What Would Rav Kook Say Today? (Renaming the Movement to "Religious - Zionist - Humanist")

By Rabbi Ari Shvat (Chwat) Renaming the Movement to "Religious - Zionist - Humanist" 1. The Phenomenon of "Hyphens" in Modern Religious Movements My high school rabbi in America once asked me the obvious question one can pose to every new movement in the religious community: "If you claim that zionism is an integral part of religion or Torah, then why originate a new slogan ‘religious-zionism’, in place of the age-old title ‘religion’ or ‘Torah’?!" The same question can be asked about other "hyphenating" movements like "Torah Im Derech Eretz" (Modernity or literally "Way of the Land") of R.S.R. Hirsch, "Torah U'Mada" (Knowledge) of R. Y.B. Soloveichik, and ‘Torah VaAvodah’ (Labor) of the HaPoel Mizrachi. There was even once fierce opposition to the Mussar movement of R. Y. Salanter and the Chassidut of the Ba’al Shem Tov for similar reasons - for morals, and serving Hashem through happiness are essentially included in "Torah" and need not be independently stressed. Contrarily, if a movement suspiciously accentuates a particular aspect of the Torah, we should be wary that this may come at the expense of other facets, imbalancing the delicate equilibrium of "Torat Hashem Tmima", "the Torah of Hashem is exactly perfect" (Tehilim 19, 8). Historically, behind each of these "hyphenating" movements, was a void in Torah life, motivating a certain generation to re-supplement that which was lacking. Only as a response to a current "הוה אמינא", that there is a mistaken thesis of Torah without zionism, mussar, avoda, madah or happiness, we needed a reaction, an antithesis, to explicitly stress that missing aspect, thus enabling the return to the natural balance which had been unfortunately offset. In truth, the aforementioned voids of the religious community were usually not a result of a calculated decision, but rather happened de-facto out of negligence. No rabbi claims that the Land of Israel, ethics, happiness, etc. are not important. But due to the long exile where "the only thing left for Hashem in His world is the four cubits of Halacha", 1 and pre-occupation in the yeshiva world with the Talmud and practical halachot, Judaism began to be thought of as a religion and not an encompassing way of life. There was little study of the broader and deeper philosophical ideas of the Torah, and even less talk of nationalism and modernism, seen as threats and distractions to "religion". 2  However, when a certain movement attempts to return a neglected idea to the public agenda, the knee-jerk "reaction to the reaction" from much of the religious leadership (who are naturally, and rightfully conservative and cautious of every reform), is to oppose. Often, they may even respond by "a priori" forming a reactionary philosophy, which not only negates the "exaggeration" of the new movement, but actually swings the pendulum back to an even more extreme stand than before. The opposition of much of the conservative charedi leadership to Zionism, Hebrew, labor, the Israeli army, and even to learning Tanach, are clearly a reaction which, ironically and unfortunately " reforms"the broad scope of the original living Torah of the Land of Israel. A point in case is the revealing admission of Rav Eliyahu Meir Bloch, former Rosh Yeshiva of Telz in Cleveland from the year 5714/1954 about his support and participation in the Yom Ha’atzmaut (Israeli Independence Day) celebrations and his protest to those who oppose: "I have already expressed my view that we have lost greatly by not recognizing correct ideas (simply) because they are supported by the irreligious and their Mizrachi helpers, in order to strengthen their mistaken views. In my opinion, our view has not found a response in the general public not due to our correct position against these mistaken views, rather because of our negation of correct ideas, such as learning Tanach, the holy language, and the Land of Israel" (the emphasis is not in the original, A.S.). 3  2. Advancing G-dly Goals through the Torah, Mitzvot, Nature and Historical ProgressRav Kook stresses that we must not forget, it is the same G-d who revealed the eternal universal values of Torah and morality, who works not only on the level of religious commandments , but who also runs nature and history . These values are not only placed in the G-dly natural conscious inside us, but they are revealed and advanced stage by stage through the mitzvot which elevate mankind to a higher spiritual and moral level, 4 together with new technological or social concepts which evolve in every generation according to its needs and abilities. 5  A classic example, Rav Kook cites the advent of the ideal of vegetarianism, which involves many varied factors, each individually advancing or evolving the desirable and ultimately inevitable ideal of returning man to the pre-flood moral status: 1. The G-dly nature - of mercy sensitivity and conscience. 2. The revelation of this G-dly nature through social and technological development. In contrast to old-fashion medicine, modern doctors and nutritionists recommend eating less meat. Nutritionists constantly labor and succeed in technologically developing various "meat-substitutes" which slowly wean us from the meat in our diet. 6 It is already necessary today to market meat "incognito", testified by our children’s reactions when they first meet the butcher’s shop or see a whole chicken, even without feathers. Modern living conditions, the invention of the deep freeze and swift transportation, together with an increased level of cleanliness and a relative luxury in society, must be added to the fact that we are not used to slaughtering and eating one of our family pets for dinner. Butchers must "dismantle" the form of the chicken to "drumsticks" and "triangles", so that the form, temperature, texture, and packaging all distance the consumer and add even more to our apprehension from the nauseating slaughter, blood, and all traces of former life. Otherwise, modern man wouldn’t eat meat! The movement to prevent cruelty to animals, lobbying and legislation preventing experiments on animals do their share, as well. In short, the growing phenomenon of vegetarianism in the general population all advance this moral and G-dly trend.  Similarly, we thank Hashem for wisely giving us back our Jewish state and army at an age when even wars are directed from afar and at the press of buttons, without having to become defiled in a barbaric way that is likely, even in self-defense, to damage the delicate Jewish soul, so-needed to advance the morality of mankind. 7  3. The revelation of the G-dly nature through the fulfillment of the mitzvot and traditions - we are even commanded to take care of trees (Dvarim 20, 19), and even more so, animals (ibid, 22, 4); against cruelty to animals; against killing an animal and it’s child on the same day; the details of ritual slaughter; the prohibition against eating blood and the mitzvah to cover it in embarrassment; we do not bless "shechechiyanu" nor "tevalaeh ve’titchadesh" on garments made of leather, etc. (Rama, Or. Ch. 223, 6). 4. The revelation of the G-dly nature though Torah learning - an exact reading shows that man was only begrudgingly allowed to eat meat post factum after the flood; the ideal of the Garden of Eden; the negative portrayal of the hunters Nimrod 8 and Eisav; the common denominator of all the kosher animals being that they are herbivores, etc. We find that Hashem gave the Torah, the mitzvot, our nature and conscious, and reveals the technological, historical and social evolution, orchestrating life and history to slowly but surely progress towards these ideals. 3. The "Necessity" or "Benefit" of the Non-Religious in the Process of RedemptionIn his article "Ha’Dor" as well as in many other places in his writings, Rav Kook brings an innovative explanation to the kabalistic/chassidic concept of a "positive" sin as part of the process of redemption. 9 There is a phenomenon that due to halachic limitations, 10 or the general conservatism inevitably found in the religious community, changes may take place through seemingly destructive or reckless messengers: "Sometimes when there is a necessity to transgress the words of the Torah, and there is no-one in the generation who can lead the way, the matter comes to an explosion. In any case, it is better for the world that this matter will evolve unintentionally, based upon the ruling, "better they be unintentional sinners rather than intentional". 11 Only when prophecy rests among the Jewish people is it possible to decree about a matter like this in an emergency decree, and then it will be in a permissible way and a clear mitzvah. But if (today) there is no prophecy, this correction is done by a long-term breach which depresses the heart because of it’s externity but gladdens because of its interior (goal)."12  In other words, not only is it possible that there will be a phenomenon in which the agitation for change may come through an external cause 13 from the "dregs of the wine",14 but sometimes it must be so. We must admit that sometimes our charedi opponents correctly claim that the religious movements are influenced, and sometimes even led by phenomena in the irreligious or non-Jewish communities. It is true that the religious Zionist thinkers R. Y. Alkalay and R. Z.H. Kalischer preceded Herzl and Nordau, but historically the Torah Va’Avodah movement arose as a religious answer to the Avodah (Labor) movement, and the "Ha’Shomer Ha’Dati" (who were more radically socialist) was established as an alternative to "HaShomer HaTza’ir". Morever, it is impossible to disconnect nascent Zionism from the nationalist atmosphere which existed in Europe at the time, and there is nothing wrong with that, for the same G-d who gave the Torah, also "runs the show" of history, as well. As we have said, this fact, that Hashem did not "choose religious people" (or, more accurately, "the religious people did not choose") to be the first ones to "go up as a wall" and to raise a particular ideological flag, does not disqualify that ideology, rather necessitates more caution to separate the good from the negative byproduct. 15 It should not disturb us, that the process takes a long time, or that it led by secular, historical or social phenomenon. Hashem is the source of all causes, and the goal is one and the same, both if we are talking about progress by means of the Torah, the mitzvot, nature, society, technology or history. Contrarily, if in fact we were to wait for the rabbis to finish debating whether it was time or not to come back to Israel, whether we should wait for the mashiach or not, we’d still be waiting. Hashem "did us a favor’ by having history and the non-religious, resolve the question "without asking", by answering: you have no choice. Through assimilation, the holocaust, and Zionism, it became retroactively clear that we need a Jewish State, and the exile is no longer an alternative! 4. Applying Rav Kook’s Analysis to Today’s Generation - Adding the Final Side of the TriangleWhen we learned Rav Kook’s "Ha’Dor" in the previous generation, our rabbis emphasized the "hyphen", that religion and Zionism, not only can coexist (despite the fact that the latter apparently comes, from outside the beit midrash), but that in fact, this complex is actually a return to the original Judaism as seen in the Tanach. In accordance with what we said above, the need for this emphasis was connected to the general inferiority complex that existed at the time, as if the anti-zionist charedim are the "real" religious people, and, in contrast, the anti-religious zionists are the "serious" and leading nationalists. Ironically, a peculiar coalition was formed between these two extremes around the idea that there is no possibility of a real religious-zionist, who was seen as a weak compromising hybrid, who is neither really religious nor truly zionist. This was the background from which the hyphen of religious-nationalist (dati-le’umi) or religious-zionist was born. It took several decades, and major turning points such as the Six Day War, the establishment of Gush Emunim, Hesder yeshivot, an increase in the quantity and quality of those who learn Torah in our community, etc., to prove to ourselves, to the charedim and to the irreligious that "religious" and "zionist" no longer contradict. On the contrary, not only is it a legitimate lifestyle, but it is the legitimate and original way espoused in the Tanach and actualized by our forefathers, who all worked the land, served in the army, spoke Hebrew, and actively participated (even led) in the fields of nationalism and politics. It can be summarized that, thank G-d the "battle" for the unity of religion and nationalism is just about successfully finalized, so much so that today, in Israeli politics and society, the religious and nationalists are virtually identified as one camp. If so, what factor is still preventing unity? It seems that the solution is in what Rav Kook writes elsewhere, that there is a third side among the world views, which is also seen today in a widespread coalition between the charedim and the liberals, and even by some of the religious-zionists as a contradiction to both religion and nationalism. We are referring to humanism, moralism, liberalism, secular education, culture et al, all of which Rav Kook includes under the title: "humanitarianism". "Three forces are grappling today in our camp, and their roots are based firmly within the recognition which permeates the spirit of mankind. We will be truly misfortunate if these three forces - which must really unite, each one to help and perfect the others, that each one will limit the extremism that the others can bring in an exaggerated form, if their way is not limited - will be left scattered, in their rebellion against each other, and in their separation, each one to a special camp, which rivals the others. The sanctity 16 , the nation, humanness - these are the three main demands which from which all of life, both ours and of every person’s, in some way or another, are comprised. The three most official factions in the life of our nation: first, the orthodox… standing forreligion of Torah and mitzvot, the belief and the holy aspect of Israel; the second is the new nationalism ...; the third is the liberalism ... calling for the general human content of education, culture, morals and more... It is understood that... we need to constantly aim to come to a healthy situation whereby these three powers rule 17 together in all of their holism (fullness) and goodness, in a proper, harmonic situation in which there is no lacking and no excess, because the holiness, the nation and humanitarianism will cling together in practical and noble love...".18  A fresh look at the article "Ha’Dor" will reveal that even 100 years ago, Rav Kook intended to learn from the youth of the left-wing, not only nationalism, but also their social, humanist and educated outlook. In his praise in Ha’Dor, Rav Kook emphasizes not only their Zionism and nationalism, but also their "feelings for kindness, honesty, justice and compassion...the intellectual and idealistic drive is bursting and improving". 19  It seems that in our generation, the division most waiting for unity is between the third side, the humanist, and her two counterparts, the religious and nationalist. Especially in today’s age of "post-Zionism", the main criticism in Israeli society against nationalism and religion is evolves from the camp of universalism. Similarly to what he wrote about nationalism in his time, it is probable that Rav Kook would write today about humanism as well, that "we will succeed not by purging it from the soul of the generation, rather with energetic efforts to return it to it’s distinguished source, to connect it to the original holiness from which it stems." 20 As we mentioned above, because the main stress in the previous generation was to unite religion and nationalism, Rav Kook’s pupils dealt less with the unification of the third aspect. The Divine guidance dictates not only the Israeli, but also the universal agenda. In the last several years we have witnessed the genuine danger and havoc which the humanist and universal camp have brought upon nationalism and religion, especially in the State of Israel. Most notably was the Oslo fiasco which, even if Peres and Rabin had good intentions, literally multiplied terrorism and casualties ten-fold from tens to hundreds annually, handing the Palestinians tens of thousands of guns which wound up in the hands of terrorists, and brought the suicide-bombers to the café’s, malls and buses of Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, convinced that the compromising Israeli’s need just "one more push" and they will surrender everything. The "disengagement" from Gush Katif was no less of a fiasco which physically tore almost ten thousand religious-zionists from their homes, brought the Hamas to power in Gaza, raining thousands of rockets and missiles upon Sderot, Be’er Sheva and Ashkelon, and nationally and historically, worst of all, caused mass civil and military disobedience and almost civil war. The Hizballah in Lebanon also identified the weakness and shelled from the north, bringing the Second Lebanese War. Many religious-nationalist youth, the most visibly Zionist camp in Israel, became disillusioned with the State, joining post-zionism, and not a few actually left religion, with some even committing suicide. The electoral, vocal and legal support for these losing gambles came from the anti-religious and anti-nationalist Israeli left-wing, who brought elation only to the enemies of Israel, not only with their successful ousting of Jewish settlers from Gush Katif, and panic and casualties among Israelis in the north, south and cities, but especially with the possibility of Jewish civil war. The Shinui and humanist parties, the supporters of the Oslo accords, Geneva Agreement, and the other withdrawals from our Holy Land, see nationalism and religion as contradictory to progress, and as preventing Israel’s acceptance into world society. As in all of the nations of the world (including many non-national frameworks, Non-Governmental Organizations or N.G.O.s 21 ), the Israeli left-wing talks about ideals of international peace, love and brotherhood. They stand for and believe in culture, education, globalization and universalism as genuine values, and as the solution to the world’s problems, including those of Israel. True, the Islamic fundamentalism cools their hopes a little, but they believe that if we will find less-religious, cultured, educated and humane partners amongst the Arabs, then we will succeed, with the aid of other nations, to neutralize and subordinate the religion and nationalism of both sides in order to come to a compromise and peace agreement. The extreme left-wing groups of anarchists, who march and demonstrate together with the enemies of Israel, throw stones at our soldiers, in addition to the lawyers and politicians who come to defend the murderers of Israeli children calling them "freedom-fighters", together with the pacifists who refuse to serve in the army, demonstrate the dangers of liberalism in its extremity, in the absence of nationalism and religion to prevent it from reaching absurdity. Unfortunately, as Rav Kook foresaw, lacking connection with religion, the left-wing former Zionists have indeed come to "hate the Jewish nation and the Land of Israel" as narrow nationalist or even racist values which contradict universalism. 22  Rav Kook writes elsewhere, regarding exaggerated humanism, that one who claims to love all of mankind with that special love usually reserved for brothers, his love "needs to be examined". 23 One who cares for innocent Arab citizens who side with and often support, or even hide terrorists with blood on their hands, more than he cares about his Jewish brothers, innocent victims of terror, is like a mother who saves her neighbor’s son from a fire before she saves her own. This is not altruism but selective humanism for the sake of convenience. It’s more difficult to love your brother who may be your political adversary, and artificially show affection for the enemy, in fear of his attacks. One who is has no love of family and nationalism, and who is lacking Torah and the Shulchan Aruch to define how much to help one at the expense of another, the foreigner at the expense of your neighbor, at the end of the day, also will lose his morality, and be left withartificial, convenient and selective humanism . On the other hand, in contrast to Rav Kook, it seems that a large part of the charedi, religious and nationalist community will willingly join this coalition of agreement with the left-wing, that the humanism, culture, and secular education do indeed contradict religion and nationalism, only the opposite, they opt for the latter and reject the former. In these areas, there is no doubt that the religious and nationalist communities are seen as relatively outmoded. As far as religious priorities, "learning Torah is equal to everything". For men, the prohibition of "bitul Torah" will always come at the expense of other humanistic, cultural or secular fields. The scope of this article cannot relate to the interesting topic of how Rav Kook thought of practically solving this problem, how to elevate, unite and harmonize the general Israeli culture and education with the eternal loftiness of Torah learning and returning to our roots. 24 It is clear that alongside yeshivot in their traditional format, Rav Kook saw a necessity for institutions such as Yeshiva University, where they will train the humanist and universal side of the nation together, and with no contradiction to, the religious side. In the "Living Torah" of the Land of Israel, it is legitimate to serve Hashem not just in the yeshiva, but also in the army, in the field, or in academics, in a subjective manner according to the needs, leaning and talents of each individual. In Israel, all of the aforementioned are holy and are mitzvot, as are all fields which contribute to society (mitzvat yishuv haAretz, Chatam Sofer, Sukkah 36). It is clear that each Jew has natural instincts in his soul to at least one, if not all, of the three general drives and world views - religion, nationalism, or universalism. Additionally, we must understand the source of the misconception, as if the left-wing has a monopoly on humanism. The movements for the environment, social justice and world peace, are mainly outside the conscience and scope of activity of most of the religious community, despite the fact that this is neither desirable nor inevitable. 25 Similarly, extremists amongst us who mistakenly think that love of the Jewish people requires opposition to universalism and secular education also add to this trend, just as those who think that nationalism obliges the hate of every Arab, and those who think that humanism and liberalism oblige weakness, retreat and national surrender in the face of threat. Contrarily, Rav Kook stresses, that "the narrow view which causes one to see in everything outside the perimeter of the special Nation (of Israel)… just ugliness and impurity, is one of terrible darkness which causes much general destruction...". 26  Similarly, there is a stereotype in the nonreligious world that the charedim are more primitive and less moral than "modern people". Rav Yisrael Salanter and the Mussar Yeshivot already identified this problem 150 years ago, and strived to improve the situation by specifically studying the ethical aspects of the Torah, even stressing the significance of cleanliness and politeness, previously thought marginal. Yeshiva heads and teachers should directly teach these topics from a young age, through discussions and stories, and afterwards books, appropriate for our generation. It is true that part of the problem stems from the media’s delight and exaggerated expose’ of the religious criminals and nationalist "extremists", even as they exercise their democratic right of protest. However, we must honestly admit, that were we to educate our children that, just as we would not eat pork in exchange for 1,000,000 shekel, so too we will not lie or steal, even if this will incur a similar loss, the honor and respect for religious people will immediately increase. In short, stealing, lying, slander=pig. If the moralists would know that every yeshiva student indeed designates time every day to learn mussar, as the Mishna Berurah obligates, 27 we will find that the virtual barrier between humanist universalism and religious nationalism will melt even quicker than we removed the imaginary barrier 28 between religion and nationalism, for unlike nationalism, morality was never off the agenda, even in exile. Just as it is already clear in Israel that the stronghold of nationalism is mainly in the traditional and religious circles (note who builds new settlements and volunteers disproportionately for the elite army units), there is no doubt that by offering morality fortified with religious discipline and concrete halachic definition, we will raise the ethical level of the religious people so much higher that our idealistic left-wing brother will recognize and know "that he will find what he searches for davka within the border of Israel". 29 The new-found brotherhood in Israel will enable the Israeli humanists to identify the hypocrisy and anti-semitism often found among their international counterparts, encouraging them, when need be, to side with their brothers, not with their enemies. It is also worth noting that part of the stereotype that charedim are less friendly and ill-mannered, comes from a total misunderstanding of the laws of modesty, which are seen as offensive towards women and mistakenly thought to stem from an "inferior" or impure status, instead of the actual ideals of humility, loyalty to family, and respect for womanhood. Others find it hard to understand how we are in favor of intermarriage between all of mankind, so that all of the world will unite as one family, 30 but that we ourselves are not willing to be "part of the celebration". It will only be possible to correct these mistakes and answer these and similar questions, on a background of mutual respect which will come in the wake of a positive connection between humanism, religion and nationalism. Just as the universalists will then appreciate how monotheism introduced and even obligated the advent of morality into the world, 31 so too they will understand the vital connection between the commandments on the right, to those on the left. We shouldn’t be surprised nor disappointed that we "need to" learn certain ideas "from outside" the Beit Midrash. We have already seen that Hashem makes the world progress not only through the Torah and mitzvot but also by controlling history and development. We also are well aware that part of our return from exile is to "gather positive sparks" from the outside. There is no doubt that as the internet, media, economy and transportion advance mankind towards the inevitable globalization, the question of the uniqueness of the Jewish people, both nationally and religiously, will become more and more acute. If everyone (except Islamic fundamentalists!) seems to be marching in the direction of bringing down barriers and folding up flags, our role as "a nation that will dwell alone, and shall not be reckoned by the nations" (Bamidbar 23,9) seems to disturb the party. If the world is uniting around one culture why do we stubbornly insist on continuing to retain our unique Jewish culture, as well? If mankind is progressing towards keeping the seven Noachide laws, why do we need 613? The great Rav Y.M. Charlap, Rosh Yeshiva of Merkaz HaRav and predecessor of R. Sh. Z. Aurbach as rabbi of the Sha’arei Chessed neighborhood, envisioned with unbelievable realism more than 60 years ago, that the war of Gog and Magog will evolve around this very question. 32  The questions are so pressing, that we would be wise to confront them directly and hasten the cure. In contrast to the nationalism and religion of the other nations which led to zealotry and war, Jewish nationalism and religion is completely based on the foundation of our humane desire to unite and bring good to the entire world. To reveal that our national yearning is "to establish a great humane community which will ‘keep the ways of G-d to do charity and justice’’". 33 Abraham’s national commandment to first "Go from your (foreign) land… to the Promised Land… and (then) I will make you into a great nation" is what enabled the blessed universalism: "and all the families of the earth will be blessed through you". In fact, the Jewish idea of nationalism is the defense mechanism to protect the liberal world from the threat of exaggerated and dangerous (e.g. arab) nationalism, showing how to harmonize the east and the west, that nationalism and liberalism can thrive together in coexistense. Even when we have been attacked and forced to go to war (the ugly face of nationalism), it is a "war against war", against terrorism, against evil. The entire world, including the arabs, admit, that were the arabs to lay down their weapons tomorrow, there would be no war, yet were Israel to do so, there would be no Israel. Accordingly, our final success depends on removing the final barrier. By emphasizing the study and actualization of morality, we will achieve complete unity without contradictions. We have yet to leave the age of "hyphens", but the way to do so, the way to unite under the "kodesh ha’elyon" (quintessential holiness) is to add the last hyphen, to call ourselves religious-nationalist-humanists. 34  ^ 1.Talmud Bavli, Brachot 8a. ^ 2.Rav Kook, Orot pp.101, 121; Ha’Dor, Ikvei Ha’Tzoan, p.109. ^ 3.Ironically, this letter, which was published in the book "Mitzvat Ha’Shalom", of Rav Yosef Epstein, p.607, caused the burning (!) of most of the copies of the first edition by zealots, in the author’s house when it was published in the year 5729/1969. The criminals were caught and they were obligated by the beit din of chasidei Satmar to pay compensation to the author. However, 17 years later, when the author wanted to publish another edition, his sick wife begged him to delete the words of Rav Bloch from his book in order to prevent another confrontation. Details of this story are brought by R.J.J. Shachter, "Facing the Truths of History", Torah u’Madah Journal 8 (1998-99), pp.224-225, 272-274. ^ 4."Chazon Ha’Tzimchonut ve’ha’Shalom", Otzrot Ha’Ra’ayah (ed.5748), pp.745 and 748. ^ 5.Iggerot Ha’Ra’ayah I, p.106, and Ein Aya, Brachot part II, 8, 1. ^ 6."Chazon Ha’Tzimchonut ve’ha’Shalom", Otzrot Ha’Ra’ayah (ed.5748) p.743. ^ 7.See Orot p.14. See also the words of the Netziv, Ha’Emek Davar on Devarim 13,18. ^ 8.See my article "Nimrod - Tzadik or Rasha", Talelei Orot 8 (5758-9), p.14, where we explained that the phrase "Nimrod was a brave hunter before G-d" refers to his brazen decision to become a hunter, despite knowing that Hashem had allowed only two generations ago, bediavad ("begrudgingly"), to eat meat, shows his chutzpa, and so the expression "before G-d" should be understood "in His face". ^ 9.See Talmud Bavli, Nazir 23b regarding "Gadol Aveira Lishma". I have expounded on this topic in an article which will be published soon be"H, "She’elat Ha’Antinomizm v’Birur ha’Musag ‘Bediavad’ be’Mishnat Ha’Rav Kook". See more on this topic in Professor Nachum Rockover, "Matara Mekadeshet et Ha’Emtzai’im", Yerushalayim 5760, p.73. We will note that, lehavdil elef havdalot, this lofty concept, was used by Shabtai Tzvi in a negative way to permit the forbidden, and to justify his corrupt evil impulses. "The ways of Hashem are straight...and sinners will stumble in them". ^ 10.See for example in Mo’adei Ha’Ra’ayah, pp.112-113 in Rav Kook’s explanation to the gemara in Succah 43b, regarding the ignoramuses who didn’t ask before removing the muktza that the Baytusim placed on the aravot, thus solving the halachic quandary and enabling the fulfillment of that custom in the Beit HaMikdash. ^ 11.Talmud Bavli, Shabbat 148b. ^ 12.Shmona Kvatzim, kovetz 2,30. The paragraph appears in Arpalei Tohar p.15, there Rav Kook himself made small changes (when he gave his notebook to the printer, see Iggerot Ha’Ra’ayah II, p. 297, and in Rav Y.Shilat’s introduction to Arpalei Tohar p. 3) in order to clarify and perhaps even to soften the words. These are the words of the edited edition as it was published at the time of Rav Kook: "this correction is done by a breach (deletes the words long term) which depresses the heart from itself and makes it happy because of its purpose". Rav Kook writes similarly in Arpalei Tohar p. 68. ^ 13.We will note that often these revolutionary social movements in the non-Jewish nations are led davka by the irreligious Jews amongst them. In addition to Karl Marx, the father of socialism, 120 years ago Samuel Gumpers founded and led the first workers organization in America; the heads of the feminist movement both ideologically and practically were Betty Freidan and Gloria Steinman, and 100 years before them, Ernestine Rose; amongst the leaders of the hippie movement against the establishment and for peace were Abby Hoffman and Jerry Rubin; at the head of the liberal fighters for equal rights for poor people, minority groups etc were the judges and jurists Louis Brandeis (who received the title "The Peoples’ Advocate"), Felix Frankfurter, Samuel Leibovitz (who became famous in the freeing of "The Sons of Sakustavaro", 9 blacks who were sentenced to death due to racism), and today, Alan Dershowitz, and many others. ^ 14.Shmona Kvatzim, kovetz 4,25, which appears with small changes in Orot p.85, based upon the Zohar, Nasso 128. ^ 15.On the dangers of such and on the necessity to clarify well the good and to leave the bad in the social phenomena, see for example at length in my article "Ha’Feminism Ha’Orthodoksi ba’mabat Galuti u’bamabat Yisraeli", ("Orthodox Feminism: As Viewed From Israel and the Galut", Tzohar 9 (winter 5762) pp.195-206, and "Feminism Orthozochsi=Egoism Dati", ("Orthodox Femisnism As Religious Egoism", Tzohar 13 (5763), pp.153-162. ^ 16.In the continuation of the paragraph Rav Kook explains that the "kodesh ha’elyon" (quintessential holiness) is the general heading which includes all three forces and is not limited only to Torah and mitzvot. Yet here he is referring to the religious aspect (among the three) in its narrowest form. ^ 17.The three triumverante of the Jewish people is also divided into these three ideas: the crown of Torah (the nassi of the Sanhedrin=the religious leader) the crown of kingship (king=the national leader), and the crown of priesthood (the high priest=the universal, "for my house will be a house of prayer for all of the nation"). See at length in my commentary to Tehillim 122 according to this motif in my article "Yerushalayim Ha’Benuya-Ir She’Chubra La Yachdav", Talelei Orot 6 (5755), pp.63-69. ^ 18.Orot pp.70-72. ^ 19."Ha’Dor", Ikvei Ha’Tzon p.109; on p.110 "the emotion of straightness, justice and science within him"; on p.115, "the light of internal justice, the general straightness and the nationalistic pure love". See my article, A. Shvat, "Chochmat Yisrael BiKdushata- Rav Kook’s Vision of the Holy Critical Study of Torah", Talilei Orot 13 (5767), pp. 309-340; A. Shvat, "Rav Kook’s Practical Implementations of His Vision of Holy Critical Study of Torah, Talilei Orot 14 (5768), pp. 243-272; A. Shvat, "Why Rav Kook Did Not Institute His Original Program for Critical Study in Yeshivat merkaz Harav?", Talilei Orot 15 (5769), pp. 149-174, regarding his positive view of utilizing modern critical methods of analysis to aid the study of Torah. ^ 20.Orot p.75. ^ 21.Many Israelis tend to disregard the strength of these left-wing non-national organizations, to think that they are small protest groups who help the Palestinians. The truth of the matter is, that as a result of the fall of the former U.S.S.R, these unions provide the "counter" alternative and the modern address for "youthful rebellion" against the establishment (especially when the White House is managed by conservatives). The internet brings mass information to every place in the world and the globalization raises the level of concern of the youth in one state to what is happening in the other side of the world. Together with the global unemployment in the area of hi-tech, together with the modern mobility and travel (allowing great exploitation of inexpensive workers in distant countries), educated youngsters (who tend to be liberal) are free to travel around the world from demonstration to demonstration. We can add that the feminist movement also adds to the choice of the centers of protests especially about humanitarian subjects, as an exchange to the natural feminine mercy which was directed in the past towards their family. Most of the agenda of these organizations are indeed similar to Jewish humanitarianism, but the anti-semitism and the lack of control over them (not to mention the intermarriages which they cause) make these neo-marxists even more problematic. The troubles that await us in the international court in the Hague are an example in case. ^ 22. Iggerot Ha’Ra’ayah I, p.183, and see also Orot pp.84 and 133, and in Otzrot Ha’Ra’ayah, in ed.5748, p.716. ^ 23.Orot p.169. ^ 24.Lest the poskim will expound and clarify what was already ruled to halacha according to Rav Yishmael in Brachot 35b (Rambam hil.Talmud Torah 3,9-11; Shulchan Aruch Or.Ch.156,1, and Aruch Ha’Shulchan, there; Rama Yo.D.246,21; Shulchan Aruch Hgrash hil.Talmud Torah 6), that together with "the Torah will not leave your mouth" is stated "act in them in derech eretz". Even more so, when we will return to our national lives in the land of Israel, as the Chatam Sofer says in his chiddushim on Succah 35. We will note that in the new edition of the chiddushim of the Chatam Sofer on the Shas, the section on masechet Succah was censored. Unfortunately, it is not hard to guess the purpose of this deletion by the zealots who dared to tamper with the works of gedolei yisrael. It is worth raising another pragmatic option that the Jewish women, with their innate natural mercy which frees them from the prohibition of bittul Torah to enable aiding others (Shmona Kvatzim 1,421), and suits them ideally for the Sherut Le’umi, Israeli National Service (usually done in socially related volunteering), will, in the future deal, maybe more than men, with the more humanitarian sides of the culture, general education, and worldwide humanitarianism. There are already many international frameworks of women for children’s welfare, peace, against famine etc. See what we have expounded on this in our article A. Shvat, "Iyun Me’Chadash Be’Kfilut Aseret Ha’Dibrot - Dibrot Ha’Nashim ve’Dibrot ha’Gevarim", Talelei Orot 9 (5760), pp.79-88, and what we brought above in footnote 15. See my article, A. Shvat, "New Documents Revealing Rav Kook’s Relationship with the Nascent Hebrew University", HaMa’ayan 47 (4), Tammuz 5767, pp. 13-24. ^ 25.See Middot Ha’Ra’ayah, Ahava 1-3 and 6, :"love needs to full in the heart towards everyone...and it is impossible not to be full of love for every creature, for the light of Hashem lights up everything, and everything is a revelation of the pleasantness of Hashem’s pleasure...the trait of love rests in the soul of the tzadikim, it includes all of the creations, and there are no exceptions, no nation and no language..." ^ 26.Middot Ha’Ra’ayah, Ha’Ahava 10. ^ 27.Mishna Berura 1,12 according to the Birkei Yosef and Chayei Adam in hil. Yom Kippur. ^ 28."Achdut ve’shniyut", Ma’amrei Ha’Ra’ayah 234-235. ^ 29."Ha’dor", Ikvei Ha’Tzon, p.109. ^ 30.Orot p.156, "it is fitting for mankind to unite to become one family and then all of the bad traits which come from different nations will disappear. Except for the concentrated refinement (Israel), by which the world will be completed in the wealth of the individual form of each nation. And this void will be filled by the Jewish people... and all the nations will be gathered to one group, and upon them...a kingdom of priests a holy nation, the treasure of all the nations, as Hashem said". Similarly, there, p.160. ^ 31.See there p.104, "the idolatry in its barbaric impurity", and so in "Ha’Dor", Ikvei Ha’Tzon, pp.108-109. The thesis is connected to one of the basic principles of all religions- that the worshippers aim to imitate their god (Imitateo Dei). Therefore, in idolatry where there are at least two gods, each one will argue and fight to be "number one", as mythology testifies. Similarly, in idolatry, the essence of the multiple gods shows that each one is not complete. In turn, mythology shows each god filling that which he lacks by taking from the weak. Therefore, the idolotor can justify his violent behavior and his desire to steal things that belong to others, because he’s doing as the gods. On the other hand, in monotheism, one G-d is complete and does not compete, nor fight, he does not take (for He is perfect), rather He gives. Therefore also his worshippers are meant to imitate this moral behavior, by being "givers". In addition, in a culture with many gods, there is no one judge with one objective truth or moral code. In this situation, one is likely to justify his basest instincts and is not deterred by an objective Judgement Day. This is not the case in monotheism, where there is One judge, with one truth and objective morals, who in the end, will judge us all. ^ 32.Mimaynei Ha’Yeshua, pp.321-322, "all of the nations will arise like one man to disagree with the (the national feeling of the Jewish people)...they will say that the separations between nations and the recognition of nationality brings only bad to the world... through the wars and fights between them. From this thought they will go out to fight the house of Israel, in order to remove this feeling from the world, and this is the war of Gog and Magog,...and that day will be great, a day of vengeance of the nations, and then they will admit and say that in truth, the prope nationalistic right is unique only to the Jewish people, ‘they are a nation who lives alone and they will not be considered by the other nations’". ^ 33.Orot, p. 104, based on Bereishit 18,19. ^ 34.

Suicide Nation: Competing Pathologies in the State of Israel (from the Algemeiner)

By Brandon Marlon

The Bleeding Season Returns to Israel

With this Third Intifada (2014-?) overtly underway, the bleeding season is once again in full swing in Israel. Jews are being murdered in increasingly resourceful ways by Palestinian Arabs manifesting their insatiable bloodlust. But it is Israel’s own pathology that enables the Arabs’ pathology. Truth be told, Israel is reaping what it repeatedly sows.

Through its pathologically suicidal altruism, Israel became a Lemming Nation, a state that self-immolates. Common sense is seemingly unknown, and the slow bleed ensues. What is normal in Israel is patently abnormal elsewhere. The real tragedy is Israel’s evident resignation and complacency in the face of avoidable horrors — horrors that are not and would not be tolerated in any other civilized country on earth.

Superficially, it is mighty tempting to throw up one’s arms and surrender to fatalism. After all, death-obsessed Arabs are taking advantage of life-obsessed Jews. Same old story for the millionth time. They know and exploit our Achilles heel. They will never change, and we never should. “It is what it is.” All that remains is to join the growing ranks of the resigned.

Yet resignation to the situation must be fervently resisted for the contemporary reality to ever improve.

Jews are not helpless, and need not be pathetic. For the first time in almost two millennia, the Jewish People has a nation-state, the Middle East’s strongest military, internal and external security services, a border police force, and a national police service. If we are incompetent, impotent, and inept in spite of all this… then undoubtedly we are the masters of our own demise.

Looking at the current measures against terrorists reveals a nonsensical strain in Israeli cognition. Actions result from an aberration in critical thinking. Presently, terrorists’ houses are demolished, but houses do not commits acts of terror; terrorists are released by the hundreds to seduce the Palestinian Arabs into “peace” negotiations, an absurd and lethal initiative to any sane mind; and wounded terrorists are treated in Israeli hospitals by the same people the terrorists were in the process of murdering, a farcical proposition stranger than fiction. Startlingly, Israel aids and abets its own piecemeal dismantling, and this is due to a dearth of clearheaded thinking and a surplus of misapplied good intentions.

What can be done to cure Israel’s lame-duck pathology and heal the seeping flesh wounds? Are there concrete measures that might stem the tide, or even reverse the trend? With a touch of common sense, much can be achieved. Anything would be better than the status quo. Here are just a few policy changes that might have a tremendous impact:

1) The Death Penalty for Terrorists: If they elude summary justice on site, terrorists who survive their missions ought to be held to account and made to pay the ultimate price. Only in Palestinian Arab culture, where murderers are “martyrs”, would this be no deterrent, but justice would be served, there would be no chance of released terrorists terrorizing anew, and hosting terrorists in jails on the taxpayer’s shekel would be a thing of the past.

2) A Law against Releasing Terrorists: The Knesset should pass a law without delay stipulating that no Israeli government or court can effect the release of convicted terrorists, with or without blood on their hands. Surprising as it may be, terrorists sprung from their cells in “goodwill gestures” do not go into real estate or embark on teaching careers. They terrorize at their soonest possible convenience, undeterred by capture, confident in the likelihood of being released in the near future. Stopping the revolving door for terrorists is basic; allowing it to whirl is imbecilic.

3) Draconian Laws against Arab Incitement to Violence: Any Arab television channel, radio station, school, organization, or individual fomenting unrest and inflaming others with calls for terrorism, murder, rock-throwing, or violence of any kind ought to be subjected to stiff laws designed to counteract such incitement. The promoters and promulgators of terrorism need to feel the full brunt of the law: media outlets should be shuttered, school curricula rigorously monitored, and those advocating violence sentenced to harsh penalties involving long prison terms and stringent prison conditions.

4) Defensive Training for All Citizens and Residents: The frequent helplessness of civilians can be combated by instituting compulsory self-defense training for all Israeli citizens and residents beginning in adolescence with unarmed martial arts and  progressing to training in weapons use in early adulthood. Group courses in responding to simulated terror attacks could realistically save lives. All women and men who do National Service instead of enlisting in the IDF or Border Police should still possess the rudimentary skills necessary to defend their lives.

5) A Major Plan to Annihilate Terror Armies: Hamas, Islamic Jihad, Hezbollah, and other murder syndicates are perched on Israel’s borders, armed to the teeth, and ready to unleash at their pleasure. Terrorists need to have the earth quake beneath their feet, to be forever unsure of their footing. As a priority, the IDF must conceive of and execute a strategic plan for eradicating, root and branch, the terrorist thugs sitting pretty on Israel’s borders. Targeted killings of terror leaders only lead to promotions in terrorist ranks. Instead, the entire organizations must be methodically uprooted, not merely decimated but destroyed to a man, top-to-bottom, inside out. No more band-aid “operations” to restore “quiet” are needed; they do not do the job of ending terrorism and fall woefully short of any meaningful change. Only wholesale obliteration of terrorist gangs, Sri Lanka-style, will bring long-term results. Such a prolonged campaign should not be televised or broadcasted in any way, shape, or form, and UN ticking clocks or resolutions must be resolutely ignored. Only when the job is done decisively and with finality should Israel’s defenders stand down.

Palestinian Arabs regularly clear their schedules for a satisfying Day of Rage; Israelis should regularly clear their heads for a salutary Moment of Clarity.

It would be a historic tragedy for the Jewish People to squander the miracle of the State of Israel. With the way things are going, though, Israel is fixedly on course toward garnering the inglorious epitaph of “Death by Excessive Restraint”.

By holding Palestinian Arabs to no standard, let alone low standards, the world infantilizes them. But the hypocritical world can afford to do so, because its nations do not have to experience Palestinian Arabs as neighbors and suffer from their murderous psychosis. Israel cannot afford the luxury of holding the Palestinian Arabs unaccountable. Meekness in the face of aggressive terrorism kills. It is immoderate and unreasonable to assist your enemies in their work of destroying you, to understate. An active and determined approach to counter-terrorism must resurface amid Israel’s polity and society; the bleeding season will otherwise become a permanent period.

Besides, the State of Israel has more than enough admirals of appeasement, captains of capitulation, and sergeants of surrender. What it desperately needs are mature leaders who understand the necessity of a firm hand in times of terror, and who are unafraid to act accordingly. If Israel’s leaders cannot protect Jews, then who can?

Israel's competitive-edge highlighted by global walk (unlike global talk)

By Ambassador (ret.) Yoram Ettinger

1. According to Defense News, "Touted by US and Israeli officials as a new milestone in decades-long defense-industrial cooperation, state-owned Israel Aerospace Industry (IAI) inaugurated a production line on Tuesday to provide wings for Lockheed Martin-produced F-35 joint strike fighters. Under an estimated $2.5bn industrial cooperation deal, the new facility at IAI's Lahav Division will produce up to 811 wing sets through 2030 at a rate of four per month. Current plans are earmarking Israeli-built wings for fighters on order for the US and Israeli Air Forces and future export customers…. The decision to entrust IAI with critical wing builds follows three decades of successful cooperation on the F-16 and T-38 programs…. It takes [bilateral] cooperation to a new level and launches a new era in shared commitment…. Israel-built wings for the F-35 along with the selection of [Israel's] Elbit Systems for helmet-mounted displays are a show of strength and growing strategic ties…. The new facility [said IAI's Chairman] will establish IAI as a global center of excellence for wing companies."

2. 2014 has been a record year (and it's not over yet): $3.6bn have been raised by 26 Israeli companies on the New York Stock Exchange in initial, and secondary, public offerings, compared with $335mn in 1994 (Globes, October 31, 2014).

3.  2014 has been a record year (and it's not over yet): $3.5bn invested by global companies (such as Pratt and Whitney, Qualcomm, 3D Systems, Erickson, Google and Yahoo) in the acquisition of Israeli companies (Globes, October 31).  In addition, Israel's DiWip was acquired by Canada's Imperus Technologies for $100mn (Globes, October 20). France's Publicis acquired a 25% controlling interest in Israel's Matomy for $82mn (Globes, Oct. 14).

4.  Jordan concluded a $15bn, 15 year contract with Houston's Noble Energy for the supply of natural gas from the offshore Leviathan field in Israel (Globes, September 4). Turkey and Israel explore the possibility of constructing a natural gas pipeline from Israel's offshore fields to Turkey.

5.  Israel's Rafael won a $525mn bid to supply India with over 8,000 laser-guided, man-portable, anti-tank Spike missiles and more than 300 launchers (Asian Defense News, October 24, 2014).  Israel has emerged as the second largest supplier of military systems to India, the world's largest arms buyer, $10bn during the recent decade (Israel-India Defense Cooperation, the Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies).  Rafael will introduce, at the annual EuroNaval show in France, its unique C-Dome missile defense system, the naval "Iron Dome," protecting naval vessels and installations (Globes, October 27).  Israel's Elbit won an $85mn bid to refurbish F-5 combat planes of an Asian country.  Previously, similar contracts were signed with Brazil and Turkey (Globes, Oct. 23).

6.  Israel's ISDS won a $2.2bn bid for the management/integration of the security system in the 2016 Olympic Games in Brazil (Globes, October 23).

7.  China has expanded investments in Israel's high tech sector. For example, the China's GoCapital venture capital fund invested $12.5mn in Israel's CNoga, known for its non-invasive technologies (Globes, Oct. 28).  Shanghai GEOC, Hengtong Investment and Fortune China invested $12.5mn in Israel's Insightec (Globes, Sept. 15).  China's Fosun Pharma led a $12mn round of private placement – joined by GE Healthcare – by Israel's Check-Cap (Globes, Oct. 20).

Abraham’s World War

By Moshe Feiglin

And the two angels came to Sodom in the evening and Lot was sitting at the gate of Sodom.” (From this week’s Torah portion, Vayerah, Genesis 19:1)

Hold on a minute! Didn’t Lot learn anything from his previous misadventure? Just in last week’s Torah portion, Abraham endangered himself and his entire family in a World War to save Lot from captivity after he made his bad decision to move to Sodom. After Abraham redeems him, Lot disregards everything that transpired and goes right back to Sin City as if nothing had happened at all.

In order to understand this psychosis, all we have to do look at all the Israelis applying for citizenship in the country that brought us the Holocaust. Lot probably told himself that his capture at the hands of the kings was nothing more than a historic accident. If the four kings had not warred with the five kings, it would never have happened. The Israelis in Berlin share the same line of thinking: If there hadn’t been a war, the Holocaust would never have happened.

Wars, however, are not the reason for holocausts; they are simply the opportunity to perpetrate them. Even after the war, the Polish continued to slaughter the Jews who dared return home from the death camps.

The question is not why Lot returned to Sodom, but why Abraham endangered his entire historic mission and set out on an illogical war to save him. After all, he had enough money to redeem him from captivity. In no place in the Torah does G-d command Abraham to fight this war. Did Abraham exercise poor judgment? Why put his years of building and effort on the line for his rebellious nephew who knowingly went to live in Sin City?

The answer is that Abraham did not go to war to save only Lot; he went to war to save his mission. Lot’s capture placed his entire destiny on the scales. Everybody knew that Lot was Abraham’s nephew, and they waited to see how Abraham would react. Abraham understood that if he would not be willing to endanger himself and fight for his relatives, he would no longer be respected. Worse than that, he would lose the legitimacy for his very existence. From here on in, he would be dependant on the kindness of others.

This war is listed by our Sages as one of Abrahams’ ten trials. Abraham had to overcome his personal considerations and respond to the affront to his sovereignty like a free nation – making him worthy to establish the Nation of Israel.

After Abraham successfully traverses this trial and wins the war against the kings of the north, G-d makes a covenant (the Covenant of Pieces) with him and promises him the Land of Israel. Sounds strange? G-d “sides with” the winner? Not at all. G-d chooses the man who is willing to fight for his destiny, and not just for his existence.

Shabbat Shalom

Wall Street Journal: Shooting in Jerusalem Pushes Jewish Prayer Issue to Fore

Attack on Yehuda Glick Galvanizes Advocates of Returning Jewish Prayer to Temple Mount

Israeli parliament member Moshe Feiglin, walks near the Western Wall after visiting the Temple Mount in Jerusalem’s Old City. REUTERS

By NICHOLAS CASEY and JOSHUA MITNICK

Nov. 4, 2014 7:30 p.m. ET

JERUSALEM—When a motorcyclist fired three bullets into the upper body of Yehuda Glick last week, the shooting forced what has long been a fringe campaign into the center of public debate: returning Jewish prayer to one of the region’s holiest sites.

The American-born Mr. Glick, an activist who regularly defied the ban on Jewish prayer at the Temple Mount, was severely wounded in the attack. Just minutes before, he had spoken at a meeting promoting greater Jewish access to the site, known to Muslims as Haram al-Sharif.

His supporters called for thousands of Jerusalemites, rabbis and politicians to rally at the hilltop site on Wednesday andThursday.

Since conquering the site in 1967, the government has banned prayers there to avoid violence and allowed a Muslim religious authority to manage daily operations. The Jewish religious establishment has told Jews to avoid entering the site for fear of desecrating the site of the ancient temple that once stood there. The consensus over who prays at the sacred site held for decades through bomb plots by Jewish militants in the 1980s.

But the situation on the Temple Mount is beginning to change. Jewish extremists have been replaced by activists who say prayer there is a civil-rights issue. Some rabbis have reconsidered the bans. Some right-wing lawmakers see it as a political issue and are promoting legislation to declare Israeli sovereignty on the Temple Mount.

“There is a growing trend with Jewish rabbis now to show a presence on the Temple Mount as an act of political protest,” says Yitzhak Reiter, a political scientist at the Jerusalem Institute for Israel Studies, a think tank. “They are creating new facts on the ground.”

Accompanied by armed guards, Moshe Feiglin, a member of Israel’s parliament who is pushing to change the laws, led a group Sunday to the site where he decried what he called “Muslim rabble” that he said had threatened Jews. Mr. Feiglin said that the Jewish prayer ban couldn’t continue and that “the giving up of Israeli sovereignty on the Temple Mount will lead to conceding Jerusalem and the whole country.”

The shooting last week prompted Israelis to close the Temple Mount for the first time since 2000, when Ariel Sharon, then a candidate for prime minister, led dozens of his supporters onto the site, leading to riots that helped trigger the second Palestinian uprising. Thursday’s closure prompted clashes throughout the city.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said he would oppose changes to the prayer rules to maintain calm not just in Jerusalem, but also among Israel’s Arab neighbors. They fear that any relaxing of the ban will lead to Israel’s complete takeover of the site, which is considered the third-holiest site in Islam.

The issue of Jewish prayer on Temple Mount has come into focus at a dangerous time for Israel. Hamas, the Islamist political and militant group that has ruled the Gaza Strip for seven years, waged a war with Israel this summer. About 2,100 Palestinians and 73 on the Israeli side were killed.

Jerusalem is still reeling after a Palestinian teenager was burned alive this summer in a revenge killing for the kidnapping and murder of three Israeli teens by two suspected members of Hamas. Daily unrest has included gasoline bombs, clashes with police and Palestinians, and an attack at a light-rail station that left a baby and a 22-year-old woman dead. In response, Israel wants to raise the penalty for rock　throwing to a maximum 20-year jail sentence. Israel and the Palestinians have abandoned peace talks, escalating the risk that their dispute will be redefined as more than a political one, David Makovsky says.

“The conflict is solvable if it is an Israeli-Palestinian conflict, but if it morphs into a Muslim-Jewish conflict, it’s a religious conflict that’s harder to solve,” says Mr. Makovsky, a former U.S. diplomat and analyst at think tank Washington Institute for Near East Policy.

While he warned that many dire predictions about uprisings in Jerusalem failed to come true, this year is different because of the volatile situation created by lack of negotiations. “There is a vacuum now,” he said. “Whenever there is a vacuum, a lot of people try to fill it.”

Mr. Glick came to Israel as a child from Brooklyn. Born into a moderate family headed by a doctor, Mr. Glick eventually moved to a settlement in the West Bank, said his brother Yaakov Glick.

He joined the Temple Institute a decade ago and then struck out alone to start a group to lobby for prayer rights.

Before ascending the hilltop, religious Jews are checked to make sure they have no prayer books, and authorities explain the rules meant to ban any sign of Jewish ritual: no bowing down; no swaying; no silent movement of lips; no closing of the eyes for an extended period. At the site, religious Jews are monitored by security guards.

Yaakov Glick says his brother had been marked by police as a provocateur, and officials got restraining orders to prevent him entering and once accused Mr. Glick of pushing an Arab.

“The police did not like him going up on the Temple Mount,” he said this week after waiting at the hospital intensive unit where his brother was being treated. “So instead of taking care of the people making the noise they kind of pushed him away.”

Police declined to comment on Mr. Glick’s case.

Yaakov Glick said his brother had received multiple threats onFacebook in the weeks leading up to the attack, and the family knew he was at risk.

The Temple Institute says it isn’t inciting extremism but advocating for civil rights. Rabbi Chaim Richman, its director, said the group seeks to allow worship for all faiths, including Christians, at the site—something he says should be allowed in Israel because it is “a shining bastion of democracy.” Instead, Mr. Richman says, “we are followed, we are monitored, we are photographed.”

Mr. Richman envisions more than just religious rights, saying that the goal of Judaism is that the temple be physically rebuilt. Inside the building of the Temple Institute, which sits a few hundred yards from the Western Wall, framed paintings depict a new temple where the Dome of the Rock stands surrounded by modern Jerusalem. A display holds vessels to one day be used in rituals there.

Douglas Altabef, another activist, said his friend Mr. Glick had become an object of discrimination by his own country.

“You’re suppressed as a Jew if you go up there,” he said. “Frankly the big resistance of change is coming from the prime minister. I don’t know what his fear is.”

Write to Nicholas Casey at nicholas.casey@wsj.com

MK Feiglin: Israeli Retreat from Sovereignty on Temple Mount Will Bring War to Entire Country

“When ‘security officials’ point an accusing finger at the public representatives who lawfully take action to preserve Israel’s sovereignty in the heart of its capital – the forsaken Temple Mount – they reward terror and ensure its escalation,” said MK Moshe Feiglin. “According to the logic of the anonymous officials, Israel’s first PM Ben-Gurion was a pyromaniac when he declared Israeli independence and triggered an escalation of violence.”

“An Israeli retreat from its sovereignty on the Temple Mount will not stop at the gates of the Mount,” Feiglin continued. “Israeli society must decide if it is willing to pay the price of preserving its sovereignty on the Temple Mount and in our entire Land.”

“The Temple Mount front is not the cause of the war; it is the place where the war is currently being conducted. The weakness displayed by the ‘security officials’ on the Temple Mount is bringing the war front to the entire country,” Feiglin concluded.

MK Moshe Feiglin: Revoke Citizenship of Terrorists

“My heart goes out to the family of the person murdered in the terror attack in Jerusalem and I pray for the full recovery of the injured,” said MK Moshe Feiglin after the attack on Wednesday.

MK Feiglin noted that he has warned time and again that relinquishing Israeli sovereignty on the Temple Mount would lead to an escalation of violence. “Just last week, he said, “I warned that closing the Temple Mount to Jews in the wake of the assassination attempt on Rabbi Yehuda Glick and the rapid return to the routine discrimination against Jews there would encourage more murderousness. When terror is rewarded, it is also empowered.”

Feiglin pointed out that the terrorists in Jerusalem are usually Israeli citizens. “It is unthinkable that those who attempt to destroy our state bear Israeli citizenship and enjoy all its benefits,” he said.  “I intend to propose a bill that will revoke the citizenship of those who engage in any violent act with intent to assault the State of Israel as a Jewish state.”

Why they Tried to Kill Yehuda Glick

By Shlomo Vile

Last Wednesday’s shooting of Yehuda Glick wasn’t just another attempt to kill Jews.  There were other Jews within a few feet of Glick when he was gunned down, but the murderer was only interested in killing Yehuda.  Why was he so specifically targeted?  He holds no political power.  He has no army of followers. He runs a small non-profit organization, and he’s a sweet human being who has few if any personal enemies.  This was an assassination attempt, but Yehuda is not a typical assassination target.

At the Temple Mount Conference Wednesday night, Moshe Feiglin made the point that our enemies actually know us far better than we know ourselves.  They know that “He who controls the Temple Mount controls the Land.” They know the depth of our connection to Har Habayit, the Temple Mount, and that scares them more than all our military and police forces.

Yehudah Glick was a target because he was focused on the point of greatest leverage in our conflict with our enemies.  He embodies the Jewish connection to the Temple Mount.   His attempted assassination should confirm our conviction that regaining our sovereignty there is truly the central issue of our time.

Many people at the conference spoke about the ongoing and so far unsuccessful battles with the authorities to allow us to pray on our holy site.  Moshe Feiglin made the point that shortly after he becomes Prime Minister, our right to pray there will be guaranteed.  The battles will be over.

I suspect that here, too, our enemies know us and the power of our prayer on that site better than we do.  They feel that our presence and our prayers on the Temple Mount are very threatening to their entire position.  They are probably right.  Every Jew who goes up and prays to G-d there is probably striking a major blow against the forces of darkness.

The Dome of the Rock is an area that is Halachically off limits to Jews – unless, like the paratroopers in 1967, you’re a Jewish warrior fighting to conquer Har Habayit on behalf of our nation.  Moshe Feiglin is our warrior.  His weapons are his status as a representative of the Israeli Knesset, his air of authority, and his power of prayer. 

MK Moshe Feiglin Favors Modified Conversion Law

“The final version of the conversion law  certainly conforms to the rulings of Jewish law – even the more stringent views,” said MK Moshe Feiglin after the law was passed as a government decision.  ” The law requires the inclusion of a rabbi authorized by the Chief Rabbinate as part of the conversion court comprised of local rabbis. This is far more than what Jewish law requires. It solves the problem of conversion for the children of non-Jewish new immigrants to Israel and makes conversion accessible on non-ultra-Orthodox tracks. This is the root of the ultra-Orthodox opposition to the bill,” Feiglin continued.

MK Feiglin quoted Rabbi Chaim Amsalem, who said, “Those who are stringent on conversion, must understand that they are being lax when it comes to assimilation.” ”

“Rabbi Amsalem is right,” said Feiglin. “A child who was not converted, despite the fact that it was halachically permissible to do so, is not going anywhere. He will stay with us live here and marry here. It is far better to recognize that a problem exists and implement a halachic solution to solve it now.”

Anti-Israel Hayom bill shutting mouths by force, says Feiglin

Deputy Knesset Speaker and longtime Netanyahu rival MK Moshe Feiglin says that going by logic of Israel Hayom detractors, Haaretz and Yedioth Ahronoth should have been closed down a long time ago • "This law is a disgrace," says one Israeli.

Israel Hayom

Deputy Knesset Speaker Likud MK Moshe Feiglin  |  Photo credit: Lior Mizrahi

"Mouths are being forcibly shut here. This is a law that would close down a vehicle that expresses the views of many in this country, beyond canceling a service that is provided for free," Deputy Knesset Speaker MK Moshe Feiglin (Likud) said Wednesday in reference to the anti-Israel Hayom bill.

The bill aims to outlaw newspapers that are distributed without charge.

In an interview with Arutz 7, Feiglin said that "going by that logic, Haaretz and Yedioth Ahronoth should have been shut down a long time ago."

Israel Hayom's detractors, he said, "claim that money is used to shape public opinion in this country. Anyone who says that against Israel Hayom should be the first to argue that all the NGOs funded not by tycoons, who are Jews incidentally, but by European countries, should also be shut down."

According to Feiglin, "Because of my rivalry with [Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu] I have been targeted by the newspaper, and still, the very thought of parliament shutting it down -- it is an act of silencing."

Meanwhile, the people of Israel continued to express their opposition to the bill, which has so far been delayed and will only be voted on next week. "This law is a disgrace, and it serves political agendas. All the corrupt people that do illogical things should be removed from the Knesset," said Yaki Elgazi, 32.

"Competition is a positive thing," said 26-year-old Omri Kidma. "The consumer enjoys it. This law, which is apparently motivated by ulterior motives, is wrong in my view."

"Instead of investing their efforts in the real problems we have here, MKs are fighting against a newspaper that brings news to satisfied Israelis for free," said Sigal Klein, 46.

Avshalom Hoffman, 86, said that he was "against this bill. A free paper is a good thing and Israel Hayom needs to stay free. This is an absolutely unnecessary law."

The Man of the Temple Mount

By Rabbi Yisrael Rosen Dean of the Zomet Institute

"And G-d called the name of the place 'G-d will see,' about which it is said to this day, 'in the mountain where G-d appears'" [Bereishit 22:14]. "The man of the Temple Mount would visit every guard post while holding a burning torch in front of him" [Mishna, Midot 1:2]. The title "Man of the Temple Mount" is very fitting for our friend Yehuda Glick (let G-d grant him a long life and protect him), who has dedicated his life to lighting up the path that ascends to the Temple Mount with torches (see Shoftim 21:19). "The Man of the Mount," the conqueror of the Mount, is a pioneer who stands at the top of the mountain, shouting out the words of the prophet: "Let us go and rise up to the Mountain of G-d and to the House of the G-d of Yaacov, and let Him teach us of His ways, and we will follow along His pathways" [Yeshayahu 2:3; Micha 4:2]. The Temple Mount was Divided among the Tribes The issue of our entering the Temple Mount in modern times – subject to the restrictions of first immersing in a mikveh, showing the proper respect for the site, and avoiding certain areas because of their sanctity – is the subject of a purely halachic dispute, an issue related to "halachic policy," with some opinions in favor and some against. There are diverse opinions among the learned men in the Torah Zionist camp. Some are stringent based on strictly halachic grounds, while others have a generally stringent approach based on a desire to maintain strict limits and a fear of gradual erosion of any restrictions. Others from the same Torah Zionist camp permit visiting the Temple Mount. Some of these lenient ones base their opinions on strictly halachic considerations, just as for any other halachic question, while others are influenced by their great love for the holy site. To put this another way: in the halachic decisions of the Torah Zionist camp, there is a "Lita'i" trend of those who prefer to be stringent, who have a fear of making lenient rulings and who prefer a policy of "sit by and do not take action," in any question where there is some doubt. However, some of those in the same camp have a more "Chassidic" approach, and they are willing to give halachic permission when in the background there is a strong element of yearning and a desire to "rise up." On the other hand, within the Chareidi camp, almost everybody (see one exception below) responds with fear to this question and declares: It is forbidden! "Let no man ascend with you, and let no man be seen on the entire mountain" [Shemot 34:3]. Why is this so? Here is my answer: The Temple Mount has been tagged as "Zionist halacha," in a way similar to what I wrote in the Succot edition with respect to the Heter Mechirah and Shemitta. I have written and presumably will continue to write about this with respect to the issues of conversions andmilitary service (see the Rambam on "Protecting Yisrael from an oppressive attack," Hilchot Melachim 5:1). Such halachot are tainted with nationalistic feelings, heaven forbid, and this alone is a good reason to forbid having anything to do with them. "If a mitzva is related to nationalism, avoid it at all cost!" I began the last paragraph by saying that "almost" everybody in the Chareidi camp agrees on this point. However, we have been privileged to have some Chereidim who have ascended to a higher level (pun intended). They are very few in number who do visit the Temple Mount, in order to get a direct view of the pleasantness of G-d and to visit His palace. As you may well have guessed, these people are from the Chassidic sects. Not from the Breslev camp, for example, but rather from the more reserved people of Belz, which is conservative, and which is characterized by a relatively cool attitude towards learning and the fear of G-d. This remarkable group not only promotes the verse, "Let us ascend to the Mountain of G-d," but is also interested in the continuation of the verse, "and to the House of the G-d of Yaacov." That is, they agitate for the construction of the Temple in our days, by our own hands. (By the way, anybody who would like to see something of an example of the view at the top of the mountain is invited to visit the glorious Belz synagogue in Jerusalem, which can hold as many as ten thousand people at the same time.) The Source of the Teachings Let us return to the "halachic" Mount Moriah. "What is the meaning of the name Mount Moriah? ... It is the source of hora'ah (teaching) for Yisrael" [Taanit 16a]. I do not deny that I have also ascended the mountain, maintaining the proper purity and respect. I have written about my holy experiences in this column. Let me make a brief statement about the halachic dispute. There are two social-political arguments used by those who forbid ascending to the Temple Mount, and they are not worthy of further discussion. The first is, "What our fathers did not need in the past is not necessary for us either. We will manage without doing this." The other one is mentioned above – "Such halacha, which has been taken over by the Zionists (who play the role of the modern Tzedukim), should be rejected out of hand." On the other hand, there are two real halachic claims. (1) There are both archeological and geographic uncertainties about the exact positions of the internal borders on the Mount.Where is the "Levite Camp" (where people who are ritually impure because of contact with the dead are allowed to enter, after immersion in a mikveh), and where are the "Camp of the Shechina" and the holy courtyards, where entry is forbidden? (2) A prohibition on entry should be decreed in order to block those who will not prepare themselves properly in terms of halacha and a show of respect. Here is my answer to these claims: (1) There are halachic disputes about many issues, and we have ways to choose from among competing opinions. Often lenient decisions have been made, even with respect to prohibitions which involve "karet" – being cut off from the nation of Yisrael. Examples are such matters as Shabbat and Pesach, family purity, kashrut, Shemitta, and more, which we cannot discuss in this article due to space limitations. (2) We are not allowed to make new decrees. However, it is better to have the people enter with the permission of the rabbis rather than have them violate a prohibition. Hundreds and even thousands of people enter the Temple Mount without any limits, and many people will doubtless follow instructions of the rabbis about how to behave if they are published. We should also note that the current Chareidi prohibition is prominently displayed in the international arena, where it plays into the hands of our enemies, who want to ban us, and into the hands of all those who want to attack us. The rabbinical "veto" causes the holy dwelling place of the Shechina to be abandoned and to revert to the days when it belonged to Aravna, the Yevusite, and today to "El-Burak" - Mohammed's horse. (Oops – here we go again, raising Zionistic claims, heaven forbid...)

The Beginning of the End of Normal Society; HaRav Nachman Kahana on Parashat Vayayra 5775

BS”D  Parashat Vayayra 5775  Rabbi Nachman Kahana BASIC NORMS OF SOCIETY The Tanach was not meant by HaShem to be a highly emotional work that draws one to tears. Nevertheless, there are several graphic episodes which could certainly move one to empathize with the sorry situation of the individuals involved, where tears are not far away. One of these episode appears in the Book of Shmuel 1, chapter 28. The larger and more powerful Philistine army was in attack formation preparing for war against the weaker army of Israel. King Shaul was in desperate need to connect to HaShem for direction in leading the nation at that frantic time. However, the traditional means whereby Shaul received divine instructions were no longer available. The Kohanim, through the Urim and Tumim (breastplate of the High Priest), did not succeed in communicating with the spiritual world. The prophets who surrounded Shaul did not receive any illuminations from HaShem, and worst of all, the great Shmuel, Shaul’s mentor, confidant and teacher was no longer alive. Shaul was desperately alone. The King, upon whose every word the army and nation were relying felt abandoned, deserted, and rejected. In desperation, King Shaul turned for help to a most unlikely source. The Torah forbids, under punishment of death, dealing in real sorcery, including a psychic medium who could connect with the dead. During his reign, King Shaul in keeping with the Torah’s directive, ordered the cleansing of the land of all persons who dealt in sorcery. However, now Shaul, in his desperation, sought out a psychic medium to raise the prophet Shmuel from the dead. The last clandestine medium in the land was found – the mother of Avner ben Ner, the chief of Shaul’s army. She communicated with Shmuel who was greatly agitated by what Shaul had done, and revealed to Shaul that he and his three sons were destined to die in this war, but they would merit a place in the world to come. Shmuel, being the man of truth that he was in life, commenced to castigate Shaul for causing the loss of his monarchy and the difficult situation the nation was now facing. It was Shaul’s misguided pity on Agag, King of Amalek, by sparing his life when the Torah commands the total annihilation of Amalekite, which as a nation had breached all the norms of civilized humanity, that led the world in hatred of Am Yisrael. Indulgence and Leniency in a Judicial System The Book of Shoftim (Judges) in chapters 19-20 relates one of the darkest episodes in Jewish history in the Holy Land – the saga of the concubine in the city of Geva, in the tribe of Binyamin. A man and his concubine arrived in the city late at night. Since he did not know anyone there, they prepared to spend the night outdoors. A local elderly resident invited them to his home. While eating, several of the townspeople knocked at the door and demanded that the stranger be delivered to them for sexual purposes. The man offered to them his concubine instead, to which they agreed. All that night they assaulted the woman and in the morning they threw her dead body in front of the door of the home where the man was staying. He proceeded to dismember her body into 12 parts and sent one part to every tribe. The nation was incensed at the conduct of the Benjaminites and demanded that the perpetrators be brought to trial. The leaders of Benjamin refused. The nation then rallied together to form an army of 400,000 fighters against 26,000 of Binyamin. In the entailing civil war, the losses of the national army were over forty thousand fighters and the entire tribe of Binyamin was reduced to only 600 men! Why did the entire Jewish nation go to war over the actions of a few perverted men, as despicable as they were? I submit: We find in our parasha a precedent for the decadent behavior of those few men; a precedent which caused in its wake the immediate destruction of the five infamous cities – Sedom, Amora, Adma, Tzevu’im and Tzohar. The angels who had visited Avraham arrived at Sedom, and not knowing anyone in particular, stayed in the city square. Lot invited them to his home, as did the old man in the city of Geva. When word came around that Lot had violated a city ordinance prohibiting the hosting of strangers, the riffraff demonstrated in front of Lot’s home demanding that he deliver the guests to them for sexual abuse; as did the criminals of Binyamin years later. Lot offered the men his two daughters instead of the two guests, but his “generous” offer was refused. City ordinances must be observed, in the best tradition of Sedom. The following morning, HaShem smote the five cities with sulfuric fire. There were too many similarities between the transgressions of Sedom and the criminals of Binyamin, which aroused fear in the hearts of the other tribes. The people of Sedom were law abiding citizens, but they were evil to the core. Their laws were immoral and ran counter to the basic norms of what HaShem requires from human society. One known law of Sedom, which was passed by their dually elected legislature, stated that a stranger had to be put on the infamous “bed of Sedom”. If his feet reached past the bed, they were amputated, if too short, his body was stretched on the rack. It was legal, but sadistic as was the very nature of the people who legislated and abided by such laws. The fear was aroused not by the criminals themselves, but by the refusal of the tribal heads of Binyamin to bring the perpetrators to justice. The indulgence and leniency of the judicial system of Binyamin in the face of such behavior had the potential of paving the way as a slippery slope for other Sedom like actions to become the accepted mores of that society. So a decision was reached that it was imperative to terminate this blatant rejection of Jewish values even at the enormous cost of human life. The Beginning of the End of Normal Society The lesson to be learned from the above episodes is the most important in the lives of good people in today’s world. For it contains within it the direction our world will be taking in the present and future. The men of Israel went to war at an early stage of Binyamin’s decadence in order to prevent immorality from becoming the norm of society. We are now witnessing the beginning of the end of normal society with the advent of aggressive Islam. Whereas Torah Judaism brings out the best in human beings, Islam brings out the worst and demented compulsions of primitive man. Their religiosity is a lie. For them God is no more than another weapon to be utilized in their trek towards world domination. When our Prime Minister spoke at the United Nations warning the world of the dangers inherent in Iran acquiring a nuclear weapon, he was saying, in effect, that Sedom and its four sister cities were toys compared to what the world will have to face if Islam in all its forms is not contained. The Prime Minister called upon the world to act now before it is too late, but he and we know that the call fell on deaf ears. Our father Avraham prayed to HaShem to spare the evil cities if indeed there were even a small minority of righteous people. HaShem agreed because He knew that there was not even one Tzadik in all the cities. But history will prove that this world, with all its decadence, survived and will continue to survive only in the merit of the loyal Jewish people who cling to Hashem through the Torah in His Holy Land. Shabbat Shalom, Nachman Kahana Copyright © 5775/2014 Nachman Kahana

Will Obama Become a "Lame Duck" President?

By Ambassador (ret.) Yoram Ettinger

The outcome of the US midterm November 4, 2014 elections – for all 435 House seats, 36 (of the 100) Senate seats, 36 (of the 50) Governors and 87 (of the 99) State Chambers – will significantly impact the maneuverability of President Obama domestically and internationally: a "lame duck", or a "bullish," transformational president.  It will, also, impact US-Israel strategic cooperation, particularly the effectiveness of President Obama's pressure on Israel.  

The US midterm elections represent a unique electoral system, which highlights the centrality of the constituent, the concept of limited government, the total independence of the Legislature, and the co-determining and co-equal status of the three branches of government.  Unlike the European and Israeli political systems, the US Executive is heavily constrained by the world's most powerful Legislature (Congress), especially during the second presidential term; even more so if the president's party does not control both chambers of Congress.  Historically, midterm elections do not bode well for the president and his party.  Historically, the American constituent and Congress – on both sides of the aisle - have been systematic supporters of the Jewish State; frequently in defiance of US presidents.

The thundering potential of the "6^th year itch" elections was recently demonstrated in 1994 (the GOP revolution: 54 House and 8 Senate seats), 2006 (a DEM sweep: 31 House and 5 Senate seats) and 2010 (a DEM crush: 63 House and 6 Senate seats).  The core cause of these tidal waves was the plunge of presidential approval ratings, which nationalized the elections, triggering a ripple effect into House and Senate elections.

If there is a decisive outcome in the November 2014 midterm election, it will be a direct result of President Obama's plummeting approval ratings, which has become the most critical issue of the upcoming election.  Obama has been transformed into an "anchor-chained" – and not a "coattail" – president, significantly undermining Democratic candidates. According to Time Magazine, "after President Bush had similar poor approval ratings in 2006, Democrats enjoyed a wave election that gave them control of Congress…."  

A perceived presidential responsibility for a Democratic defeat in the Senate races would further undermine Obama's clout among Capitol Hill Democrats, who forced him to oppose Israel's condemnation by UN Security Council resolution in 2011, and to release committed funds for the "Iron Dome" (missile defense) during the recent war in Gaza. 

The November 2014 elections are increasingly nationalized - in contrast to Tip O'Neil's "all politics is local" - as a vote on Obama's record, potentially punishing Democratic candidates. The anti-Obama/Democrat mood is intensified by a general sense of pessimism and economic insecurity; criticism of Obama's handling of the Ebola panic; the dissatisfaction over ObamaCare; and the disapproval of Obama's foreign and national security policies, including the war on terrorism and policy on Israel. In fact, the intensified threat of Islamic terrorism has enhanced the public and Congressional identification with Israel, highlighting Israel's unique contribution to America's national security.

As a result of Obama's sinking popularity, an increasing number of Democratic Senate candidates – playing defense in hostile territory – are distancing themselves from the President.  For example, West Virginia's Senate candidate Natalie Tennant's commercial features her cutting off the electricity to the White House "to make sure President Obama gets the message."  In Kentucky, Alison Lundergan-Grimes disagrees with Obama on guns, coal and the EPA.  Senator Mark Pryor (Arkansas) criticizes Obama's gun control policy and the handling of the Ebola crisis.  Senator Mark Begich (Alaska) wants "to bang Obama over the head" with the oil issue.  Senator Mary Landrieu (Louisiana) missed President Obama's speech in New Orleans due to a prior commitment in Lake Charles ….  Senator Mark Udall (Colorado) brags: "The last person the White House wants to see coming is me."  Senator Kay Hagan (No. Carolina) criticizes Obama's policies on Syria, immigration and the environment. 

The uphill battle of the Senate Democratic candidates is highlighted by the seven Senators who were elected in 2008 on Obama's coattail and are currently running in states won by Romney in 2012, compared to one Republican running in a state won by Obama in 2012.  Moreover, Democrats defend a majority (21) of the (36) Senate seats which are on the ballot, attempting to salvage the current Senate Democratic majority of 55:45 (House Republican majority is 233:199 with 3 vacancies).

The fate of many Democratic candidates – especially in Georgia, Louisiana, North Carolina, Arkansas and Kentucky - depends on the turnout of Afro-American voters, whose high expectations of Obama have not been met.  Therefore, according to the New York Times, "The president is waging an under-the-radar campaign, targeting his loyal African-American base…."

Midterm elections tend to attract angry voters; hence, the supposed edge for the anti-Obama Republican voters, who may be joined by disenchanted independents.

The Hill notes that "historically, young people, minorities and single women are more likely to skip midterm elections…. Core groups in the liberal base are more likely to stay home than are people in the demographic segments that lean Republican…. Voters are less engaged in this year's midterms than they were in 2010 and 2006…. However, Democrats are continuing to try hard to get their base to turn out…."

Turning out the vote was a game-changer in the 2012 presidential election. It could make a dramatic difference in 2014.  Therefore, it ain't over until it's over.

However, irrespective of the outcome of the November 4, 2014 elections, and while the GOP-DEM balance of power has been transient, the public and the bipartisan Congressional solid support of the Jewish State has been permanently unwavering.

Control the Temple Mount, or Lose Control of Israel

By MK Moshe Feiglin

“Without control over the Temple Mount, Israel will lose its control over the rest of the Land,” said MK Moshe Feiglin after visiting the Mount on Sunday morning. “Even saying that Jewish return to the Temple Mount provokes violence encourages Arab violence. Pointing an accusing finger – even indirectly – at the victims of the violence instead of a wholehearted determined effort to deal with the perpetrators, empowers the terrorists. It shows the side from which the would-be assassin came that violence pays; it encourages continued murderousness.”

“This morning on the Mount,” Feiglin continued,  “I was surrounded by police security, while the Arabs were free to walk about. That is just one more way to see who feels at home on the Mount and who feels like an intruder. With G-d’s help, we will change that status quo,” he concluded.