The Twilight Hours

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Moshe Kempinski

We are in the midst of the time of "not knowing", the eerie period between darkness and light. The world is awash with a pale and grey pall of uncertainty and a sense of foreboding and concern seems to weigh heavily over every nation and over every people. This is a very dangerous time for the world. It is a dangerous time because in the twilight hours , uncertainty leads to indecision and creates stagnation. This could be fine if time was not moving forward. It would be acceptable if there were not forces in the world that pounce on these twilight times in order to push forward their self serving agenda with great ruthlessness.

This is not new to the Jewish people;

"Remember what Amalek did to you on the way as you came out of Egypt, 18 how he attacked you on the way when you were faint and weary, and cut off your stragglers, those who were lagging behind you, and did not fear G-d. Deuteronomy 25:17

As I drive to work every day, I come up Ramban street, past the Prime Minister's residence and then move on to the Old City of Jerusalem. Every day involves my passing a little plaque on a small wall in memory of the terrorist destruction of a bus that killed many, including my friend Chezi Goldberg ( hy"d). I then drive past the Moment cafe, another scene of carnage and terrorism. These weeks it also involved passing two demonstrations opposite each other , adjacent to the Prime Minister's home. One is the protest tent of the Shalit family, demanding that the Israeli government do everything possible, including the mass release of jailed terrorists, in order to bring kidnapped soldier Gilad Shalit back home. Gilad has been held in difficult conditions by the Hamas terrorists for over 1000 days and all efforts have not succeeded in even ascertaining if he is alive or dead and what his state of health is. On the other side of the street was a protest tent manned by the families of terror victims .They were crying out that Gilad should be brought home but not at the expense of releasing murders back into the highways and cities of Israel.

As I drove past these two "opposing camps" my heart was wrenched to both sides of the street. The twilight zone of not knowing what should be done.



My wife and I escaped for a pre-Shabbat afternoon stroll along the beaches of Tel Aviv. We parked under the Savoy hotel, site of one of the early terrorist attacks, and then walked past Mike's place, site of another murderous attack . We ended our "stroll" at the Dolphinarium where so many other young people lost their lives to terrorism.



It was only the bright healing sun and the never-ending tug of the waves that gave us back the strength to replenish our souls in preparation for Shabbat. Every where one walks in Israel ,one stands on the edge of the night of tragedy and evil and attempt to reach towards the daybreak of hope and destiny.



We are in the midst of a time wherein we elected a Prime Minister who cannot muster the courage to lead the nation with vision. He would prefer a fractured and weak Labor party on his side rather than a clear voiced and committed National Union party . We are at a time when the army relaxes its "security hold" around the city of Shchem/Nablus because of the reduction of terror emanating from that city. This is being done, without taking into account that the reduction only came about because of that increased "security hold". We are living in a world that has watched all the secure fortress walls that protected them begin to crumble and fall. Heavily fortified steel and concrete proved useless in 9-11. Brilliant financial planning and insight proved to be as solid as wisps of smoke. Political leadership around the world has become ratings directed and popularity seeking at the best and has lost the understanding of true leadership.



This is a time of danger when impassioned and fiercely zealous forces will pounce on a shaken world. We see that happening in a secular confused Europe falling deeper and deeper under the influence of radical Islam. We see it in an America that is clinging to wonderful concepts of dialogue and discourse even with evil without understanding that the evil sees those things as weakness and failure.



In times of darkness even a little light would be revelatory. In times of hushed confused silence even a still small voice would be inspirational. In times of twilight even a softly spoken word of faith would be redemptive. We each have the ability to find the little candle, hear the still small voice and speak a soft word of encouragement of faith to those around us. Those are the tools critical to gather the strength to then boldly and directly confront evil.

Therefore when HaShem your G-d has given you rest from all your enemies around you, in the land that HaShem your G-d is giving you for an inheritance to possess, you shall blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven; you shall not forget. ( Lo Tish Kach )" Deuteronomy 25:19

Our sages ask if we are told to blot out the memory then why are we told "not to forget"? The answers are varied and abound in wisdom. The Oztrovcer Rebbe suggested the following. The words you shall not forget are lo tishkach. Tish kach is made up of two words Tash( give up ) and Koach( strength). The meaning is better understood , he suggested , as not to lose strength in the battle with the doubt sewn by the spirit of Amalek . This is especially true as the battle with that doubt and twilight fear is to be a long and arduous battle.

15 And Moses built an altar and called the name of it, HaShem is my banner, 16 saying, "A hand upon the throne of HaShem! HaShem will have war with Amalek from generation to generation." (Exodus 17:15)

To day I walked out of synagogue and a heavy scent surrounded the neighborhood. It was not yet the scent of spring time and yet it was. My neighborhood is in the area of the Yehuda Matza factory. The smell of freshly baked Pesach matza filled the air.

That too is the smell of springtime.

That too is the smell of redemption.