What Have we Come to?

By Rabbi Brad Rosen, B'nai Elim

Parshat Vayeitzei

We might have to wonder with the direction of where these putrid leaders are leading us (straight to destruction) and with all the corruption from the Prime Minister’s office, the question that has been bothering me is what have we come to? Will we ever regain the strength and confidence and momentum that we once had and who will actually lead us? 

It’s sad to watch the fact that Yerushalayim is for sale. For what? For nothing. For absolutely nothing but a continued force that will grow stronger to beat the Jews and take over Yerushalaim and soon enough all of Eretz Yisrael. We watch a prime minister slip deeper into the mud from where, somehow, he was elected. The slime and worm that he is. We watch him concede and make peace deals and promise our G-d given land to our worst enemies. He looks to uproot Jews and tries to smooth things over by telling them he must dismantle our good Jewish homes and give it to terrorists and Arabs who want nothing more but all the Jews off our land or better yet, dead Jews. He continues to lie to the public and we eat it up. We watch him tell us that he won’t uproot Jews or he might uproot a few thousand, in different phases. If 10,000 Jews could be thrown from their own land in one full swoop in Gaza, then certainly if this government wants to uproot the Jews from the west bank, it will certainly try and if we stay in this perpetual sleep we might actually let them get away with it. Then I propose the questions: What will be next, all of Yerushalayim? Qassam rockets which could hit any where in central Israel? Hamas in control of Hebron and any area Olmert decides to give up? This seems to be like a scene out of the worst horror movie. Have we completely lost our minds to let this government threaten more Jews after the tragedy we all watched take place in Gush Katif and to good Israeli citizens only two years ago? Have we forgotten the lessons of Qussam Rockets perpetually and still raining down day after day on Sderot? And can we not see that this government only cares about their wallets and not a bit about Sderot or the people of Gush Katif who were promised compensation and have seen nothing? Are we blinded by our sense of normalcy and inability to do anything to oust this Prime Minister and government? Are we too consumed with our own lives to actually care about the future of our capital and of our Jewish state? 

I wonder if we continue in this exact fashion how long it will be until there is another war with Hezbollah and will we actually have the audacity to win that war? Will Iran jump in and make it the Gug U Magog? The questions remain very real and in our face until we stop running away from our problems. The main problem is this corrupt government and leadership and if we replace it with Bibi or Liberman or Barak or worst of all Peres or any of these characters, they would make the same concessions that Olmert is promising. We need a strong religious leader who understands the Halacha and understands his role as a true Jewish leader. One who proudly wears a kippa and says I believe in the coming of the Moshiach and the rebuilding of Yerushalayim, all of Eretz Yisrael and the third Beit Hamikdash. One who proudly declares his faith in Hashem and who wants to make our one country, a Jewish state, and a receptacle for the true final part of the redemption. Unfortunately, we lost that leader when Arabs murdered our leader Rabbi Meir Kahane, Zichron LBracha and then his son Binyamin Kahane and his wife Talia Z’’L at the beginning of this intifida, still being spit in our faces as we speak. This chillul Hashem that continues to wreak our people and threaten the one land we have. Our leaders were taken from us and we only have one option now to follow in their footsteps and ensure that this government does not give away Yerushlayim or any parts of Eretz Yisrael in any fashion. It’s sickening to me that Shas and Yisrael Bateinu sit there with this corrupt Knesset and every day become more and more like the rest of the parties. They could care less about the Halacha and more about their wallets their power and prestige. Israel is so divided and so corrupt that achdut, togetherness is a foreign concept. This is exactly how both of the Exiles came about. At times of both Temples we saw how corrupt leadership and division amongst the Jewish people sent us far from our land and we are still in that exile today. Hashem has decided to start the Geulah, but not even come close to finishing it until we do something to prove to Hashem that we want our land and we want the Moshiach. We continue to let the Chillul Hahsem reign in every way and triumph in every matter pertaining to Israel and its enemies and its internal Jewishness. Instead of making a Kiddush Hashem by granting ourselves the just power and authority we need and we should be taking to relinquishing the Arabs from our land, we continue to desecrate Hashem’s name and let our enemies stay and grow larger in Hebron, Shechem, Haifa, Jenin, Beit Lechem, the Galille and Gaza. The Arabs continue to grow at much higher rate than the Jews and everywhere in Eretz Yisrael they threaten the security and longevity of our one country. But we continue to sit here and do nothing and watch our state dissipate. We contribute to the Chillul Hashem and if Olmert gives away any land in this Annapolis Summit, not only are we doomed, Israel and its future are doomed and we will be to blame for watching him to do it. 

I am not speaking of an issue that is hypothetical or remote. I am speaking of an issue which is burning and which should be the forefront of our minds. It’s a Chillul Hashem that we have come this far and let these clowns in the Knesset, let the issue of Yerushalayim even get this far. The problem is the Jew. No one wants to fight for Yerushlayim, no one wants to make aliyah and thus not one cares about the continual survival of the Jewish state except those Jews that live there and will continue to live there. If we watch Olmert throw away Yerushalayim or again any part of Eretz Yisrael we are committing a major sin against the Torah and Halacha. Every Posek and true Rabbi would agree that giving away land is a Chillul Hashem, desecration of G-d’s name and furthermore it breaches Jewish Law in every kind of way. It’s extremely tragic to watch history repeating itself again as the American Jews do nothing to stop a potential Holocaust. What could the Jews do in America with all their money and “Jewish Leadership” (which is hardly leaders and hardly Jewish)? They could all relocate to Eretz Yisrael and incur one of the greatest Mitzvot in the Torah, Yishuv Ha’aretz. Instead, No, forevermore, the majority of Jews will not leave the exile, especially when it is as good in America as it’s ever been. The only time Jews will even think about moving to Israel and making aliyah is when there is a potential Holocaust awaiting and sometimes then it could be too late. I speak so pessimistically, however, the truth is there is time, but it is running out for the Jews both in America and in Europe. Not only does the Assimilation rate drastically effect the Jews both in America and in Europe at 50%, it essentially does to our religion what Hitler tried to do, but could not, wipe us away literally. The Chillul Hashem is that Jews marry non Jews and it is a mess from an Orthodox Rabbinic perspective and a mess for Israel since in many cases we do not know who is Halachically Jewish and who has had a Halachic conversion according to true Halacha. I can go into the fine details of why we should blame the Reform and Conservative “Leaders and Rabbis” who have corrupted our people beyond the pale, but I will save that for an upcoming articles. The point is that because America is so free, we only know Americanism and Jews have lost in great measure their connection to Judaism and literally have ensured that their children will not be Jewish. There is a sick ethic that somehow the American liberal secular Jew can do as he pleases and does not have to bend to Ol Malchut Shamayim, The Yoke of Heaven. Well, now we can understand why America and the American Jew have contributed to the destruction of the Jewish people.  

True there are Rabbis who have helped build Judaism in America and of course Israel, but because of assimilation, we have lost a great number of Jews and their potential offspring. This is the sad truth which plagues us and perhaps this is our inescapable Pharaoh of our times, America. I want to say that there is hope, but it is not in Olmert, it is in Hashem. If we have emunah in Hashem and actually take action perhaps we can take our own destiny for once on our own hands. The sad truth is that every one wants this Prime Minister gone, but I don’t think anyone wants to oust him or really try because we are scared that no true leader has come forth and again this is where Rabbi Meir Kahane and Binyamin Zeev Kahane are greatly missed and their presence are greatly missed. They both told us that we ultimately would be to blame for letting government after government try to relinquish land and steal our Judaism from us. They told us that if Aliyah didn’t occur and the Arabs continue to grow and gain power in the Knesset and inside Israel itself, then be careful of what would then ensue. Since both of their murders we have seen thousands of Jews murdered in Israel and the threat continues today. Olmert, who is our worst enemy himself, wants to constantly give back Arab prisoners who will undoubtedly go and look to kill again. Can you imagine the insanity that is going on in the Knesset? And the religious parties in the Knesset and us, the Jewish people are to blame when we see innocent Jews murdered in our state and everyday when we see rockets kill and shatter families. The government doesn’t ever want to take any measures like cutting off the electricity in Gaza and playing a war at their own game. How about a major offensive in Gaza? How about throwing the Arabs out of Israel? No, we could never utter such words… Well, I say it again and again, wake up Jew! See what is going on around you to Eretz Yisrael, to the Jews that live there. See where the momentum is going and who will win the Arabs or the Jews? Rashi tells us that the desecration of the Jew is the desecration of Hashem. If we watch one more Jew being murdered inside his G-d given land, we are to blame for the Chillul Hashem which is ensuing continuing to take away good G-d fearing Jews. 

In this week’s Parsha, Parsha Vayeitzei, we see a Jew, Yaakov, the leader of our people, who was not afraid to fight the outside forces in the exile and thus he was rewarded with family and offspring and eventually coming back to Eretz Yisrael with Angels protecting him. We can gain a tremendous insight and Chizuk from this lesson in this week’s Parsha. We should never let the negative outside things that our enemies try to do to us both within our people and our blatant obvious enemies like Hamas, never let them bring us who are devout to Hashem and Torah and fighting for that belief, never let them bring us down from our Kedushah, Holiness, and our mindset and our devotion to this cause. We have an obligation to spread to the word of our prophet in our day, Rabbi Meir Kahane and I would suggest you decide to read “Or Haryaon” in either English or Hebrew. You will start to see there is one way a Jew needs to be and that is in him understanding Torah and its principles, studying Torah and gearing to make aliyah if  he doesn’t live in Eretz Yisrael already.  We are connected to the land of Israel and we are responsible for Yerushalayim. This week’s Parsha shows us how the exile could you up and how cruel it is to live in the exile. Hashem will reward those that want to make aliyah. Remember that Yaakov had grown to spiritual heights outside of the land of Israel; this made his desire for Shlemut, completeness even greater. He longed for the moment where he could escape the harsh realities of the exile and enter a spiritually conducive land, his land, Eretz Yisrael. We should have the pleasure also being rewarded for adherence to Torah and Mitzvot and our goal always should be Yishuv Haaretz, just like Yaakov Avinu.

 We must tell ourselves everyday: I will not stay silent for Zion or Yerushalayim.