How to deal with Mosquitos

By Shmuel Sackett


28 Iyar, 5773
May 8, ‘13
My three daughters (ages 14, 17 and 24) share a bedroom and last Shabbat, I went into their room to wake them up for shul. (Side note: Yes, I believe that unmarried girls have an obligation to be in shul just like men. The only permission they receive is when they have babies to take care of, not when they are simply tired. Sorry, ladies.) Back to my story: I entered their bedroom and – to my surprise – none of the girls were there! I was a bit startled but quickly found all three sleeping beauties; one on the couch, one in my home/office (sleeping on a mattress on the floor) and the third in a sleeping bag in the kitchen! I woke up one of the girls and asked what happened. "There was this mosquito driving us all crazy last night. He kept buzzing in our ears and we tried everything to get him away. Finally, we gave up and all moved out of the room to get some sleep."

Dearest readers: This is a true story.
During our Shabbat meal later that day I pointed out a very sad fact to my three daughters; A little, tiny mosquito defeated – what I thought was – three tough Sackett girls. I am not kidding when I said, "three tough Sackett girls". Consider this: 31 years ago I married a young lady who was the former head of Rabbi Meir Kahane's JDL Women's "Chaya Squad". Before I ever met her, she was arrested 5 times on different JDL actions back in the 70's. I'm talkin' TOUGH! Then, 20 years ago, my oldest daughter, became the only girl on Israel's national little league baseball team and was once thrown out of a game for beating up the opposing 3rd baseman (a guy twice her size!) I'm talkin' TOUGH! Yet today, a little buzzing noise from a mosquito the size of a chocolate sprinkle and three girls run for cover. Oh how the mighty have fallen!

Yet, all kidding aside, when I sat down to think about this – I realized that this is EXACTLY what is happening right now in our very own society. Mosquitoes are defeating Giants. The entire city of Boston was shut down because of 2 little mosquitoes. Hundreds of thousands of Jews sleep in bomb shelters in cities in southern Israel because of some Hamas mosquitoes and the entire world is shivering because of a North Korean mosquito with a bad haircut.

Why do we let these mosquitoes bother us? Why can't our modern, powerful, hi-tech armies squash these little annoying bugs? I agree that the North Korean mosquito is a lot different from the others I stated but how did we let it get to this point? How is it possible that in the world of super-spying-satellites we let mosquitoes turn into guerrillas? All of a sudden the world is amazed and shocked that North Korea has the atom bomb? Will they be just as shocked when Iran has their "Grand Opening" as well?

The message is clear – one does not run away from a mosquito. One swats, steps on, squashes and kills a mosquito while he is still a mosquito! If you run to sleep in the kitchen – or build bomb shelters in Sderot and Ashkelon - those mosquitoes will grow and prosper. Today's mosquito is tomorrow's wasp which ultimately becomes an entire country of poisonous snakes that will need a lot more than a fly swatter to solve the problem!

Yesterday, not far from the resting place of Yosef Ha'Tzaddik, a beautiful father of 5 small children (the oldest is just 7 years old!) was knifed to death by a 20 year old Arab. This Arab beast recently spent 3 years in an Israeli hotel, excuse me – Israeli jail, where he ate 3 hot meals a day, slept in an air-conditioned cell, prayed in a carpeted mosque inside the prison, received a free education and watched cable TV on a plasma screen with his fellow beasts. This beast – who started out as a buzzing, annoying mosquito - checked out of this hotel less than 6 months ago. Was there any question that he would want to return to the hotel – this time as a powerful wasp - with a dead Jew to his credit - as opposed to the little rock-throwing mosquito he was the first time around? Did anybody in the world, except some leftist professors from Columbia University really believe that he was "rehabilitated" and would no longer be a buzzing nuisance to sweet and innocent Jews?

Three years ago, this rock-throwing 17 year old teenager should have been thrown out of the country – together with his entire family. Rocks kill and if you don't believe me, speak to my dear friends Benny and Batsheva Shoham who buried their son Yehuda after he was hit by a rock near the Biblical city of Shilo. After that, you can call Adva Bitton who is maintaining a bedside vigil next to her comatose daughter, Adelle, who was also hit by a rock. This means that 3 years ago, this 17 year old mosquito attempted to kill Jews and instead of doing what needs to be done to annoying bugs, we fed him, clothed him and actually helped his dream – of killing Jews – become a reality. To make matters worse, our wonderful Israeli doctors and nurses are now working round-the-clock to save his life!

This must stop immediately before any more Jewish blood is shed in our Holy Land. Any Arab that attempts to harm a Jew – in any way – must IMMEDIATELY be deported from Israel with every member of his family. This punishment must be swift and without chance of appeal. What will happen when professors from Columbia University object and scream about this inhumane treatment? Simple. Move these mosquitoes next door to where THEY live. This way, we solve TWO problems!