hamas. Ask Islamic clerics who regularly call for holy war against the Jew. The land of Israel is holy. The Arab understands this. He wants that holiness.  

It’s why he calls upon his god. He wants what is holy.

Can you blame him?

Go outdoors. Look at the clouds over Jerusalem. Those are not just any clouds. They suggest more than rain or pollution—or war.

Study your Tanach.  Go to classes. Learn how this war started. Learn how it will end. Ask yourself, how can Tanach so accurately predict Jewish history?

Then, think about the clouds that hover over Jerusalem.

The Moshe Feiglin You Never Knew: Part 2

By Tomer Koren

15 MarCheshvan 5773
Oct. 30, '12

This is part 2 of the interview appeared in Hebrew in the Ma'ariv newspaper and NRG website

Pictured: Moshe Feiglin in front of graffiti that says Judaism = Liberty

What do you think about same-gender couples?

"I respect homosexuals and have some homosexual friends, but my heart aches for them. If I had a son who was a homosexual, I would feel very sorry for him, because I would know that his life would not be easy. I recently spoke to a senior officer in the army who is also homosexual. He candidly told me that he is unhappy with his sexual orientation and if he could, he would like to establish a normal family. It is no accident that there are many homosexual singers and artists. The homosexual lifestyle is very difficult, and difficulty is the basis for creativity."

While on this subject, I would like to say that I like Freddy Mercury's songs. As I see it, he is an amazing artist, but I do not feel comfortable with the blatant homosexual messages in his songs.

What do you think about the gay-pride parade?

"I oppose it, particularly in Jerusalem. This parade is an act of defiance against the normative way of life. I do not want to push anybody back in to the closet, but I also do not want them to push me into the closet. The foundation stone of any nation is the classic family, complete with a father and mother. As soon as that disappears, society comes apart. Just as ultra-Orthodox society pays a heavy price for its discrimination against women, so secular society pays a heavy price for homosexual control over the media discourse.

Doesn't Separate From Family
Feiglin has his opinions, and writes articles on every possible topic, from Haredi draft to the Body Exhibit (which he calls "pornography" and the crushing of the image of G-d"). He doesn't lose an opportunity to make headlines. Last week, he was once again in the headlines when he was arrested after the police claimed that he bowed down in prayer on the Temple Mount, which is against the rules there. "The arrest is a sad joke," he says derisively. "I abided by the rules."

So what happened?

Nothing out of the ordinary happened. The police attempted to make headlines on my back, but luckily, the court saw the truth and released me immediately. The police tried to make all sorts of ridiculous claims, but the court didn't buy it."

If, previously, Feiglin did not mind conflict with the police – and some say, he even encouraged it – it seems now that he regrets it. Not because he has changed his mind about the right to ascend the Temple Mount, but because his time in jail robbed him from his family. He spends much more time with his family than he did in the past. This man, who in the past did not miss a family event of the Likud Central Committee members (the hard work produced the remarkable achievement in the primaries for head of the Likud in January 2012: over 23% of the Likud members voted for Feiglin) keeps close to his son, David (18) who is dealing with a severe head injury and his wife, Tzippy (50) who is dealing with Parkinson's disease.

"I remember David's accident as if it happened yesterday, despite the fact that two years have already passed," he says. "He sustained a severe head injury and was in a coma for three months. In the merit of the prayers of Jews the world over, he woke up. Today he is in the process of healing. It is hard for him to walk and he cannot see out of one eye but thank G-d, the direction is positive. He is progressing, he walks and he is making up his matriculation exams. We pray that he continues."

As David's condition is improving, his wife, stricken with Parkinson's disease, is deteriorating. Feiglin does not like to talk about the difficulties, but it is enough to just mention his wife's illness to peel off his layer of aloofness.

"Fifteen years ago, we saw that something was wrong, but it took seven years until she was diagnosed with the disease," he says. "I believe that a person does not get baggage that he cannot lift. This is what I received and this is what I have to deal with."

How does your wife deal with it?

Tzippy is an amazing person. She is my secret weapon. I do not want to get into details, but I can tell you that it is not easy and that I do not wish the challenge of dealing with a Parkinson's patient on anybody. It is a horrible illness."

He is not willing to talk about how the illness has affected their marriage, but when his wife calls during the interview the difficulty is evident. "Do you want me to come, Tzippy? Do you need help?" he asks in a soft, worried voice.

"This illness requires a strong disposition, but I do it with great love. I always think about the example that we are setting for our children. I hope that it is a good example."

Your problems with your son and wife didn't undermine your faith in G-d?

"On the contrary, they strengthen my faith. David is a walking miracle. Healing from a brain injury is more about prayers than about doctors. The doctors were amazing and they saved his life. But his progress is in the merit of the prayers of the Nation of Israel. After the accident I was amazed to discover how many people prayed for him, including people who were very far from praying and synagogues. I received phone calls from leftists who wanted to give me strength. At times like that, all of our presumptions go down the drain."

The frequent visits to the hospital left their impression on Feiglin. If he used to seem like an impenetrable rock - some said haughty - today it is easy to see the cracks that reveal a sensitive and human person. "I realized a long time ago that I am not here forever," he says and is silent for a moment.

When did you realize that?

"During the time when there were frequent major terror attacks, when settlers were murdered on the roads almost daily. I understood that we can never know what will happen. Tzippy and I made a will. It was important for us to make monetary arrangements and to decide what would be done with the children if we would die."

Does the Iranian threat add to this feeling?

I am a believing person and I don't think that G-d brought us back to the Holy Land after 2,000 years just as a joke. Nonetheless, when I analyze the situation rationally, I see a very sorry reality, with a cloud of delegitimization hovering over the State of Israel."

Who is to blame for this situation?

"We are. The government's Iran strategy is a catastrophe. Ahmadinijad began to threaten us ten years ago. Instead of eliminating him then, as the world expected of us, we preferred to look the other way and to deflect responsibility to other nations, like the US.

So you are not counting on the Americans.

Why should I? The expectations that Obama or Romney will help us prove that we still suffer from a shtetl mentality. I never saw a Norwegian who asks himself if Obama is good for the Norwegians. Why do we have to ask ourselves if he is good for the Jews? We have to take care of ourselves. The sooner, the better. 

The Goal: Moshe Feiglin in the Knesset

By Shmuel Sackett

Everyone is talking about the USA presidential elections on Nov 6th and I agree that they are indeed very important. Will it be another 4 years of Obama – this time as a lame duck president (and we all know what THAT means) - or will Romney defeat him – even though the odds are stacked against him? We have all seen the debates, read the op-eds and watched the election very closely.There is just one thing that I would like to state and I want this point made LOUD and CLEAR:  Israel's future as a strong and proud Jewish state will be determined by who sits in the Knesset, not by who sits in the White House. Israel has successfully dealt with friendly US presidents but we also managed to survive guys like Jimmy Carter (who is still running around the world causing damage!) While we may prefer one candidate over the other, at the end of the day, it is ISRAEL'S leadership who will determine the direction, the policies and the future of the Jewish state. THAT is where the true battle must be waged and it is precisely there where we have thrown our own hat into the ring. On November 25th Israel's leadership party – the Likud – will be deciding its slate for the upcoming Knesset. Moshe Feiglin MUST be on that slate and we are working 24/6 to making that a reality. If you have read our emails over the years you know all about Moshe. You know his vision, his ideology and his dream. You know about his love for every Jew, regardless if they observe Mitzvot or not. You know about his connection to the holy Temple and to every inch of our promised land. He is the leader we need and our chances have never been better to making that a reality. Help us bring our dream to fruition. Support our efforts and join our struggle. Make sure that Moshe Feiglin is elected to the Knesset and when that happens – things in Israel will change dramatically, no matter who is sitting in the White House! With Love of Israel

Either "This is our Land", or "Run for Cover"

By Moshe Feiglin

There is a simple solution to the terror raining down from the skies on southern Israel: A return to the "This is our Land" mentality. When Israel believed that this is our land, the residents of Be'er Sheva and Ashkelon lived in peace.

Instead of incessant talk about defeating terror, Israel must focus on victory. A prerequisite to victory is the firm belief that Gaza is part and parcel of the Land of Israel. Until our leaders return to the "This is our Land" mentality, the residents of Israel's south will unfortunately have to keep running to the bomb shelters.

Shabbat Shalom

HaRav Nachman Kahana on Parashat Lech Lecha 5773

BS"D 

Lech Lecha 5773

A:

Of the many shiurim (lectures) and words of wisdom I gleaned from my rabbis, there is one whose lessons have remained with me until today because of its repetitiveness in life.

The rabbi asked for a solution to the following problem:

A man was crossing a river while holding a package in each hand. Under no circumstances were the packages to come into contact with water. Halfway across, the man's feet became entangled in the river bottom and he could not advance. What was he to do?

One boy suggested that he call out for help. The rabbi replied that no one was there. Another suggested that the man throw the packages to the shore and then free himself with his hands. The rabbi explained that the shore was too far away. And all other suggestions were eliminated.

The class was stumped. When we asked the rabbi for the answer, he shrugged his shoulders and replied with two Yiddish words: "Takeh schlecht" (indeed a very bad situation) - meaning at times HaShem presents us with bad situations which are beyond our ability to solve.

In this week’s parasha, Lot is faced with a dilemma of takeh schlecht.

Avraham presented him with an irreversible ultimatum, "We must now part. If you go south I will go north; if you go north I will go south".

For Lot it was "takeh schlecht". On the one hand, he could no longer hide under the protective wing of Avraham; while the alternative of being independent of Avraham in a strange land was a frightening thought. In the end, he "went with the money" by choosing to live in the wealthy, albeit, wicked city of Sodom with its potential for great material rewards. This bad choice eventually cost him all his wealth, his wife and two of his his four daughters who died; and he will forever be remembered as the man who fathered sons by his other two daughters. Takeh schlecht!

America is facing a presidential election which will define the history of that nation for generations to come. If the present choice for president is befuddling for the American public, then how much more so is it "taken schlect" for the knowledgeable religious Jew in the USA.

President Obama is of mixed racial background - his father was a black Kenyan and his mother a white American. In this balanced biological-genetic reality, he chose to cast his lot as a black person. If the vast majority of American blacks don’t like or even detest whites, 99% of them detest Jews.

In addition, it is no secret that Obama has very strong Moslem leanings, as testified to by his speech in Cairo, his bowing before the King of Saudia, his open White House invitation to radical Moslem leaders, and, of course, his bullying of Israel to return to the pre-1967 indefensible borders. And there is much more to say about Obama and his knee-jerk anti-Israel positions.

Mitt Romney is for the Jewish mind, even more problematic.

He is an elder in the Mormon Church and knows what Mormonism stands for, but like a good Mormon he is not telling.

Mormonisn is Avoda Zara.

Mormons believe that the deity of this world is not the Supreme Being of the universe, but was initially a man of blood and flesh who attained the status of deity through righteous living and persistent effort. They believe their deity has a body of flesh and bones as tangible as man’s. Any human can also become a god!

Their Supreme Being created multiple worlds and each world has people living in it. There are multiple gods, each with his own universe. A believer is only subject to his God; and if he obtains the highest level of heaven, he can become a god himself.

This is Avoda Zara at its "finest", and there is much more that is buried under the great Salt Lake of Utah.

These are the choices facing our fellow Jews in the upcoming election. A black (closet) Moslem, anti-Jewish and anti-Medinat Yisrael vs. an elder in the church of Avoda Zara (idolatry).

Why whould any God-fearing Jew want to live in a country lead by people like these?

The answer is the one that spoke to Lot and led him to the fertile plain near the Dead Sea - the money trail - even when it leads to one’s personal Sodom and Amorra.

B:

Excerpts from my book "With all Your Might" on the occasion of the 22nd yahrtzeit of Rav Meir Kahana’s zt"l assassination.

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Two Eulogies

The Gemara in Megilla 3a discusses the important contribution of the illustrious Tana Yehonatan ben Uziel, the most outstanding student of Hillel (Suka 28a), with his Targum (explanatory translation) on Tanach.

As an example the Gemara quotes the problematic pasuk in the Prophet Zacharia 12,11:

"On that day, there will be a great eulogy (and funeral) in Yerushalayim, as great as the eulogy of Haddadrimon, in the Valley of Megiddon."

Problematic because we do not find anywhere in the Tanach a person called Haddadrimon who was eulogized in a place called Megiddon.

Yehonatan ben Uziel explains as follows:

"On that day, there will be a eulogy as great as the one said over Achav ben Omri (king of the northern tribes), who was killed by Haddadrimon ben Tavrimon on the Gilad Heights, and as great as the eulogy for Yoshiyahu ben Amon (king of the southern tribes, from the family of King David), who was killed by Pharaoh Necha in the valley of Megiddo."

Why did these two people merit such impressive funerals and eulogies, which serve as the model for the eulogies in the future of two great men in Yerushalayim?

The problem is especially acute with regard to Achav, who is mentioned in the Mishna in Sanhedrin 90a as one of the three kings who lost his place in Olam Haba (paradise). (The other two are Yeravam ben Navat and Menashe ben Chizkiyahu.)

It would be an understatement to say that Achav did not follow the Torah. He and his Phoenician gentile wife, E'zevel (Jezebel), sought out the religious leaders of the northern tribes and killed them all but 100 who were hidden in caves by the righteous Ovadia (Melachim 1,18:4).

They introduced idolatry into every Jewish home by the sword. But when Achav died, there was an astonishingly large and emotional funeral with loving eulogies.

The answer is that Achav, by all accounts, was a beloved leader. He brought great wealth to the land and fought in many wars to protect the independence of his country.

The way he died is indicative of his greatness as a leader who lived for his people. Achav fought his last battle against the Aramians (today's Syria). While standing in his chariot, an enemy soldier whose name was Na'aman (Yalkut Shimoni Melachim 1:22) shot an arrow randomly into the air. It came down and struck Achav through a small opening in his armor. Achav could have retreated from the battle to get medical treatment, or, at least, descend from his strategic position in the command chariot in order to be treated. But since this would entail removing himself from view of his soldiers - and thereby possibly weakening their resolve to fight, he chose to remain in his lead chariot until he died.

Achav was a highly respected and beloved leader, despite being a man devoid of Torah.

In total contrast, Yoshiyahu, King of Judah and Yerushalayim, was a tzaddik (righteous person.) In his lifetime, Yoshiyahu made extensive and costly repairs to the Beit Hamikdash structure, he eradicated almost entirely the worship of avoda zara (idolatry) from the land, and put to death the priests of idolatry. He restored the "aliya la'regel" (pilgrimage to Jerusalem). The Tanach relates that during his rule, Pesach was not practiced in such a glorious manner since the days of Yehoshua ben Nun. Yoshiyahu was, like Achav, a staunch nationalist. He was killed in a battle in Megiddo, attempting to prevent the Egyptian army from using Eretz Yisrael as a land corridor to do battle with the army of Assyria.

The Gemara in Bava Kama relates that when Yoshiyahu's body was brought home to Yerushalayim, he was escorted by 36,000 pallbearers on the way to his tomb. The question was asked why Achav was paid the same honor? The Gemara replies that in the case of King Yoshiyahu, they placed a sefer Torah on his bed and called out, "This man performed what is written in this Torah."

Both the God-fearing Yoshiyahu and Achav, the denier of Torah, merited the love of their subjects, for they had fought for the honor of the Jewish people and were protectors of Eretz Yisrael.

The prophet Zacharia predicted that in the future, Yerushalayim would be witness to two eulogies as great as those held for King Yoshiyahu and King Achav.

Since the destruction of the Temple and exile of our people, the city of Yerushalayim has not seen funerals as large in attendance and as emotionally charged as the funeral of my brother, Harav Meir Kahana zt"l, and of Prime Minister Yitzchak Rabin.

Rabin was no Achav, and Harav Meir was no Yoshiyahu, but in their time, both could be compared to those kings of the Tanach.

Rabin denied the Torah, but like Achav, he was a soldier who had defended the country since his youth. He was a beloved leader for many people, and thousands attended his funeral to mourn his death.

Meir was a talmid chacham (Torah scholar) and great leader for many people. He brought the plight of the Jews in the Soviet Union from page 54 of the newspaper to page one, which eventually brought down the Soviet Union and opened the gates of freedom to all Jews who wished to leave. There were close to two hundred thousand people at his funeral!

Each one represented radically different outlooks, and their deaths testified to their contrasting beliefs.

Rabin was killed on Motzei Shabbat of parshat Lech Lecha, and Meir was killed close to the following Shabbat, parshat Vayera (in different years).

In parashat Lech Lecha, when Avraham is informed that Sarah will give birth to a son, Avraham replies to God "lu Yishmael yich'ye le'fanecha" - "May Yishmael live before you". Avraham comes to the defense of Yishmael and requests equal rights for his son born from Hagar, the Egyptian woman.

In parshat Vayera, Sarah demands that Avraham send Yishmael away, saying, (Beraisheet , 21:10)

"Chase away this maidservant and her son, for this son of the maidservant will not inherit together with my son Yitzchak"

Sarah instinctively sees the evil and wildness in the soul of Yishmael, and knows that Yitzchak and Yishmael will never be able to live together. God tells Avraham to abide by Sarah’s request, for she is correct in declaring that Yishmael and the future descendants of Yitzchak will never be able to live together.

Rabin, who was killed motzei Shabbat of Parshat Lech Lecha, adopted Avraham's position and believed that the two peoples could live together. Toward this end, he returned the PLO murderers living in Tunisia to Eretz Yisrael and gave them forty thousand weapons. Harav Meir, whose holy neshama left the world close to parshat Vayera, adopted Sara’s divinely affirmed position that the souls of the two are hewn from vastly different worlds - Yitzchak is the ben Torah and worthy to be a korban for God on Mount Moriah, while Yishmael is a "pereh adam" who prefers death over life.

God tells Avraham that Sarah is correct in her assessment of his two sons - Yishmael must be sent away, for he cannot live side by side with Yitzchak.

Harav Meir preached and pleaded that the people of Israel should see the future and take steps to prevent the tragedies we are witnessing today. Rabin wanted to give them half of Eretz Yisrael, despite the words of our mother Sarah that "the son of this maidservant will not inherit with my son Yitzchak". History has played out according to God’s command to Avraham to abide by Sarah’s wishes.

May the souls of both these men be united with the living souls in Olam Haba.

Shabbat Shalom

Nachman Kahana

Copyright © 5773-2012 Nachman Kahana

　

　

　

　

　

This Time, Feiglin in the Knesset!

Dear Friends,

More and more people in the Likud understand that after Communications Minister Moshe Kachlon announced that he would not be running in the upcoming elections and Aryeh Deri's return to the Shas party, there is no choice but to restore the votes of the National Camp to the Likud. The strongest card to do that is Feiglin.

"I am going to vote for Feiglin," said one of the district candidates this week. "He is going to add another four mandates onto the Likud roster, and I need those mandates in the districts."

This is our elections message: First of all, Feiglin in the Knesset. We will be happy to help all those who we have helped in the past, but they must also work to get Moshe Feiglin elected. It may not be easy, but it is certainly possible!

If you would like to volunteer to help in this campaign, please email Moshe Basus at racazeys@gmail.com

Shai Malkah
Chairman of the Feiglin Campaign

The Moshe Feiglin You Never Knew: Part 1

By Tomer Koren

25 Tishrei 5773
Oct. 11, '12

This interview appeared in Hebrew in the Ma'ariv newspaper and NRG website

Pictured: Moshe Feiglin in front of graffiti that says Judaism = Liberty

"From the time that we had a family, we have made it a point to vacation only in Israel. This summer, though, I felt that we had to detach ourselves for a while from what is happening both in our national home and our private home. A dark cloud is currently hovering over them both. So we flew to my wife's family in the US and toured the country for over a month. It was amazing."

"Suddenly, after 50 years of devoting most of my time to public activism, I finally understood. I realized how important it is to have quality time with the family and to create positive family experiences. This month brought me to the deep realization that I am not here forever. I do not know what tomorrow brings and when I will be called to the Heavenly throne, but when that day comes I want to be able to whole-heartedly say to myself that I lived a full life."

These opening sentences, that sound more like a New Age awakening speech, have come out of the mouth of one of the more famous icons of the Right: Moshe Feiglin, who in the last years has peeled away his extremist image to reveal a softer, more liberal and most importantly, more sensitive man.

Feiglin may not admit this, but this softening is the result of personal pain (his son David's accident and his wife Tzippy's Parkinson's disease) and not the result of a more sober view of the political reality. His political doctrine is still clear and crisp (" Abu Mazen is the enemy, the Palestinians want to drive us into the sea") but his tolerance toward all those who represent the opposite of what his principles dictate: seculars, leftists, homosexuals – has never been greater.

The Feiglin family looks like a microcosm of Israeli society. It is the fruit of the two marriages of Feiglin's father. Moshe has two secular sisters who live in Israel's center, one Religious Zionist sister and one ultra-Orthodox sister who live in Jerusalem.

"With a family like that, how can I possibly come out normal?" Feiglin laughs, exposing all his teeth. "It's not a family. It is a crossword puzzle."

You are a religious settler who believes in our rights to the entire Land of Israel. How do your secular relatives accept you?
"Just fine. Where there is love and good will, it is easy to bridge all differences. They come over for meals and we talk about everything in good humor."

Also politics?

"Not that." Once we talked politics and I tried to infect them with my enthusiasm. Over time, I understood that that was a mistake because it causes unnecessary arguments that take away from quality time."

One of his famous relatives is Ayah Zehavi Feiglin, the soloist for the "All the Macho Guys Are With Me" band, who also starred in "A Star is Born." When I ask him what he thinks about his cousin, who became famous for her out of the ordinary appearance, he responds with an embarrassed smile that reveals more than just a pinch of disagreement.

"I like her very much on a personal level. After all, she is my cousin. She is also very famous today. She is so famous that we sometimes joke about who comes out first on Google if you search for "Feiglin." But her music is a different story."

You don't connect to it?

"She has one song that I like very much, but in truth, because of my background, it is difficult for me to connect to her wavelength."

So you didn't vote for her when she appeared on A Star is Born?

"I don't have a television at home, and even if I did, "A Star is Born" is the last program that I would watch. It is sub-culture. The "Big Brother" show is also not anything to be proud of. Those types of shows are an insult to the intelligence of the viewer. They are cynical, exhaust the viewers' emotions and employ cheap manipulations."

Feiglin, born in Haifa, is married and the father of five. He is religious, but he has no problem with opening businesses on Shabbat or with secular burial and "if there was a law requiring men to wear a kippah, I would immediately remove mine."

He is also an enthusiastic supporter of legalization of light drugs. "I am against the use of light drugs, but I don't think that what a person does in the privacy of his own home; what he eats and what he smokes – is the state's business. Legalization of cannabis will get the underworld out of the picture and will transform tens of thousands of Israelis from criminals to law abiding citizens.

Would you define yourself as a liberal?

"I am not crazy about that definition. I believe in the right of every person to live his life according to his beliefs, as long as he is not harming his environment or demanding government funding at the expense of others. I can tell you that I did not like the attack on the ultra-Orthodox who wanted to have gender separation on their buses. Why should anybody mix in with what they do in their own neighborhoods?"

But it is discrimination against women.

"Discrimination against women is unacceptable, but I do not believe that the state should get involved in the issue. I think that Israel should be divided into districts and that every community should decide how it is going to conduct its public affairs. Interfering makes things worse. The fact is that when the residents of Ramat Aviv in northern Tel Aviv were asked if they wanted the local mall open on Shabbat, the overwhelming majority said no. It is safe to assume that if the closure had been coerced upon them, they would have drafted all their resources to ensure that it would open."

"The media condemn Bnei Brak for discriminating against women, justifiably. But there are also problems in Tel Aviv. I say that Bnei Brak is a city without women, but that Tel Aviv is a city without men."

Explain
"Tel Aviv is a city of homosexuals and single mothers; it is a city in which being a man is not legitimate. If you are a straight man in Tel Aviv, you almost feel the need to apologize. It is no accident that the leaders of the social justice movement are women. Tel Aviv symbolizes the undermining of the institution of family in Israel. A sick generation of children of single mothers has grown up there. They have no father, so they think that Bibi is their father and demand that he provide them with work."

So you oppose the social protest movement?

That is not what I am saying. The basis of the protest is right and their claims are true. I think that the State should give young couples and army veterans free land. As soon as the price of housing is lowered, the cost of living will be lower. Nonetheless, I think that the root of the social protest is elsewhere. The real reason for the protest is the increase of father-less families. The father is the basis of the family. As soon as the father is out of the picture, it is no longer a family."

What do you think about Dafni Lief?

"She is a very impressive person. I led 'Zo Artzeinu' and I know how hard it is to bring people out to the streets. She succeeded in bringing out hundreds of thousands, which is no small feat. But the protest movement evaporated because it is not about the government, but about people's choice to live outside the classic family framework."

To be continued.
 

HaRav Nachman Kahana on Parashat Noach 5773

BS"D

Parashat Noach 5773

A:

The Gemara (Pesachim 118b) discloses that when the Mashiach will appear, nations will come forward to present him with gifts. HaShem will permit him to receive gifts from Egypt and other nations, but will prohibit receiving gifts from Aisav, while comparing Aisav to a wild boar.

A boar is a wild pig. A pig symbolizes hypocrisy, as it extends its feet to exhibit its (kosher) split hooves while concealing its treif character that it does not chew its cud.

Aisav is the personification of hypocrisy among men, just as the pig symbolizes hypocritical behavior among animals.

B:

An age old adage that will guide the Jewish people’s trek towards the "end of days":

מעשה אבות סימן לבנים

What transpired in the private lives of our forefathers (Avraham, Yitzchan and Ya’akov) will unfold in the future on the international level.

Yitzchak’s nemesis was his brutish, crass, crude, offensive, uncouth, uncultivated, vulgar half brother Yishmael. The very same Yishmael, who the angel described to his mother to be, Hagar, as a "pereh adam" (primitive and barbarian; Beraishiet 16:12)

והוא יהיה פרא אדם ידו בכל ויד כל בו

He will be an uncontrollable wild man; his hand will be against everyone and everyone’s hand will be against him.

Ya’akov’s nemesis was different. He was Ya’akov’s calculating, deceitful, duplicitous, treacherous twin brother, Aisav.

Aisav so much wanted to kill Ya’akov. But unlike his brutish uncle Yishmael, Aisav was sly, and devious, not one to attack in a moment of uncontrolled fury. Aisav was the planner, the committee man, the parliamentarian, the strategist, the serpent that springs at his victim at the opportune time, from the proper angle.

Aisav planned (Beraishiet 27:42)

וישטם עשו את יעקב על הברכה אשר ברכו אביו ויאמר עשו בלבו יקרבו ימי אבל אבי ואהרגה את יעקב אחי:

Aisav hated Ya’akov because of the blessing his father had given him (to Ya’akov). Aisav thought, "When the days of mourning for my father are near (after father dies), then I will kill my brother Jacob."

Yishmael is the progenitor of the Arabs who developed a faith called Islam, based on brutish and vulgar Shariah laws and mores. How true that not all Moslems are terrorists, but almost all terrorists are Moslem.

To explode planes, buses and trains filled with innocent people in the name of Allah is one’s ticket to everlasting eternal bliss! To kill one’s sister or mother on suspicion of improper behavior is moral and just. To behead, to cut off limbs, to enslave, all in the name of the "religion of peace" are the ways of life which befit the descendants of the ‘pereh adam,’ wild Yishmael, and his Moslem followers.

These are evil people, motivated by even more evil leaders, in the name of a god that only satan could have conceived. But as bad as they are, and as dangerous and contrary as they are to the basic human feelings of right and wrong; as far as the Jewish nation is concerned, they are not the worst, because Aisav outscores Yishmael every time.

As history has evolved, Aisav’s descendants reside in most of Europe, the United States, South America etc., and are Christian, or guided by Christian culture. Yishmael’s descendants are Moslems.

And true to form, each exhibits their animosity toward Judaism and to our return to Eretz Yisrael in the manners characteristic of their progenitors.

Yishmael loves the sight of blood. He makes war against his own sons and, certainly, against the Jewish State. He shows no mercy in Libya, Algeria, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Yemen Bahrain, Syria and-other African countries. Beheading, torture, slavery: these are the cultural legacy derived from Yishmael.

Aisav, through Christianity, is more devious, and much more dangerous for the Jewish people. Aisav shows a smiling face while hiding the knife behind his back.

The establishment of the State of Israel was a devastating, thundering onslaught on Christian dogma, which holds that God would never permit the Jews to return to the Holy Land. Christianity (Catholics and Protestants) has never recovered from this lethal assault on their basic tenants, so in desperation they made a theological u-turn and adopted a dual approach that claims: 1. The State of Israel is a necessary precursor of the realization of their beliefs, 2. It is their religious obligation to convert the Jews in the Holy Land, who will then recognize their messiah.

Enter here the hypocritical pigs of Aisav.

Beginning in the 1980s, billions of dollars have flowed into the Medina from Christian evangelical groups from many lands. This "Crusade of Dollars" enters our lives camouflaged as welfare benefits and social betterments of all sorts.

According to Ms. Mina Fenton, a member of the Jerusalem Municipality, Mr. Hagee, a prominent Christian evangelist, has given millions of dollars to Rabbi Riskin to establish the "Christian Jewish Center" in the town of Efrat, south of Yerushalayim. Hegee has also established the "International Christian Center" in Kfar Nachum at the northern part of Lake Kinneret. Millions more were given for distribution through Rabbi Ekstein’s organization and many others, and the numbers just keep rolling on without end..

In its initial stage, the ideological thrust of all this money is the "kiss of Aisav" (the kiss of religious death) intended to obscure the very acute differences between Yehadut and (lehavdil) Christianity, and in the final stage to convert all the Jews in Eretz Yisrael.

The infiltration of these Christians in our society slowly numbs the natural feelings of self preservation which are part of the Jewish will to survive. These lovable, smiling Christians slowly infiltrate the decision making bodies of many sensitive areas in society. They do not push  their way through the front door. They act smoothly, softly, and subtly, through the psychological corruption of bribery, as in the words of the Torah (Shmot 23:8) "... for a bribe blinds those who see and twists the words of the innocent".

Were it in my hands, I would outlaw all Christian missionary activities in Eretz Yisrael, with the punishment for these activities a mandatory death penalty, And any Jew who accepts money or favors from them with life imprisonment.

The situation in chutz la’aretz requires much less efforton the part of evangelical Christians. For there, the very presence of Jews among the goyim acts has an evangelical influence. I am not referring only to the unaffiliated Jews who assimilate through intermarriage, as if the bliss of life can be found with a gentile spouse. Christian culture passes by osmosis through the spiritual cell walls of even the most religious Jews, so subtly that it cannot be felt.

The parasitic worm of goishkeit crawls through the conscious awareness and in the sub-consciousness of their souls.

This does not mean that religious Jews are running to be baptized. But it does mean the their Jewish defense systems have become desensitized. The most telling sign of goishkeit with the most chareidi yeshiva communities, is their preference to live in gentile lands surrounded by and bombarded by Christian culture; rather than with their brothers and sisters in the land given to us by the Creator.

The Gemara states that it is better to live in Eretz Yisrael in a city where the majority worship idolatry, rather than in chutz la’aretz in a city where the majority of people are Jews. To put it simply: it is preferable to live in Arab Shechem or in the city of Shomron at the time of the arch evil idolator Achav, than to live in today’s Lakewood, Monsey or Flatbush; and how much more so to live in today’s holy cities of Medinat Yisrael.

But as I have stated, the insidious worm of goishkeit has penetrated the souls of the God fearing Jews in the galut.

Sunday the fun day. Sports of all sorts occupy the minds of the "righteous" and are the topic of conversation much more than daf hayomi. Fashion, food, their way of speech are just some of the more external signs of the goishkeit that exists in our brothers in the exile.

What would it take to wake them up? I think that Noach has the answer.

Noach lived not only in an evil society; his was a failed one. His society crossed all the red lines that HaShem had imposed on human behavior, to such a degree that retreat to a moral life style was no longer possible.

In the nearly 65 years since the establishment of the Jewish State, approximately 110,00 American Jews have come on aliya. This is the result not of a bad educational system, but of a failed Torah educational system - and failed systems cannot be resuscitated.

On whose shoulders does the blame fall? Think!

C:

From my book "With All Your Might"

The Rainbow

The waters retreated and the ground began to restore its mantel of green, and the feeling that a new age had begun enveloped Noach and his family. But it was not a consummate joy, because in the back of his mind Noach harbored the fear that in the future there could be again a deluge which would destroy all mankind.

The Creator (and destroyer) of all things)alleviated Noach's fears with an assurance that He would never again cover the earth with water as a punishment for man's evil deeds. And then HaShem decreed that the rainbow would forever serve as the symbol of this declaration.

The sign of the rainbow requires explanation. Most commentators on the Torah agree that the rainbow is not a new phenomenon but an understandable result of sunlight's refraction off the tiny droplets of moisture when the sun is below 42 degrees over the horizon. So how does the rainbow serve as the symbol, and why did HaShem choose to appoint a common natural phenomenon to a new relationship between HaShem and Man?

In addition, I find it strange that the story of Avram begins in the parasha named Noach, creating the impression that Avram had a minor part in the story whose star was Noach.

I suggest.

As we delve more and more deeply into the internal essence of any issue, be it material or spiritual, we find the details to be less diversified and less complex than what appears from its external trappings.

In nature, our world is distinguished by its many diversified flora and fauna, not to mention the "infinite" grains of sand on the world's beaches. But as we enter the internal world of atoms, we find that the atoms of a steel girder are identical to those which compose the wings of a butterfly. The resulting difference between the all-powerful steel girder which supports 100 story buildings and the delicate, fragile wings of a butterfly is due to the number and configuration of the atoms within the molecules which compose the chemical elements of our existence. And if we go back in time to the first Big Bang, the present belief among scientists, based on Einstein's teachings, is that the essence of all the atoms and sub atomic particles is "simple" energy produced by the "big bang" which later (about one millionth of a second after) began to condense into matter.

The external appearances are a steel girder or butterfly wings, however their internal makeup is the indistinguishable atom, and the atom's internal essence is undivided simple energy.

In our spiritual world this phenomenon appears in the Bet HaMikdash.. Kohanim wore identical apparel of four pieces of clothing, making each kohen indistinguishable in appearance from his fellow kohanim. In addition, the individual kohen did not have a task specifically assigned to him, but was assigned his task by virtue of a daily drawing of lots. Also, the amount of teruma which the Torah requires to be given to the kohen is one grain out of an entire crop, which again emphasizes the identical features of the kohanim.

In contrast, levi'im had no specific uniform which de-emphasized their individuality. Every levi had a task which was specific to him. A door-keeper could not change his function to be in the choir and vice versa. The tithe given to the levi was one tenth of the farmer's crop which resulted in different amounts given to each levi.

The result of all this was that the levi's individuality was a perceived fact, whereas the kohen's individuality was minimized. The reason is as stated above, kohenims’ service of God is more internal and hidden so his essence is less complex, whereas the levis' tasks are more external and hence more individualized.

The rainbow too has an external and internal reality.

The external one is perceived as its seven basic colors, ranging from red to violet, while the complete amalgam and consolidation of all the seven colors disappear into uniform white light. The external is detailed and complex; the internal is simple and homogeneous.

HaShem was informing Noach that He would produce an emanation from within the invisible, concealed, ethereal, imponderable, indiscernible, intangible, essence of Himself. The imperceptible One, so enclosed within Himself never to be disclosed but to Himself, more ethereal than light, will become perceptible to lowly Man in the form of the external 613 mitzvot of the Torah. The seven colors of the rainbow are perceived by the breakdown of light when it comes into contact with water droplets, the mitzvot are perceived when the Holy Spirit comes into contact with a Jewish neshama.

This is the essence of

שמע ישראל ה' א-לקינו ה' אחד

'Listen (understand) Yisrael the God of the manifold forces of nature is essentially one ethereal entity

HaShem decided that the time had come to bring into the world a holy people whose souls will be sensitive to the Holy Spirit and will perceive the 613 desires of HaShem. The father of this nation will be Avraham, so the saga of Avraham begins in the parasha of Noach, in order to inform us that HaShem's declaration never to destroy the world with water is dependant upon the degree that the Jewish people, the descendants of Avraham, Yitzchak and Ya'akov, will abide by their most inner instincts to serve God.

In parashat Lech Lecha, HaShem informs Avram that his unique neshama, which reflects HaShem's spirit into the 613 mitzvot can do so only in Eretz Yisrael. This is the basis of the Ramban's (Vayikra 18:25) :affirmation that the Torah was given to be kept in Eretz Yisrael and what we keep of the mitzvot in the galut is (based on a verse of the prophet Yirmiyahu) so that we should not forget how to keep them when we return to Eretz Yisrael.

In conclusion:

The parasha relates the "brit" (covenant) which HaShem made with humanity never to bring a world wide deluge. This covenant certainly includes the Jewish people. But what concerns us even more is that in the course of history HaShem concluded covenants specifically with the Jewish nation, one of which was declared by HaShem to the prophet Yirmiyahu (32:37-42):

37 I will surely gather them from all the lands where I banish them in my furious anger and great wrath; I will bring them back to this place and let them live in safety. 38 They will be my people, and I will be their God. 39 I will give them singleness of heart and action, so that they will always fear me for their own good and the good of their children after them. 40 I will make an everlasting covenant with them: I will never stop doing good to them, and I will inspire them to fear me, so that they will never turn away from me. 41 I will rejoice in doing them good and will assuredly plant them in this land with all my heart and soul.

42 "This is what the LORD says: As I have brought all this great calamity on this people, so I will give them all the prosperity I have promised them.

Shabbat Shalom

Nachman Kahana

Copyright © 5773-2012 Nachman Kahana

The Alternative

By Moshe Feiglin


2 Cheshvan, 5773
October 18, '12

Translated from the Makor Rishon newspaper


"We've been living under mortar fire for eighteen years. We have to do something!" said the young woman from Sderot on Razi Barkai's radio show.

"What do you want the leaders to do?" asked Razi.
"I don't know, but what they are doing now doesn't help."

"Sorry to say this to you, but they also don't know what to do," Razi said. "Not because they are stupid, but because there is simply no solution."

Eighteen years is more or less the time that has passed since the Oslo Accords were implemented. It is simple to understand that the continuous terror raining down on Israel's cities is the result of those accords. Why then, doesn't Israel's leadership annul the Oslo Accords? Why doesn't it restore full Israeli control over Gaza, Judea and Samaria? Isn't it cheaper than digging Be'er Sheva into the ground? Covering Sderot with a layer of cement? Isn't it safer than being the targets of a hail of missiles on civilian targets? What does "there is no solution" mean? After all, our very own esteemed president and his men brought this problem upon us and we can also free ourselves of it.

Why doesn't that happen?

The answer to that question has two dimensions. First the technical dimension: It is impossible to free ourselves of Oslo because those who brought it upon us knew how to tie the fate of a broad spectrum of Israeli elites to the "peace process." Too many politicians, businessmen, academicians, senior IDF officers, political pundits, journalists, writers and other opinion makers – almost everybody who is anybody in our small land, is sustained in one way or another by Oslo. They are all sitting on the branch that – if we want to solve the problem – must be cut off. 

So although we sent the IDF into Gaza in the Cast Lead Operation, we stopped precisely at the point at which Gaza would have surrendered, leaving us once again responsible – sovereign - over it. That would have cancelled Oslo. That is why I opposed Cast Lead at the time. I knew that defeat was built-in to the operation from its very beginning – as later became crystal clear. 

The second dimension is the deeper, spiritual reason: It is impossible to blame the Left for the desperate, dangerous and irresponsible Oslo experiment. Zionist normalcy had reached a dead end. Oslo was not anti-Zionist. Oslo was a final, desperate attempt to cling to Zionism; to cling to the return of the Jewish People to its land. (The Disengagement was something else and the true leftists opposed it). We returned to history specifically in this Land. If our neighbors cannot accept that – even after they have been repeatedly beaten by us – something is simply not working. "We must compromise", the Left says. If we don't, we will have used the vehicles of secularism and Zionism to return to the exile state of non-normalcy from which we fled. The entire Zionist idea will be proven a failure. 

We cannot claim that the Left has failed because the Right, including the religious Right, never proposed an alternative. Until Manhigut Yehudit came along.

"What do you suggest?" Avrum Burg asked Hagai Segal on the Knesset channel. When the answer he got was more or less, "We'll wait and see," Burg continued: "Feiglin is the only person who challenges the political frameworks in Israel." 

That is actually the reason that I am running: to give Israeli society a new direction, an alternative to Oslo. We really can't nullify Oslo. Not because of the technical reason, but because first and foremost, because we have no alternative.

The alternative is already here. When it is internalized, the people of Sderot will finally be able to leave their bomb shelters. 
 

Election Time Again

By Moshe Feiglin

Dear Friends,

Elections are once again upon us: This time, primaries for a spot on the Likud roster. This roster is the list of candidates who will be running for the Likud as Israel goes to the polls this winter. The primaries will be held in about a month. 

The challenge in these primaries is not how to get another religious person into the Knesset. There are already many fine incumbent religious MKs. We strive to equip Israel's National Camp with a faith-based, deeply-rooted roadmap; a real alternative to the failed path of the Left. 

The Likud was and remains the authentic party; the party that most closely represents Israel's multi-faceted society. It was and remains the leadership tool of the National Camp. 

There is no doubt that the Likud's current leader, Binyamin Netanyahu, is a far better candidate than anyone proposed by the other parties. It is our challenge to add the faith based direction to this all-inclusive party headed by a talented leader.

The struggle for a realistic slot on the Likud roster is not going to be easy. There are only 19 slots on the national list. That is not enough for all the incumbent MKs. We will need a lot of votes to win a spot on this list. 

In the primaries for leadership of the Likud held less than a year ago, more than one quarter of the Likud members voted for me. On the surface, my chances to be elected are not bad at all. But I am not the only ideological candidate in the Likud. And as opposed to other candidates, there are still ideological voters in the Likud who are influenced by the scare-tactics waged against me; propaganda that falsely claims that my inclusion on the Likud roster scares voters away from the Likud. 

Nothing could be farther from the truth. When I won a place on the Likud roster in the previous primaries, the polls were showing the Likud would win 35 Knesset seats, Lieberman: 8. When I was unceremoniously removed from the list, the Likud sank to 27 seats, with most of the mandates moving over to Lieberman. 

We will not be endorsing candidates for the Likud list in these elections. We will not be making political "deals." Do not wait for us to tell you for whom to vote. We are all Likud members and I am asking for your vote, just like any other candidate. Every Likud branch will decide for whom to vote and with whom to join to leverage their voting power. This means that you, the voter, must take an active interest in what is happening in your local branch as elections approach. 

At the beginning of this year, we found ourselves leading a very significant struggle for personal and national liberty in Israel. I do not know of any other movement that includes a struggle for Jewish prayer on the Temple Mount with the struggle for the Land of Israel, the struggle to transfer the nation's land reserves to its children, the battle against organ harvesting in China, the struggle to regulate cannabis and other issues that all have one thing in common: Liberty. 

The Likud needs a faith-based voice to actualize its goals and to propel us all to our national destiny: to bring the Divine Source of liberty to the entire world. 

Please help us.

Thank You

Deny Zion, Deny G-d

By Tuvia Brodie

From the moment the Jewish people entered the land of Israel as a unified nation some 3,300 years ago, our success on this land has depended upon our loyalty to G-d. That loyalty expresses itself through our commitment to our Torah, a precious gift of life-instruction given by G-d to His Chosen people. Our Torah is the holy glue, if you will, that keeps the nation of Israel connected to the land of Israel.

There’s more to this, of course. But the basic concept begins with a simple premise: Torah without land is a wife forced to separate from her beloved; land without Torah is a ruined marriage; Torah in the Land is the greatest Power marriage in History.

Today, our loyalty to G-d is not what it should be. Some deny Torah. Some deny land. Some deny both. Our loyalty seems flawed. Many believe that G-d will indeed return the Jewish people to Israel--but only when all accept Torah; and right now, we aren’t close to accomplishing that. But if that’s true, why do so many return now to the land without Torah—and why has G-d so persistently protected us from our modern enemies if our loyalty is so flawed?

Look at history. If you talk to Israelis who have fought in our War of Independence or our Six-Day war, many will tell you that there is no logical reason we should have won those wars.  We were outnumbered. We were outgunned. We were surrounded. Talk to those veterans. Some will tell you, ‘G-d was there with us. We felt Him. We won because of Him.’

Could our passion for the Land be the catalyst for such miracles? Could Land be the key to our Redemption?

There is a story that, during one harsh tank battle in one of our wars, the enemy clearly had the upper hand. Every Jewish soldier on that battlefield knew that the battle was lost and that, within perhaps an hour, Arab tanks would break through the Jewish line and have an unobstructed run to Tel Aviv. Then, inexplicably, the Arab tanks pulled back, retreating. That retreat saved Israel. After the war, the Arab tank commander was reportedly interviewed. When asked why he had retreated when, in fact, he was so obviously close to victory, he is said to have replied, ‘We saw Angels on the Israeli side. My men became frightened. I do not fight Angels.’

This is just one of several stories of Angels protecting Jews in Israel’s modern wars. Jews in our modern battles have—on an individual basis-- always spoken of inexplicable occurrences.  They have spoken of miracles.

Who would reject these miracles? Who would deny G-d on those battlefields?

Why would G-d protect us?

More than 3,300 years ago, we crossed the Jordan River because of G-d’s miracles. More than 64 years ago, we gained our independence because of G-d’s miracles. More than 45 years ago we regained our holy city Jerusalem—because of G-d.

Ask the soldiers who fought. They’ll tell you. There were miracles.

Who would deny this?

Who would deny G-d?

Why would G-d protect us?

When Joshua led Israel into our Israel, he brought more than Torah into the land. He brought G-d’s Light with him. That Light activates through Torah and Land. Look it up: it’s in the Fifth Book of Moses and in the Book of Yeshaiyahu.

Torah alone and land alone do not count. One without the other has always left us unfulfilled. The Jewish people may have been sustained because of Jewish dedication to Torah; but now, with a reborn Israel, something is different: G-d’s presence is felt on the Land. Why?

Today, the darkness of a nuclear holocaust threatens the Jewish state. Israel seems powerless to stop Iran and Iran practically celebrates its destruction of the Jews. How can Israel survive?  

Through Torah, G-d hears us. Through Land, G-d sees us. Through Torah and Land, G-d saves us. Those who deny Torah, like those who deny Land, obstruct G-d’s Hand. Does their denial deny our safety?  Can their denial deny our Future?  G-d has worked miracles in Israel; do those who deny that negate the power of those miracles?

Zion is the spiritual Center of the world.  G-d rests in Zion. This may be why Muslims and Christians turn to Jerusalem: they understand the Presence of G-d; they yearn to control it.

Through Zion, we will see G-d’s Glory. Torah and Land activate and focus that Glory. Without Zion, Torah is a torch without a switch. Without Torah, Zion is dark.

But these two, Torah and Zion, are not equal; for if Torah is G-d’s gift, His Land is His treasure.

Torah becomes real only in Zion.

Torah activates only because of Zion.

Would you deny Zion?

Would you deny G-d?