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Monday, June 7, 2010

Ahabat Israel: "God will wage war for you, and you just stand still" ( Shemot 14, 14)

Today is the 25th day of Sivan, 5770


Seven days after the people of Israel left Egypt, they got to the shore of the sea. Pharaoh had a change of heart and regretted having let the Jewish slaves go free. He enlisted his troops and personally led them to crush the Israelites. When the Jews saw the Egyptians coming they panicked.

God Almighty knew that the Jews were not prepared for war... Why? Because they were slaves for centuries and slaves don’t have rights. They don’t know to defend themselves. They exist to please their masters. At that moment, Moshe said: HASHEM ILACHEM LAKHEM VEATEM TACAHRISHUN… God Almighty will wage war for you and you just stand still (=do nothing!). It was the only time in Jewish history that God did not command the Israelites to engage the enemy militarily, as we did with Amalek a few days later or when we conquered the land of Canaan, etc, etc. Those were excruciating circumstances. Slaves were trained like animals to fear their masters… a slave cannot become a hero overnight and fight face to face his former master. So, we were told FOR THE FIRST AND LAST TIME do nothing…. But ever since then, haShem commanded us to wage war (ki tetze lamiilchama al oyebekha) assuring us that He will always ‘fight’ in our side.

Israel is nowadays at war. A very complicated war with too many difficult fronts, among them: Iran, Hezbollah, Arab States, Hamas etc, and also the UN, our own self hatred Jews, the international press, and the worst: our own apathy…). These are too many fronts for Israel alone. And be sure of one thing: Israel is fighting all these fronts on behalf of every jew in the planet (ironically, even on behalf of those jews who hate Israel). Israel needs us to take part in some of these battles. And WE can’t just stand still. At least, I can’t stand still anymore and do nothing when Israel needs everyone of us so badly… I can't stand still in light of so much hatred, lies and accusations against my beloved Israel....

This is why I decided to start this column in Halakha of the Day, Mondays, which I called 'Ahabat Israel': Love for Israel. I hope to produce some awareness, not so much about the news and videos we already saw but about our needed action. There is so much we can do... and we are not doing…. writing comments to newspapers and TV news programs, writing emails to congress, producing our own Youtube presentations and our own pro-Israel Facebook groups, etc, etc most of it, we can do it.... FROM THE COMFORT OF OUR OWN PC....

I would like invite you to join me in a humble campaign, to share your creative ideas about what can YOU do from your computer to help Israel.

I welcome your ideas and hope to share them with other HOTD readers.

Please, write me your email to:

Subject: DO SOMETHING FOR ISRAEL, FROM YOUR OWN PC

rabbibitton@hotmail.com

Please, read this very short but eye opening article on the danger of “doing nothing” and share it with your Jewish and non Jewish friends .

https://www.yousendit.com/transfer.php?action=download&ufid=OHo0c2ZBT01iR0kwTVE9PQ

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