Turning to the Religion of Peace for Peace Talks

By Tuvia Brodie

The world is worried. It wants peace. But it can’t get it. The reason: Israel and those damn Jews just won’t sign up for peace.

Of course, some Jews aren’t so troublesome. J Street, Reform Jewish leaders and Peace Now embrace peace. They want  Israel to give the Arab what he wants. They cheer when United States Secretary of State John Kerry pressures Israel to surrender Judea-Samaria.

Unfortunately, Israel doesn’t get the message. Why not?  What part of ‘peace’ doesn’t Israel understand?

It’s frustrating. But there is a solution. Israel’s leaders aren’t  stupid. They can change. They can even learn everything they need for peace right here in Israel—in Jerusalem. All they  need do is go up to the Temple Mount.

That’s right—the Temple Mount. That’s where they will learn about peace in the Middle East—from the religion of peace, Islam.

Lessons are given every Friday. Friday is Muslim prayer day. In Jerusalem, Muslims can pray at the Temple Mount. Jews cannot do that. Judaism is not the religion of peace.

If a Jew goes up to the Temple Mount and even suggests he is praying, he will be arrested. If he bows, he is arrested. But if you belong to the religion of peace, you can bow as much as you like. You can pray as much as you like. You can even use a loudspeaker to tell the whole world about your religion.

For example, consider Friday, July 12, 2013. A prayer day, it was also Ramadan. Ramadan is a month-long expression of religious commitment for Muslims. It calls upon Muslims to honour their religion through fasting and increases in charity-giving, prayer and study of the Quran. It’s why thousands of Muslims gathered on the Temple Mount on that Ramadan Friday. They gathered to celebrate what their religion believes in.  

Fortunately for us, the Middle East Media Research Institute  has published a videotape of that gathering.  You can find the video at memritv.org. It’s called, ‘Pro-Morsi demonstration at Al-Aksa mosque: US, Britain, France to be destroyed, Rome to be conquered, July 12, 2013’.

On that video, we see a crowd standing shoulder-to-shoulder in bright sunlight—a sea of humanity swaying in the sun. They respond to speakers by repeating what they hear—line by line, turning words into a chant. It looks exciting. Their religion of peace inspires them.

The language of the unnamed speakers in this video is simple. Their speaking cadence encourages the crowd’s repetition. Here is an abbreviated sample:

Alah Akhbar. May America be destroyed.

Alah Akhbar. May France be destroyed.

Alah Akhbar. May Rome be conquered.

Alah Akhbar. May Britain be destroyed.

We warn you, oh America.

Take your hands off the Muslims.

Take your hands off the Muslims.

You have wreaked havoc in Syria, and before that,

In Afghanistan and Iraq--

and now in Egypt.

Who do you think we are, America?

We are the nation of Islam--a giant and mighty nation which extends from East to West.

Soon, we will teach you a political and military lesson, alah willing.

Alah Akhbar. All glory to alah.

Alah Akhbat. All glory to alah.

Oh, Obama, Listen up.

The Caliphate shall return.

The Caliphate shall return.

Our nation will never kneel in submission.

The Caliphate shall return.

Oh, Obama, listen up.

Our nation will never be humiliated.

The Caliphate is the solution.

We are the nation of the best men.

We want to cleanse it of the impure.

We want to cleanse it of the impure.

Khaybar, Khaybar, oh Jews.

The army of Mohammed will return. (Mohammed’s army massacred the Jews of Khaybar in the seventh century)

Khaybar, Khaybar, oh Jews,

The army of Mohammed will return.

Sounds musical, doesn’t it?  You can feel how the speakers  encourage responsive chanting.  The language tells a simple story and the chanting reinforces that story: the religion of peace is not about peace.

John Kerry, Barack Obama and the European Union demand peace for the Arab. The Arab, meanwhile, chants for his religion of conquest. No one objects. It’s a good deal for the Arab.

We should learn from the Arab. As peace talks begin, we should proclaim Israel to be a nation of peace. Then we should attack the Arab for warmongering.

We should be as aggressive as the Arab: as a nation of peace, Israel should demand preconditions. There will be no negotiations with anyone with Charters that call for our destruction. We will not negotiate with anyone whose religious leaders preach that Muslims kill Jews.

We should ask: who does the Arab think he is? Jews are G-d’s Chosen.

We should demand: what has G-d given to the Arab? He gave Jews Torah and Israel.

We should create songs of Zion and sing of Zion. We should create reality TV--to show the true ugliness of Arab hate.

We can learn a lot from the religion of peace.

Feiglin's Plan to Streamline the IDF

An Interview with Moshe Feiglin

By Sholom Ber Crombie

Translated by Michael Dobry

19 Menachem Av/July 26 Issue

During the week when the Netanyahu government approved the new legislation to draft the ultra-Orthodox into the army, we turned to the Deputy Speaker of the Knesset, Mr. Moshe Feiglin, chairman of the Likud Party's Manhigut Yehudit (Jewish Leadership) faction, to hear about his proposals on the issue of compulsory military service, the concept of Jewish economics, his position on the rift between the Bayit Yehudi Party and the chareidi communities, and what the IDF should do to prevent the throwing of rocks at Jewish cars along the highways of Yehuda and Shomron.

(Issue #887, pgs. 62-65)


Without question, Knesset Member Moshe Feiglin is one of the most unique personalities to emerge in Israeli politics during the first six months of the current parliamentary term in Eretz Yisroel. After struggling and fighting for years to win a place in the leadership of the Likud Party, Feiglin succeeded in fulfilling his dream and was elected as a member of the Nineteenth Knesset. Many saw his election as a justification of his path, proving that you can attain a position of political leadership within a centrist party and wield significant influence. However, even those who do not share Feiglin's political beliefs look upon him as a steadfast ideologue, devoted to his objectives as he brings vital issues to the public forum, issues that have usually been relegated to the back burners.

Feiglin's unique line of thinking and the creative solutions he is proposing on every front have earned him a place of honor, not only as a parliamentarian and a legislator, but as a man of vision who has laid out an ideological path accompanied by effective action. Since his election to the Knesset, Feiglin has proposed numerous pieces of legislation on a variety of subjects: his original plan for military service, developing sensors to identify children left behind in vehicles, a call to separate Army Radio from the Ministry of Defense, and more. He usually takes unpopular fringe issues and transforms them into matters for discussion among all sectors of Israeli society.

We conducted this interview in the midst of the political storm created by Feiglin, after he came out publicly against Prime Minister Netanyahu and opposed party discipline on legislative proposals. As a result, he was removed from several of his Knesset committee appointments. However, a person such as Feiglin is not the type to despair over such punitive measures. A previously unknown political force, he founded the Zo Artzeinu movement and awoke an entire country in opposition to the Oslo Accords. He remained committed to his values, even if he paid a heavy personal price. From his vantage point, his steps are part of a long-distance sprint, as he plans for the long term - even the very long. He believes that the day will come when the path represented by faith in G-d will take control of the nation's leadership. As a result, he must pay a price today as he continues to fight for his principles.

Feiglin never pulls any punches with anyone. He has something to say about the judicial system in Eretz Yisroel, the state's political leadership, the leadership of his party, and even the leadership within the ultra-Orthodox sector. However, he is careful not to join the attacks on the chareidim - despite the fact that he is prepared to forgo ultra-Orthodox support for his bid to attain national leadership. When he has criticism to make, he does so in a respectable and equable manner.

During the last six months, it seems that the chareidi leadership has been quite pleased with Feiglin. He was not embarrassed to speak against secular studies in yeshivos, and when his friends in the Bayit Yehudi Party tried to force such studies upon the ultra-Orthodox, he claimed that "secular studies are a lot of nonsense." According to Feiglin, a Jewish state has no need for a ministry of education, and the responsibility should be returned to the citizenry. "We should move to a voucher system. The state should issue education vouchers, and as a father, I can choose where to use them. You can see how Jewish law recognizes a system of checks and balances in the free marketplace. A person cannot open a store next to another store, thereby depriving someone else of his livelihood. There is one exception where Torah encourages the wildest competition - and that's in the field of education. If an eighteen-year old melamed proves to be more successful than a sixty-year old educator with decades of tenure - the latter is gone. Secular studies, for example, it's a lot of nonsense."

However, the central issue that Feiglin is advancing is on the question of the military draft. According to Feiglin's proposals, compulsory IDF service should be halted, and the army should be transformed into a professional corps with soldiers who receive good salaries and benefits. Under such conditions, only young highly motivated recruits will serve in the army, similar to those who now choose to serve in frontline units. Feiglin claims that this will solve the problem of drafting the chareidim and serve the IDF's best interests, making it more effective and proficient, and even cost less to the taxpayers.

"It's quite clear to all of us that if all the ultra-Orthodox would show up tomorrow at the IDF enlistment centers, the army chief of staff would wave a white flag and beg to be relieved. It's simply incredible to see an entire country up in arms because of a demand for something that no one needs and no one really wants.

"Here are the real facts. In 2006, the Israel Defense Forces presented the following information to the Ben-Bassat Commission, appointed by the Defense Ministry to study the impact of mass conscription: About 23% of men obligated to serve in the IDF do not want to enlist. Another 18% drop out before finishing their military term.

"In practical terms, compulsory military services only applies to 59% of adult men in Eretz Yisroel. Furthermore, according to the Sheffer Commission Report, there are ten different official ways to shorten army duty, resulting in a majority of this 59% not serving a full three years in the IDF. In other words, in contrast to the philosophy of 'the people's army,' less than a third of able-bodied enlisted men carry their full share of the burden, and this doesn't take into account the fact that only a minority of these men are actually serving in the nation's fighting forces."

Is your proposal workable? Do you really think that it's possible in Eretz Yisroel to move toward the establishment of a professional army operating solely on a volunteer basis? 

This past month I formed a Knesset lobby for this proposal. There are members from all the parliamentary factions, from MK Rabbi Yisroel Eichler (Yahadut HaTorah) to MK David Tzur from Justice Minister Tzippi Livni's HaT'nua Party to former Meretz MK Mossi Raz. Everyone agrees that the current IDF structure is untenable, born out of the philosophy of "the people's army." In truth, today's army merely creates further political conflict. We proposed an effective model of how the army ought to develop, as between one-third and one-half of all soldiers currently serving in the regular army are inactive.

The basis for the whole idea is for everyone to go through enlistment and a short period of basic training. Afterwards, all the enlistees would be released from the IDF, and only those interested who meet professional army requirements would be accepted for three years of military service. They would receive ample payment and full scholarships towards future academic studies.

Compulsory draft laws obligate the IDF to enlist everyone, even those who don't want or need to serve in the army. This produces adverse results on a number of fronts: a) idleness - a latent inactivity exists within the IDF on a wide scale, and anyone who has served in the army is aware of this; b) damage to the economy - those serving in the army are outside the circle of employment, placing a burden on the overall economy; c) damage to national security - the IDF relies upon cheap manual labor instead of specialization and technology, and this harms the country's defenses. This is clearly illustrated by the gap between the air force, which is essentially a professional volunteer army, and the green recruits; d) loss of freedom; and e) baseless hatred between the secular and chareidim.


What is your opinion about the rift between the political leadership among the settler community and the ultra-Orthodox sector?

"What rift?" Feiglin asked. "Ay, you're talking about the rift between the Bayit Yehudi Party and the chareidim?" he corrected me, and then proceeded to answer my question. "I am deeply troubled over this. As you know, I feel close to both of these communities, and I hope that the rift can be healed. Eventually, there will be no choice and all the Jews here will have to live together and create ways to heal the divisions and cooperate with one another."

Many are concerned that the rift with the ultra-Orthodox will give us a government led by the left-wing parties, while the chareidim seek their vengeance upon the right-wing that betrayed them.

I believe that eventually things will appear differently in politics. I also don't know why a left-wing government coming to power seems so threatening. In the final analysis, no one is building in Yerushalayim today and if Labor Party chairman Shelly Yechimovich were the prime minister, at least there would be a healthy political opposition. Then, if certain threats were made, we could understand what the alternatives might be. We are slowly reaching a point where it's hard to say what's best for the settlements and what's best for the yeshivos and the Torah world. Therefore, the ultra-Orthodox and the national religious sectors will eventually have to get their priorities in order and understand how they must work under the prevailing conditions.

Then there's no difference today between the Likud and the left-wing parties?
Exactly.

According to what you're saying, it would be preferable for the left to come to power.
That's not what I said. Let's put it this way: As things stand right now, the Likud is in power, and I don't see a better alternative. However, the existing gap between the various options appears to be shrinking, and therefore, what the chareidim are threatening to do is becoming less realistic.

In practical terms, how do you think this rift can possibly be healed?
Everyone has to show greater openness towards one another. They must understand that no sector has a monopoly on truth, and each one has some component in realizing that objective. Chareidi, Mizrachi, traditional - every community can add something to the attainment of ultimate truth. With this approach, I believe that we can reach a sense of agreement, understanding, and even cooperation.

Over the past eighteen years, Moshe Feiglin has been publicizing his ideological message through his articles and interviews with the media. He has established a clear vision in every aspect of the Jewish State, including the concept of a Jewish economy. Even the ministries of welfare and defense must act according to the guidelines of Jewish welfare and Jewish combat. Feiglin explains that the concept of Jewish leadership means that Judaism has something to say on everything, and therefore, we must utilize the widest range of activities for disseminating Jewish ideas. His great aspiration is for broad leadership across the Jewish spectrum, producing Jewish leaders in all aspects of life.

Feiglin brings an example of Jewish economics from the banks: "The banks acquire their legendary riches through the forbidden charging of interest par excellence. However, running a bank without interest on personal accounts, without overdrafts, and interest only on corporate accounts - this is something that can definitely be done." He also has something to say to employers: "Taxes have to be reduced as much as possible, and we must come to a situation where an employer will be embarrassed to pay someone minimum wage."

However, when Feiglin speaks about raising the minimum wage, this is far from embracing the classic socialist doctrine: "Capitalism is the basis. Yet, while there can be no economy without basic capitalistic principles, the true regulator (an ugly word in the free market) must be our culture. To the best of my knowledge, the salary gap between a bank clerk in Zurich and a bank manager is no more than twenty percent - by culture, not by law. The origins for cultural regulations are found in Judaism. Standard regulation is everyone deceiving someone else, and the strong always finding a way to trample upon the rights of the weak. Impose taxes on corporations - they'll move overseas; impose taxes on individuals - they'll establish corporations, etc. It's illegal? Pass a law - they'll make a joke out of you. This is the path of defeat. This line of thinking will eventually bring us down.

"In short, economics in a Jewish state has three sides, with freedom as its pivot. I'm not particularly fond of the word 'capitalism,' but a free market simply cannot exist without it. All else is sheer nonsense. The other sides to this economic triangle are faith and kindness. Capitalism is found within a culture that refines and contains it. On the other hand, the harassment of anyone who has money, the belief that if you have money you must have stolen it - this is a classic Communist approach that says that success is evil and money is a sign of corruption. But what can you do? Our forefathers - Avraham, Yitzchak, and Yaakov - were what were commonly called 'capitalists.' The Tanach describes their tremendous wealth. They would be called 'tycoons' today.

"The economic viewpoint within Judaism is really quite amazing. For example, the mitzvah of hashavas aveida (returning lost items), the connection between a person and his belongings, not to mention between a person and his land, is a holy connection. This is the mother of capitalism. On the other hand, this whole enterprise is based on charity and kindness, representing a most unique form of economics.

During last winter's elections, we heard many people speaking "Feiglinese," about the need for Jewish leadership in areas of national direction. It seems as if everyone is parroting your vision.
When they quote you and don't mention your name, that's a clear sign that you've won. I don't seek to work against anyone. I have my vision and the goal that I am trying to reach, and if someone adopts a portion of the ideas that I am bringing into reality - I can only be happy about that.

Have you succeeded in advancing your ideas since entering the Knesset?
I think that my ideas have received a very powerful boost in the Knesset. Every topic I have touched upon has become an issue on a national scale. Israeli society has joined the public discussion on every issue I have raised, and I see this as a success. I believe that the ideas are developing well and we are making progress with them.

During the last few months, the security situation in Yehuda and Shomron has become considerably worse. Yet, there are those who think that it wouldn't be appropriate to raise an outcry and harm the region's new image as a peaceful and tranquil location.
I don't know how much an outcry will help here. We must understand that the problem is not a technical issue over the IDF's ability to deal with the country's security; it's more a matter of awareness. The army acts as if it's a United Nations peacekeeping force; even its administrative arm portrays a distorted sense of reality. For example, in briefings before IDF soldiers on activities with the Arab population, they were called "locals." Thus, the soldier asks himself: If the Arab is a "local" here, what does that say about me? The army considers itself like a foreign entity in Eretz Yisroel and it can't provide true security to the residents of Tel Aviv, Yerushalayim, or even in Yehuda and Shomron. Here is the root of the problem. This is the reality that we have to combat - the belief that this really isn't our land, we're merely occupants, and the Arabs are true masters here. This is the understanding of the average Israeli today.

Are you worried that Netanyahu is cooking up another expulsion plan?
I speak about this at every opportunity. In my opinion, something is definitely brewing, and the fact that there is no construction in Yerushalayim is a part of some far greater policy move.

Fight Terrorist Release by Voting Against the Budget

News

Av 22, 5773, 29/07/13 01:13

MK Moshe Feiglin calls on MKs from all parties to vote against the state budget to protest the release of terrorists.

By Elad Benari

MK Moshe Feiglin (Likud) on Sunday called on MKs from all parties to vote against the state budget in protest over the release of terrorists as a gesture to the Palestinian Authority.

“The release of terrorists is a certain death sentence for countless Israeli citizens and I will do anything I can to prevent it, including voting against the budget,” Feiglin wrote on his Facebook page.

“Releasing 104 ticking time bombs as a bribe for the start of negotiations or for building in Judea and Samaria is something that every moral person must rise up against,” he added. “I call on ministers and Knesset members from all factions to clarify to the Prime Minister that they will act against this decision.”

“This week the Knesset will vote on the state budget. I call on moral Knesset members from all factions to join me and announce that they will oppose the budget if the decision is made to release murderers,” said Feiglin.

“At this point, the only political way members of the Knesset have to stop the release of terrorists is to condition their support for the budget on the stopping of the insanity and the cancellation of this possibility of releasing terrorists,” he noted.

On Sunday, the Israeli government voted in favor of Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyhau's plan to release 104 terrorist prisoners from jail, as a gesture that will accompany the reopening of peace talks.

The identities of the prisoners will be determined by a committee of ministers that will be headed by Netanyahu, and will include Livni, Minister of Public Security Yitzhak Aharonovich and Minister of Science Yaakov Perry, a former Shin Bet head.

The decision was passed with a majority of 13 ministers in favor, seven opponents and two who abstained.

Hours after the government approved the release of terrorists, the State Department announced that Middle East peace talks will restart in Washington on Monday.

Do We Really Need a Chief Rabbinate?

By Moshe Feiglin

The only good thing that has come out of these elections is the announcement of Ministers Bennett and Livni that they will work to advance the One Chief Rabbi law. When I initiated the legislative proposal for one Chief Rabbi, everyone told me that it didn't have a chance. Now, there is wall-to-wall commitment to pass this law. The law is being processed - presently it is at the Minister's Committee. I hope that we will pass it in the next Knesset session.

The truth is, that the entire Chief Rabbi episode has made me ponder why we need a Chief Rabbinate at all. In the recent past, no great sanctification of G-d's Name has emerged from this institution. That is because of the intrinsic anomaly between Zionism and religion. "Zionism has nothing to do with religion," declared the Zionist Conference in Herzl's time. The Congress was right. The Rabbinate is not spiritual, cultural leadership, but rather, religious representation on the backdrop of Zionism. Zionism, for its part, doesn't mesh with the Rabbinate, but has no identity without religion. This is how the distortion was created. It will remain until we have our Holy Temple and Sanhedrin.

In the meantime, we must delegate authority to community rabbis. I trust the kosher certification of the local rabbi in his community, who is well-known by all, much more than the national bodies. The same is true for all the other issues with which the Rabbinate deals.

An excellent example of the disconnect between religion and re-awakening Judaism: This morning, the Liberal Lobby that I head held a caucus on the dangers of the Biometric Law. Judaism is really about personal liberty under the Kingdom of One G-d, Whom we serve exclusively. The Biometric Law refutes our autonomy as free people in a most essential way. Has anyone heard, or does anyone expect to hear the opinion of the Chief Rabbinate on this matter? Of course not. The reason is that it is a cultural, not religious issue. This is how the Rabbinate has become less and less relevant to our lives.

And one more remark: If we are going to have a Chief Rabbinate, the Knesset, the elected representatives of the people - should be the voting body.

My sincere wishes to us all that today the most worthy rabbis will be elected: servants of G-d and of the public. The entire public.

On the Renewal of Negotiations with the "Palestinians"

By Moshe Feiglin

 

The renewal of negotiations with the "Palestinians" is a tragedy about to happen, forced upon us by leadership bereft of vision or any meaningful message.

We ignore the most essential point of Kerry's announcement on the renewed negotiations with the Arabs of Judea and Samaria: Israel recognizes the "Palestinian nation" and its right to an independent state in its heartland. The Arabs of Judea and Samaria, however, do not recognize the Jewish Nation (only the Jewish religion). They do not recognize the right of the people of Mosaic religion to a state of their own in any place on the globe. Encouraged by Israel's flaccidity, the best of the West's intelligentsia is more than ready to adopt this approach.

Previously, Netanyahu had attempted to stipulate negotiations on mutual recognition. He, backed down, of course. Those who say, "So what if they recognize us or not? The main thing is that we are talking and not fighting" are simply hiding their heads in the sand. We are bequeathing to our children a reality in which the State of Israel, regardless of its borders - is an illegitimate state, existing on borrowed time.

The announcement of the release of more terrorist prisoners while our brother, Jonathan Pollard has been rotting in an American prison for 27 years is no less than the betrayal of an Israeli agent. It casts a moral stain on Israeli society as a whole.

Measures like this have never brought peace. They have always ended with blood and fire. That is what we can anticipate now, as well.

Closure of the Temple Mount and the EU Boycott

By Moshe Feiglin

On Tisha B’Av the Prime Minister made a dramatic announcement. He declared that Israel would not allow foreigners to interfere with our borders. This may have sounded sweet to local ears, but on the very same day, the PM proved just the opposite.

On Tisha B’Av morning, hundreds of Jews, among them three Knesset Members, attempted to enter the Temple Mount. They were denied access. On the following day, Deputy Foreign Minister Ze’ev Elkin made a second attempt to enter the Mount, but was turned away. When MK Yariv Levin asked about this fiasco in the Knesset plenum, Minister of Internal Security Yitzchak Aharonovitz answered, as usual, that there is no change on the Mount, anyone who wishes to enter can do so, every day Jewish visitors enter the Mount with no problem and that the closure of the Mount to visitors, including Knesset Members, was the decision of the local Commander due to security considerations.

I am sorry to say this, but Minister Aharonovitz knowingly lied to the Knesset. (Video of the heated exchange between Moshe Feigln and minister Aharonovitz here). Everyone who is involved with the Temple Mount knows that since the Prime Minister acquiesced to the demands of the Moslem wakf to deny me access to the Temple Mount, police control of the holy site has rapidly deteriorated. The Temple Mount has become a staging ground for a vicious struggle. Cries of “Kill the Jews!” have become routine there. Jews are consistently distanced from the Mount and Israel’s Police project unprecedented spinelessness, fear and defeatism in the face of the burgeoning brazenness of the Moslem wakf.

The police did not close the Mount to the many Jews who wished to be there on Tisha B’Av due to security considerations. The police have all the means at their disposal - if they so choose – to disperse the Arab rioters within minutes and to make it possible for the Jews to visit their holiest site. But, as it is wont to do, Israel’s Police adopted the role of security fig leaf for the Prime Minister, who is giving the sovereignty on the holy Mount to Jordan and the Moslem wakf – while talking mightily about not allowing foreigners to interfere in Israel’s sovereignty.

Aharonovitz claimed that the Mount was closed as per the decision of the local commander due to security considerations. But unfortunately for his version of events, there is a reliable side in this story. The following is the news report by the Jordan News Agency:

http://www.petra.gov.jo/Public_News/Nws_NewsDetails.aspx?lang=2&site_id=1&NewsID=118275
16/07/2013 13:04:17Israeli police prevent Jewish extremists from entering Al Aqsa compound due to demand by Jordan
Ramallah, July 16 (Petra) –

Following the pressure exerted by Jordanian government on the Israeli authorities, the Israeli police on Tuesday closed the Mughrabi Gate, one of Al Aqsa Mosque’s doors, and prevented Jewish extremists from entering it.

Director of the Islamic Waqf in occupied Jerusalem, Sheikh Azzam Al-Khatib told Petra that the Israeli police closed the gate and prevented extremists and foreign tourists from entering Al-Aqsa compound today, "the anniversary of the destruction of the Temple," after Jordanian pressure and intervention by the Department of Islamic Waqf and Jordanian ambassador in Tel Aviv Walid Obeidat.

He confirmed that the ban came as a result of the intensive communications undertaken by Jordan to prevent the desecration of Al Aqsa during the holy month of Ramadan. Al-Khatib praised the vital Jordanian role in protecting Jerusalem and the holy sites.

He also denounced the provocative practices indulged in by the extremist groups during the last few days in the form of several raids carried out on the anniversary of the so-called "destruction of the Temple."

Meanwhile, eyewitnesses said that the extremist groups toured at the gates of Al Aqsa, especially al-Asbat and al-Hadid, and performed biblical rituals.
This report has been verified by additional sources and really, is nothing new. There is nothing new about the PM using the police, AG or the courts to implement a political decision to cede the sovereignty on the Temple Mount to the Moslems - without the authorization of the Knesset. This is how issues surrounding the Temple Mount have been disposed of since it was liberated. PM Netanyahu has simply expanded the practice.

The capitulation on the Temple Mount leads to the construction halt in Jerusalem. In other words, the organs close to the heart become infected with the same illness: the loss of sovereignty syndrome. In this manner, our existential legitimacy in the entire Land is crumbling before our eyes.

What do we expect of the European Union? For 46 years we have been saying that the Land of Israel is theirs – not ours. We hurried to give the heart of Jerusalem and the Nation, the Temple Mount – to the Moslem wakf. We refused to declare Israel’s sovereignty in Judea, Samaria and Gaza; we recognized another, conveniently invented, “nation” as indigenous to the Land; we recognized its terrorist liberation movement and armed it with Israeli weapons; we vowed to retreat in order to enable the establishment of a state for this make-believe “nation” in the heart of Biblical Israel; we expelled and destroyed entire Jewish communities; we committed ourselves to the two-state principle. But in the past twenty years, not one of our leaders - at any level - has said that this is our Land. No ifs ands and buts – this is simply our Land. This straightforward phrase, banal and trivial – simply does not exist in the lexicon of Israel’s political and military leadership.

So why are we surprised that the Europeans are tired of the entire subject? It took them 46 years to be convinced that we are serious; that this really is not our Land; that we are nothing more than foreign conquerors in Palestine. Perhaps the Arabs are not nice, they think, but they are very, very right. After all, Israel’s Left and Right have both bowed down to their claims and recognized the justice of their cause. Rabin shook the hand of their murderous leader, while Netanyahu hugged him with both his hands. So what can we expect? That after we have admitted that we are the problem, the Europeans will allow us to continue to threaten world peace?

We no longer have anywhere to run from the scales of justice. When you do not put your weight on one side of the scale, the other side is heavier. You can be prettier, nicer, more European – and even a peace seeker. But if you have abandoned your side of the scale, the other side will always win.

We lost the justice of our cause when we gave the Temple Mount to the Moslems. The only way to restore our justice is to remove the Moslem wakf from the Mount and to empower our holiest site as the center of holiness and exclusive sovereignty of Israel.

 

The World Press Pushes us towards Redemption

By Tuvia Brodie

At first blush, the Jewish religion looks pretty good. It claims to focus on the spiritual link between Man and G-d. It claims that justice and truth will one day emanate from the Jewish nation and its capital, Jerusalem. It claims that Israel will be the source-point for world peace.

But if you read The Washington Post, The New York Times, The Guardian (England), Haaretz and The Times of London, you might conclude that peace and truth have nothing to do with Jews, Jerusalem or Judaism. For these newspapers, when Jews control Jerusalem, they become brutal oppressors.

The Jewish religion says the nation of Israel seeks peace, truth and justice. The World Press says Israel is the enemy of peace, truth and justice. Is someone lying?

According to a man called by many the father of Religious Zionism-- the Rav Avraham Yitzchok HaCohen Kook (1865-1935)—lies play a role in the Jewish Redemptive process. To paraphrase Rav Kook, the world of Truth can come only after the world of lies disappears.

We live in a world of lies. Some of the world’s most influential newspapers do not tell the truth; they  repeat fictions they call truth. Those fictions are simple: Israel is immoral and unpeaceful; the Arab is innocent and peaceful. The Arab wants only self-determination; the Jew wants only to control.

The anti-Israel Press promotes these fictions. It claims that  Israel rejects a ‘two-state’ solution. But as the Press clamours that Israel rejects two states, Arabs hold up plaster maps to show that their Arab ‘Palestine’ will replace Israel, not stand beside it.  

Who is telling the truth?

The Press excoriates Israel for ‘intransigence’. But as it claims that Israel rejects peace with the Arab, the Arab announces he will make the Middle East Judenrein—Jew-free.

Who is lying?

Rabbi Dr Tzvi Hersh Weinreb reminds us (OU Torah Tidbits number 1051, July 5-6, 2013) that the world stands upon three fundamental principles: justice, peace and truth. To understand the power of ‘three’, think of a farmer’s milking stool. This is a small three-legged stool upon which one sits to milk a cow. That stool has three legs because a farmer understands stability: a stool is never stable with just one or two legs.  Stability requires a minimum of three legs.

Our Heritage teaches that the world is the same. It cannot stand on only one or two principles.  Stability requires a minimum of three principles; and those are justice, peace and truth.

Many Christian Denominations, Peace advocates, the Press and the anti-Israel movement all promote justice and peace. Everyone understands justice and peace.

But where is truth? Name one country where there is justice and peace without truth.

Peace and justice do not exist in a world of lies--period. If you want peace and justice, you have to tell the truth. You also have to accept the truth when you see it.

For example, if you tell Israel to ‘make peace’ while the Arab wants to war against Israel, you will not get peace until you address that Arab desire. If you want justice while the Arab wants to kill Jews because that is a religious mandate for him, you will never get justice until you confront that murderous mandate.

Peace and justice are built on truth—not fictions.

Perhaps Israel can show the way to the world of truth by exposing how the Press promotes fictions. One easy example of such exposure comes from Gonen Ginat, who has written an intriguing essay in the newspaper Israel HaYom (see loveoftheland.blogspot, July 7, 2013). He writes about a story that appeared in another Israeli daily, Yedioth Ahronoth, about a woman called Fatma Vardi, identified in the Yedioth story as Israel’s only female Bedouin stand-up comic. The writer of the essay about Ms Vardi described her as one of four wives of a Bedouin man, a mother to 17 children. But Gonen Ginat wrote that a simple internet search on Ms Vardi shows that Fatma Vardi’s real name is Gila Zimmerman, a Jewish comic who lives not in an Arab village but in a Tel Aviv suburb. Ms Zimmerman is a stage-performer. She invents fictional characters for comic purpose. Fatma Vardi is one of those fictions. Apparently, the Yedioth writer didn’t do any homework. He just reported what the actress-comic told him. He couldn’t tell the difference between truth and fiction.

The anti-Israel Press behaves the same way with Israel. It does little-to-no homework. It parrots every Arab claim about Israel. It embraces the Fatma Vardis of this world. It promotes fiction over truth.

Rav Kook understood Redemption. He also understood that a world of lies is nothing more than a door to Redemption.

The world’s Press is that door. To reach Redemption, that’s the door we must unhinge. Then, we must rebuild it.

We start that rebuilding process by telling the truth.

Audio: Bernie Quigley on Moshe Feiglin and Hope for Israel

(From INN's Tamar Yonah Show) 

Be sure to listen to Bernie Quigley's unconventional analysis of Israel's situation and his hope for the future.
 
Click here

A Torah Thought for Parashat Eikev

  

By Rabbi Chaim Richman

International Director 

The Temple Institute

The timing of Eikev this week is no coincidence: The EU boycott, aggressive American diplomacy; pressure brought upon Israel to release terrorists and reports that negotiations must be based on Israel's commitment to withdraw to the 1967 'borders. In the midst of this madness, Parashat Eikev arrives like a telegram. Stop trampling Eretz Yisrael underfoot, and taking it for granted! There are no "negotiations" to give this land away! Perhaps we will say in our heart, "These nations are more numerous than I!" But Hashem promises at this very time: "No man shall stand up against you!" 

'Eikev' means the heel of the foot. The Midrash states that we are cautioned to be careful to observe even those mitzvot that we tend to "trample underfoot;" taking them for granted. Our parasha praises the Land of Israel, above all else: "For Hashem your G-d is bringing you to a good land…you will lack nothing there… the eyes of Hashem are always upon it… Hashem will drive out all these nations from before you… Every place where the sole of your foot will tread shall be yours…No man will stand against you…He will set your terror and fear on the entire face of the earth." 

Much more on this in Rabbi Richman’s video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9isjVJ2e1cE

Tisha B'Av Ban on Jewish Entry to Temple Mount Politically Motivated

By Moshe Feiglin

On Tisha B'Av morning Israel's Police prevented the entry of hundreds of Jews, including Deputy Foreign Minister Ze'ev Elkin and MK Shuli Mualem into the Temple Mount. The police were ordered to do so after the Jordanian regime explicitly demanded this ban starting the day before Tisha B'Av.

By surrendering to the Jordanian demand to close the Temple Mount to Jews, the Prime Minister has shown that exile mentality motivates his actions and that he is incapable of leading the Nation of Israel as a free nation. For the PM, the destruction of the Temple and the loss of Israeli sovereignty in Jerusalem is a permanent condition that need not be changed. By choosing to evade responsibility for his decision, forcing the police to shoulder it, instead, the PM has also humiliated the Israeli police force. Clearly, the police do not prohibit Jews from entering the Temple Mount due to security considerations, but rather, due to political considerations. The political echelon attempts to hide the nakedness of its abandonment of Israeli sovereignty on the Temple Mount with the police fig leaf. 

The police could have blocked entry to the Moslem rioters and allowed Jews to enter their holiest site on this most significant day. Instead, they acquiesced to the directive to announce that there was a security problem, providing cover for a political decision. 

MK Feiglin: Let Me Pray

News

Av 8, 5773, 15/07/13 09:06

Maverick MK fights for religious freedom, challenges authorities' use of vague "security concerns" to limit Jewish prayer on Temple Mount

By Ari Soffer

Likud Beyteinu MK and "Jewish Leadership" faction head Moshe Feiglin continued his quest to overturn a ban forbidding him from praying on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem.

Feiglin sent a letter on Sunday to Attorney General Yehuda Weinstein, after discovering that Weinstein was involved in the decision to prohibit him from going onto the Temple Mount in Jerusalem's Old City.

In the letter, Feiglin said the ban was in contradiction to three basic laws: the Jerusalem Basic Law, the Knesset Basic Law and the Basic Law on Human Dignity and Freedom. Feiglin also claimed the prohibition went against the freedom-of-religion clauses of the Declaration of Independence.

Calling his quest to ascend to the holy site "constant," Feiglin asked to confirm that the government was not using security excuses to cover up political and cultural considerations. He asked for the minutes of the meeting when the decision was made that his going up on the Temple Mount would harm state security so he could know when it was made, in which forum and on what legal grounds.  He also asked how often the situation is reviewed.

The Temple Mount is Judaism's holiest site, where the two holy Temples once stood before being destroyed by the Babylonian and Roman empires respectively. Tuesday marks the anniversary of the destruction of both temples (which occurred on the same day in the Hebrew calendar - the 9th of Av).
Despite its supreme importance to Jews worldwide, Jews are subject to draconian limitations on the Mount, including a ban on praying, due to the presence of an Islamic complex, administered by the Waqf Islamic Trust, and threats by Islamist groups. The Israeli police are able to bypass court decisions upholding the Jewish right to prayer there by citing unspecifiied "security concerns", either to ban individual activists or even to issue blanket prohibitions on Jews ascending at all.

Religious Jews are followed closely by Israeli police and Waqf guards to prevent them from praying.

Non-Jewish visitors are not subject to such restrictions.

Apart from pressuring authorities to ban Jewish prayer, the Waqf has also been accused of destroying Jewish artefacts on the mount, in a concerted effort to Islamize the site and deny all Jewish connection to it.

Palestinian Media Watch, an NGO set up to monitor extremism within the Palestinian media, reports regularly on what it claims is a campaign by the Palestinian Authority and Islamist groups to erase the Jewish connection to Jerusalem entirely.

MK Feiglin to Minister: Admit You Fear the Waqf

News

Av 10, 5773, 17/07/13 02:12

Storm in the Knesset as Public Security Minister is challenged to explain why Jews can't pray on Temple Mount

By Gil Ronen

A storm erupted in the Knesset plenum Wednesday when Public Security Minister Yitzhak Aharonovich answered a parliamentary query regarding the police's closure of the Temple Mount to Jews on Tuesday, the fast of Tisha B'Av, in which Jews mourn the destruction of the holy Temples in Jerusalem.

MK Yariv Levin (Likud), who filed the query, noted that during that incident two Knesset members attempted to ascend to the Mount Tuesday but were blocked by police. He asked if this is a new policy of the Israeli government.

Minister Aharonovich said that there was no decision to systematically prevent MKs from visiting the Mount, and that the matter was one related to security, which is examined in a matter-of-fact way.

At this point in the proceedings, MK Moshe Feiglin (Likud), who has stood at the fore of the struggle to allow Jews freedom of movement on the Temple Mount, asked the minister if he – Feiglin – will be allowed to visit the Mount Thursday, assuming the situation on the Mount is quiet and there is no security problem.

Minister Aharonovich responded vaguely that the answer depends on security considerations.
MK Feiglin asked, again, if he will be allowed on the Mount “tomorrow or in a month's time,” when the situation has been deemed quiet. He demanded that the minister admit that the considerations were not security related but rather, that the Israeli government fears a confrontation with the Muslim Waqf (Islamic Trust which administers the Temple Mount) and the Jordanian government (which runs the Waqf), which forbid the ascent of Jews to the Mount.

Aharonovich replied that with regard to MK Feiglin, the matter will be examined in accordance with the decisions of the Attorney General, to whom Feiglin previously complained concerning his ban from  the Mount. Ahronovich  insisted, though, that the considerations were all security related.

Feiglin refused to accept the minister's answer and demanded that he tell the Knesset and the public when other MKs could visit the Mount. Aharonovich attempted to sidestep the question by responding that he was not engaged in a conversation with him, but answering MK Levin's query.

Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein interjected to recommended to Feiglin that he utilize the parliamentary procedures to raise his questions in an orderly fashion.

Freedom of worship
The Temple Mount is Judaism's holiest site, where the two holy Temples once stood before being destroyed by the Babylonian and Roman empires respectively.

Despite its supreme importance to Jews worldwide, Jews are subject to draconian limitations on the Mount, including a ban on praying, due to the presence of an Islamic complex, administered by the Waqf Islamic Trust, as well as threats by Islamist groups. The Israeli police are able to bypass court decisions upholding the Jewish right to prayer there by citing unspecified "security concerns", either to ban individuals (as in the case of Feiglin) or even to issue blanket prohibitions on Jews ascending at all (as occurred on Tuesday).
Religious Jews are followed closely by Israeli police and Waqf guards to prevent them from praying, or from carrying out any other religious rituals.

Non-Jewish visitors are not subject to such restrictions.

The last few weeks have seen calls by senior government figures for such practices, deemed discriminatory, to be lifted. The Deputy Defense Minister rejected the police's blanket ban on Jewish prayer due to alleged "security concerns," pointing out that it was the police's job to ensure the safety of all Israeli citizens to freely practice their religion.

His words came after police allowed three groups of Jews onto the Mount but cut short their visits when Arab mobs surrounded them and threatened violence. 

HaRav Nachman Kahana on Shabbat Nachamu and Parashat Aikev 5773

BS”D  Shabbat Nachamu and Parashat Aikev 5773 Part A: Moshe declared before the Jewish nation Devarim 4,5-8): (ה) ראה למדתי אתכם חקים ומשפטים כאשר צוני ה’ א-להי לעשות כן בקרב הארץ אשר אתם באים שמה לרשתה: (ו) ושמרתם ועשיתם כי הוא חכמתכם ובינתכם לעיני העמים אשר ישמעון את כל החקים האלה ואמרו רק עם חכם ונבון הגוי הגדול הזה: (ז) כי מי גוי גדול אשר לו א-להים קרבים אליו כה’ א-להינו בכל קראנו אליו: (ח) ומי גוי גדול אשר לו חקים ומשפטים צדיקם ככל התורה הזאת אשר אנכי נתן לפניכם היום: 5 See! I have taught you decrees and laws as the Lord my God commanded me, so that you may follow them in the land you are entering to take possession of it. 6 Observe them carefully, for this will show your wisdom and understanding to the nations, who will hear about all these decrees and say, “Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people. 7 What other nation is so great as to have their god near them the way the Lord our God is near us whenever we call to him? 8 And what other nation is so great as to have such righteous decrees and laws as this Torah I am setting before you today? The goal is to create a God fearing society like no other, which will impress the nations of the world with the wisdom and intelligence of the Creator and the greatness of his chosen people, Yisrael. Today, however, the world is more impressed with the scientific findings of our Weizmann Institute and the discoveries of our Technion, than the way we uphold our Shabbat or the diligence with which we choose our kosher food. So many people observe the Torah, yet, we are not making any headway in breaking the klipa (shell) of antisemitism which encircles the majority of gentiles. Where did we go wrong? And obviously we did go wrong, because the verse states: Observe them carefully, for this will show your wisdom and understanding to the nations, who will hear about all these decrees and say, “Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people”. With the implication that if the nations are unimpressed with the Jewish people’s spiritual “wisdom and understanding,” that there is a fundamental failure in our Torah observance. I suggest: Part B: The incidents leading up to the destruction of the Second Temple are recorded in Tractate Gitin beginning with page 55b. A Jew by the name of Bar Kamtza who was close to the Roman aristocracy, was highly insulted when he was publicly requested to leave a wedding party, without anyone coming to his aid. He decided to take revenge on the Jewish community by convincing Caesar (or another highly placed Roman official) to send an animal to the Temple in order to see if the Kohanim would accept the offering. The Roman sent an animal with Bar Kamtza, who made a cut in its lip (or ear) which renders the animal invalid to be a sacrifice for a Jew, but still valid for a gentile. A prominent Kohen, by the name of Zecharia ben Avkules, used his position to reject the sacrifice on the grounds that people who are ignorant of the halacha might conclude that it is permissible to sacrifice animals with physical blemishes, without discerning between blemishes of this type which are permitted for the sacrifice of a gentile. At the alternate suggestion that Bar Kamtza be killed so that he would not reveal to the Romans that the Kohanim rejected the sacrifice, Zecharia ben Avkules again objected on the grounds that people might mistakenly conclude that one who causes a blemish in an animal intended for a sacrifice is liable for the death penalty. Under the circumstances, Bar Kamtza was set free. He then informed the Roman that his sacrifice was rejected, which began a process that ended with the destruction of the Temple. This historical incident is preceded in the Gemara (ibid) with the verse from Proverbs 28,14, as a means of summarizing the actions of the people who brought the nation to tragedy. אשרי אדם מפחד תמיד ומקשה לבו יפול ברעה: Praised is the one who calculates the results of his actions, but whoever hardens his heart (obsessively) falls into evil. Bar Kamtza was obsessive in his desire for revenge, but so too was the host at the wedding feast who embarrassed Bar Kamtza without considering the possible implications of embarrassing a person like Bar Kamtza. But the severest criticism was pointed to Rabbi Zecharia ben Avkules who was so stubbornly fearful of offending the halacha, that he became impervious to the potential disaster he was creating. Had he permitted sacrificing the animal which was halachically permitted, the Temple might not have been destroyed. But his intransigent obsession lest some ignoramus misinterpret what was done in the Temple – what we call today a “chumra” – without calculating the possible religious, social and national repercussions of his severity, brought about the destruction of the Temple. The issue can be illustrated as follows: Halachot are like building stones of different sizes and colors and the rabbinic decisions of how and when to implement the halachot is the mortar. A rabbi may not overturn a halacha, just as a laborer cannot change the color or size of the bricks, but just as a laborer must choose which stone to use at a particular stage, a rabbi must use his experience and judgment regarding when to apply the halacha and its supplementary severities (chumrot). The Gamara (Sota 21b) uses the term “chasid shoteh” – a righteous fool – to describe one whose irrational, rigid and scrupulous fulfillment of the halacha causes tragedy. As in the case of a drowning woman, where the chasid shoyeh looks the other way lest he see her in an immodest situation. The application of Torah today by certain influential chareidi leaders is aimed to a hermetically closed group, with no desire to emphasize the beauty and wisdom of Yiddishkeit as a way of life for a nation in this modern era, and has shown the wrong face of what we really are. The most devastating mistake of the chareidi sector is its refusal to recognize the hand of God in the establishment, survival and thriving of our holy Medina. The weak link in their chain of thought and the mother of all mistakes is their premise that our return to Eretz Yisrael must be headed by great Torah scholars not by secular Jews, like those who spearheaded the Zionist movement at the beginning of the last century. There are two fallacies in this thinking. One: If the return to Zion was so dear to their hearts, why was the ideal of a Jewish State not initiated by the religious leaders of the time? And why were there so few rabbis who established the “Mizrachi” organization which became part of the World Zionist organization? And why, even now after seeing the great miracles of HaShem, do they still withdraw into the ideological isolation of “Mashiach Now,” instead of becoming partners in the the major institutions of the Medina, like the military and the work force? Two: In chapter 9 (parashat Aikev) Moshe recalls the devastating sins of the Jews in the desert perpetrated by the people standing in front of him and by their fathers, including the sin of the Golden Calf and the refusal to enter the Promised land. (ו) וידעת כי לא בצדקתך ה’ אלהיך נתן לך את הארץ הטובה הזאת לרשתה כי עם קשה ערף אתה: (ז) זכר אל תשכח את אשר הקצפת את ה’ אלהיך במדבר למן היום אשר יצאת מארץ מצרים עד באכם עד המקום הזה ממרים הייתם עם ה’: 6 Understand, then, that it is not because of your righteousness that the Lord your God is giving you this good land to possess, for you are a stiff-necked people. 7 Remember this and never forget how you aroused the anger of the Lord your God in the wilderness. From the day you left Egypt until you arrived here, you have been rebellious against the Lord. (יג) ויאמר ה’ אלי לאמר ראיתי את העם הזה והנה עם קשה ערף הוא: (יד) הרף ממני ואשמידם ואמחה את שמם מתחת השמים ואעשה אותך לגוי עצום ורב ממנו: 13 And the Lord said to me, “I have seen this people, and they are a stiff-necked people indeed! 14 Let me alone, so that I may destroy them and blot out their name from under heaven. And I will make you into a nation stronger and more numerous than they.” (יט) כי יגרתי מפני האף והחמה אשר קצף ה’ עליכם להשמיד אתכם וישמע ה’ אלי גם בפעם ההוא: 19 I feared the anger and wrath of the Lord, for He was angry enough with you to destroy you. But again the Lord listened to me. (כב) ובתבערה ובמסה ובקברת התאוה מקצפים הייתם את ה’: (כג) ובשלח ה’ אתכם מקדש ברנע לאמר עלו ורשו את הארץ אשר נתתי לכם ותמרו את פי ה’ אלהיכם ולא האמנתם לו ולא שמעתם בקלו: (כד) ממרים הייתם עם ה’ מיום דעתי אתכם: 22 You also made the Lord angry at Taberah, at Massah and at Kibroth Hattaavah. 23 And when the Lord sent you out from Kadesh Barnea, he said, “Go up and take possession of the land I have given you.” But you rebelled against the command of the Lord your God. You did not trust Him or obey Him. 24 You have been rebellious against the Lord ever since I have known you. But with all this very disturbing behavior, HaShem still said to Moshe (10,11): (יא) ויאמר ה’ אלי קום לך למסע לפני העם ויבאו ויירשו את הארץ אשר נשבעתי לאבתם לתת להם: פ 11 “Go,” the Lord said to me, “and lead the people on their way, so that they may enter and possess the land I swore to their ancestors to give them.” In no way can one compare the conduct of the so-called secular Zionists to the huge transgressions of the Jews in the desert. And, nevertheless, HaShem brought the generation of the desert into Eretz Yisrael as fulfillment of His promise to our fathers Avraham, Yitzchak and Ya’akov. And today we are living the greatest of miracles surpassing all human rationality, that we have survived 2000 years of exile and the unspeakable Shoah, and even the secular in Eretz Yisrael adamantly demand to remain sons and daughters of the Jewish nation. The charadie leaders have much to contemplate and much to change, and this week’s parasha is a good place to begin. Unfortunately, a bitter joke I heard has become the bitter reality in many chareidi circles. The season of the archeological dig in search of remnants of the Second Temple period ended. And the head of the dig turned in his report. The only thing we found remaining of the period is the sin’at chinam (unwarranted hatred). Shabbat Shalom Nachman Kahana Copyright © 5773/2013 Nachman Kahana