Eight Souls, Eight Scrolls

by Moshe Kempinski

Eight Torah scrolls for eight souls. Eight Torah scrolls were completed one year to the day after eight young Jewish boys were gunned down by a Palestinian murderer. Eight Torah scrolls were brought together with singing and dancing through the streets of Jerusalem back into the yeshiva where the flame of those eight young souls was extinguished.

I struggled during the day as to whether I wanted to join the ceremony in memory of those boys, a ceremony that would be so interlaced with sadness and loss. The evening was called "Remembering and Continuing" and I finally decided that, in fact, I could not detach myself from that sadness and loss.

As I approached the area of the Merkaz HaRav Yeshiva I found myself joining a steady stream of young people, families with little children, and older Jews walking on canes. Every face set with determination and every set of eyes glistening with a tear. Yet, as we got closer the stream became a river and the mood seemed to change. Soon, I was engulfed by a sea of people singing and dancing as they approached the gates of the yeshiva.

The numbers of people were so great it became almost impossible to enter the narrow entryway. There was a little pushing and pressure at the front, but each push was accompanied with an apology and a sheepish grin. Everyone, it seems, knew that every other person there had as much an obligation, right and privilege to be there. We were all there to honor the souls of eight young people who had still so much to achieve in their young lives. We were there to offer strength and comfort to eight families who had lost the most precious of gifts that G-d and life have to offer. At the deepest level, we were also there to be comforted and strengthened ourselves.

As I entered the yeshiva study hall, I was again engulfed in a sea of pain and joy, hope and loss. The new Torah scrolls were held aloft amidst the dancing, each scroll with the name of one of the eight young boys embroidered on the Torah cover. The Torah scrolls of Avraham David Moses, Ro'i Aharon Roth, and of Neria Cohen were dancing with the scrolls of Yonatan Yitzchak Eldar., Doron Maharete, Yochai Lifshitz, Segev Peniel Avichail and Yonadav Chaim Hirschfeld.

It was probably because I wanted it to be so, but as I closed my eyes I imagined eight souls dancing in a circle above us and above the circling Torah scrolls. Then the Torah scrolls mixed in and joined the other Torah scrolls of the yeshiva.

The thunderous singing shook the large windows of the building with the words of psalm 24:

O you gates, lift up your heads and lift up the everlasting doors so that the King of Glory will enter. Who then is this King of Glory? HaShem Tzvakot, He is the King of Glory forever.

It was impossible to do anything else but jump up and down; and that very action added to the intensity of the moment. Thousands of people trying to reach to the very heavens with leaps and bounds. The song then changed to "Open up the gates of Prayer, HaShem, and listen to our prayers" - and the prayers kept pouring out and up.

The evening was also an opportunity to bring to a culmination a study cycle of the Talmud that was begun in the memory of the eight boys. Over the course of the year, those who wished to study a section of the Talmud in memory of the slain students had signed up via an Internet site designated for the purpose, specifying the pages they planned to study. The entire Talmud was completed more than three times in this manner.

As Rabbi Shapira began the siyum ("conclusion") ceremony, each bereaved father sat with his son's Torah scroll. It was clear that they were not holding up the Torah scroll at all, but rather the scroll was holding them up and strengthening their broken souls.

I remembered a story that I had heard a very long time ago.

After the end of the madness of the Holocaust, a small community tried to regather in one of the small towns of Poland. It was the eve of Simchat Torah, the holiday celebrating the study and reading of the Torah. When the congregants opened the ark to dance with the scrolls, they were shocked to find it empty. The scrolls had been stolen. At that point, the children began to cry uncontrollably. Several men simply picked up the children, some of whom were orphaned in the camps, and began to dance with the children.

The Torah scrolls became children.

In Jerusalem, over sixty years later, the children became Torah scrolls.

Circles within Circles

Moshe Kempinski

On Monday (15 February 2009) a special ceremony took place in Yeshivat Merkaz HaRav in the Kiryat Moshe section of Jerusalem The Brit or circumcision ceremony was being held a week before the tragic one year anniversary of the slaughter of eight young Yeshiva students in the same school. On that night, on the first day of the Hebrew month of Adar , an Israeli-Arab walked into the Mercaz Harav yeshiva armed with a Kalashnikoff and ammunition belts.. He opened fire on a group of teenage boys and young men immersed in their studies, firing an estimated 500-600 bullets in the span of 10 minutes and butchering eight young students. The gunman didn’t konow these young boys personally ,he simply hated what they represented. The rampage on that night was stopped by two young men . One was torah scholar , author and off-duty IDF officer Yitzchak Dadon and the other was Captain David Shapiro, an IDF officer who was nearby at home who responded after hearing the gunfire.



Eight young souls were extinguished in the midst of studying G-d's Torah in the Yeshiva library. The gunman didn’t hate these specific young boys, he hated what they represented.



On Monday , a year later, Yitzchak Dadon brought his newborn son back into that same Yeshiva library so that his son could be initiated into the Jewish people. The man who saved so many other lives re-entered the room where eight young lives were curtailed holding in his arms precious new life.

Rabbi Tzemach Hirschfeld, whose son, 18-year-old Yonatan Chaim was murdered in the attack, was the mohel who carried out the ritual. Rabbi Hirschfeld, said "this is a very special occasion for me – to circumcise the son of the man who shot the terrorist who murdered my son, and all this just a week before the first anniversary of the attack."



A true understanding of the spiritual undercurrents that flow through life is to understand the concept of circles flowing through circles.


A man who was responsible for stopping the carnage brings his newborn son into the peoplehood of the Jewish people amidst singing and dancing. On the following week, eight new torah scrolls will be delivered to the Yeshiva amidst singing and dancing.In addition the event will also be marked by the worldwide conclusion of the study of the 2,700-page Babylonian Talmud, . Over the course of this past year, those who wished to study a daf of gemara, or several of them, in memory of the slain students, signed up via an internet site designated for the purpose, specifying the pages they planned to study. The entire Talmud was completed more than three times in this manner, and the festive conclusion ceremony will be featured at next Tuesday's memorial.All this again with singing and dancing.

When Jews dance they dance in a circle ..circles within circles.

Rabbi Hirschfeld , the father of murdered Yonatan Chaim ( hy'd) appeared happy after what must have been a very heart wrencing and dramatic occasion, He spoke to several media outfits and a couple of newspapers and the following is a compilation of some of his words."Yes, this is definitely the closing of a circle. But it's not the first time; I also circumcised the son of Dudi Shapira, who also took part in killing the terrorist. But here, of course, it is even more poignant, given the timing and the location...As we say at the brit and also at the Passover seder, 'With your blood you shall live' - the blood that was spilled here is not the end of the story; there is life after death. Life goes on, babies are born, and thank G-d I deal with this, I am always involved with people who have just had babies, and life continues....It's true that our grandparents said that every baby born is a revenge against Hitler, but I don't live with that sensation. I could say it is a victory of sorts. We're not giving up, we have babies; I too had grandchildren this year..."

The prayers recited over the baby declared;

Our G-d and G-d of our fathers, preserve this child for his father and mother, and his name in Israel shall be called Elkanah ben (son of) Rabbi Yitzchak .May the father rejoice in his offspring, and his mother be glad with the fruit of her womb, as it is written: May your father and mother rejoice, and she who bore you be glad. As it is said: I passed by and saw you weltering in your blood, and I said to you: You shall live through your blood; and I said to you: You shall live through your blood. ..........May this little infant Elkanah ben Rabbi Yitzchak become great. Just as he has entered the Covenant, so may he enter into Torah, into marriage, and into good deeds.

The child was named after the late head of the Yeshiva Rabbi Avraham Elkana Shapiro, Yitzchak Dadon's rabbi. Yet the name Elkana means G-d will enact revenge. This revenge is personified by a young baby entering the nation of Israel, eight Torah scrolls entering the sanctuary and thousands of hours of Torah study culminating at this day.

Circles within circles threading through every moment in this land of unfolding destiny.

In blessed memory of Avraham David Moses, Ro’i Aharon Roth, Neria Cohen, Yonatan Yitzchak Eldar. Yochai Lifshitz, Segev Peniel Avichail, Yonadav Chaim Hirschfeld, Doron Meherete, May HaShem Avenge their blood..

A HUMBLED LEADERSHIP

Moshe Kempinski

True leadership of the people of Israel must always be a humble leadership. That was true of Moshe as the left Egypt and was true of King David after his difficult and event filled rise to leadership. G-d did not take the Israelites on a shorter route into the land of Israel because it “was too close”. Not that it was too close to Egypt because they in fact went even closer. It was too close to their destination. The journey was to be long and arduous so that the destination would be arrived at with the correct spirit and understanding.


The announcement regarding the projected results of the elections hit Israel like a dull thud. Those in the “land of Israel movements” had been working long and hard and were hoping for a clear and decisive victory. The media and the left, on the other hand, were hoping for a miracle that would ensure the continuation of what was. When the results were announced my son and I were sitting with the activists of the National Union party in the hotel hall. The three large television screens presented their polls with colorful graphics exactly at 10:00 p.m. and showed the column of the Kadima party rising dramatically and towering over the column of the Likud. The resulting frivolity and joyful dancing filled the television screens .The activists in the room watched quietly feeling great disappointment.


All the leaders of the National Union got up to speak to encourage and strengthen the activists .One after the other they were trying to lift the spirits of those who were still sitting in a quiet stupor. Yet it took great effort to escape the hypnotic messages and subtext being offered by the media. At a certain point a young woman walked to the podium and went right up to the microphone. She spoke forcefully and clearly.


." What is going on here? Why do you all look stunned and sad? For a month we have been using our slogan “not to be afraid at all". Now is the time to live out our slogan. We are beginning our journey and we will not be afraid at all".


As she shyly walked off the stage people began to smile. After the smiles the true assessment of what had actually transpired began to seep past the subtext and confusion presented by the three television stations.


Even if Kadima did receive one more seat than the Likud (and that may change after the soldier’s votes come in) it was far from being the dominant party. It barely received 25% of the mandated seats in the Knesset. Israeli law does not give the leadership of the country to the largest party but rather to the party that can create the largest coalition.


It soon began to seep into our consciousness that we were not witnessing a disappointment but rather a great victory.” The Land of Israel “faithful now make up at least 65 seats of the Knesset mandates. Yet all that evening, Tzippy Livni tried to dance sing and smile and project herself as the victor . In actual fact the only place where she was victorious was in decimating and weakening all her natural allies of the left. The Meretz party dwindled to 3 to 4 seats. Labour was whittled down to 13 seats. Livni did not succeed in drawing out one mandate from the other side of the political spectrum, she simply drained her own side.



The people of Israel chose the land of Israel. The people of Israel chose strength and courage when facing murderous enemies .The people of Israel chose to face a world that has become less and less friendly with a clear vision .The world would say that the solution to the diminishing friendliness would be for Israel to be more flexible. They demand that Israel must continue to compromise on Israel's security issues and must bend over backwards even more than it has until now. Israel it seems has bent over as back as it can without completely breaking. The people of Israel have decided to stand straight and upright.


The only difficulty is that the leadership of Israel has not yet absorbed the passion and understanding that has permeated the people.Binyamin Netanyahu is an intelligent man with a good core understanding of the direction this people need to follow. The difficulty is that as in the past, Netanyahu's greatest enemy is his own ego. Netanyahu becomes so filled with Netanyahu that it obscures his judgment and blinds his vision. Feeding or threatening that ego becomes the tool used by our enemies to break or compromise Netanyahu's resolve.


That is the reason these election results may turn out to be even more positive than it may seem today .Had Netanyahu won a resounding success, it would have fed his own weakness, his own ego. Instead, Netanyahu is being forced to listen to the passion of the majority of the people of Israel. The numbers will do much to humble Binyamin Netanyahu and a humbler Netanyahu is a better candidate to lead the people of Israel.

Tu B’shvat and the Israeli Elections

Moshe Kempinski....

The celebration of Tu B'Shvat--the 15th of the month of Shevat on the Hebrew calendar is described in the Talmud, where Tu B'Shvat is called "the new year of the trees." The determination of the date is connected to the fact that four months have passed since the commencement of the rain season on the Feast of Tabernacles. From that point on the roots of the tree have been saturated and the life giving fluids are filling the tree and beginning the energy and revitalizing power of blossoming.





The ancient books describe the traditional eating of the fruits of Israel on this day as a means of Tikkun or correcting the sin of Adam and Eve.



Adam and Eve were put into the garden to protect and care for the garden. They were given one restriction, one prohibition, and that was to avoid eating from the tree of knowledge of good and evil. Every fruit they ate from the garden was a source of blessing because it was received as a gift from the Almighty. Yet that was not enough and they earned to reach out and eat from the one tree that was forbidden to them. That act had nothing to do with the Divine Giver but was an act done in spite of Him. It was an act that fulfilled their passion to take for their own selfish desire.



Yet there was something deeper that was missed by Adam and Eve that led to their act of defiance, and it is something that continues to be missed by mankind until this very day.



Rabbi Kook, of blessed memory, revealed that deep insight regarding two verses in Genesis. God commanded the earth to give forth fruit trees producing fruit: "And God said: 'Let the earth put forth grass, herb yielding seed, and fruit-tree bearing fruit after its kind, wherein is the seed thereof, upon the earth.' And it was so" (Gen. 1:11).



The earth fulfilled G-d's command but with one modification: "And the earth brought forth grass, herb yielding seed after its kind, and tree bearing fruit, wherein is the seed thereof, after its kind; and God saw that it was good" (Gen 1: 12).



The earth produced "trees producing fruit." Our sages in the Midrash teach homiletically that the original and ideal creation was that the trees themselves (their bark and trunk) would taste like the fruit that it produced, fruit-trees bearing fruit.



Instead, the earth fashioned trees that only produced fruit. The deep meaning and instruction in such a seeming difference between the ideal and the created reality points to the flaw in the reality we all experience in life. Yet G-d "saw that it was good." G-d purposely created a reality at odds with its ideal, a tension filled imperfect world.



Rav Kook explained that one of the basic failings of our limited perception of reality is that we generally aspire to the goal and ignore the process of attaining that goal. Man often focuses on the fruit of the tree and ignores the sweetness of the tree that bore the fruit. We place emphasis on the destination and as a result are unable to appreciate the means by which we attain our goals. We focus on some goal we have determined is important and ignore the journey and as a result we often stumble and fall. Focus on the voyage and the journey is the only way to ensure that we reach the right point in our destiny. That focus is also the only way to ensure that we arrive with our souls and hearts intact.





Such a decision stands before the people of Israel again . The choice in the coming election must be made with a clear determination of the purity of heart. We are choosing a voice to speak and stand for the people of Israel and it must be a voice that is clear pure and vision based. The voice of the National Union/ Ichud Haleumi is such a clear voice. Much will be done in these final days before Election Day to deter those who are committed to electing such a voice.



There will be many that will declare that such a decision to vote for a small party is weakening the Likud and enlarging the threat of a Kadima government. That in fact does not seem to be the case based on the latest polls. The Land Of Israel bloc seems to be growing rather than weakening. It may in fact force the Likud to rely more heavily on parties such as the Jewish Home and the National Union.



But yet despite those threats, the decision about how to vote this coming Tuesday must be one filled with the surety of commitment . It must be based on the sweet truth of the journey without rushing towards a destination we assume will be the only correct one. It must be based on a commitment to the truth of the land of Israel, the people of Israel and foremost to the G-d of Israel. That has been and continues to be the secret of this people’s survival.

Choice, the Privilege and the Responsibility ,

Moshe Kempinski



Traditional Jewish theology has declared that one of the greatest gifts G-d has given mankind is the power to choose.



" And now, Israel, what does HaShem your G-d ask of you, but to fear the HaShem your G-d, to walk in all His ways, and to love Him, and to serve the HaShem your G-d, with all your heart and with all your soul; (Deuteronomy 10:12)



The verb to "ask” pre-supposes the possibility of choice.



The people of Israel in the State of Israel are again standing before a choice. A new leadership for this beleaguered nation will be chosen within a very short time. Yet choices are not as easily free as we might assume. There are situations where there is no option of choice, a situation where all the alternatives are equally negative. There are times when the effort to investigate and explore the options is so cumbersome and overwhelming, that the choice is dictated by the winds of public opinion and preconceived notions. There are also times when choice is viewed and acted upon as randomly as the throw of a die and those types of choices are not truly free.



Yet choice and discernment is not only a responsibility but it clearly is a privilege. That is true even if the effect of your choice is seemingly negligible. Every individual must remember that the little picture is in fact "the Big Picture" in the development of history. Regrettably there are those that because of negative past experiences with the electoral process have decided that "what is the point, I cannot make a difference." In the short term they may be correct. They voted in Ariel Sharon and they got the disengagement. They voted in Netanyahu and the received the Wye and the Hebron agreement.



Yet choices cannot only be assessed by their short term successes and failures. They must be assessed by three critical parameters. Those parameters are, moral conscience and values, history and destiny, and ultimately one’s soul and its Creator.

Man and woman must make decisions which are true to one's conscious and are a function of his or her intrinsic value system. They must further make choices that are a function of what has been learnt in history and are that are directed by a clear vision of destiny and hope.



Yet most importantly and most liberating is the deep understanding that in the Heavens every act of choice, those that seem large and those that seem insignificant, are recorded and are treasured. It is this parameter that needs to be considered in the choices we make regarding the raising of our children, the choice of our spouse and even the choice of where to build our homes. It is no less true regarding the choosing of Israel’s leadership.



Pharaoh, in the days of Exodus ,made choices and was punished for those choices . Yet as generations of sages have asked ,why should he have been punished when in fact we read that;

' And I ( G-d) will harden Pharaoh's heart, and multiply My signs and My wonders in the land of Egypt.( Exodus 7:3).

Maimonides explains that the example of Pharaoh teaches us there may be indeed a point beyond return over which a man forfeits his free choice and empowerment to repent. The Midrash on the book of Exodus declares “The wicked are under the control of their heart, as opposed to their heart being under their control,”. Evil is best defined by the decisions and actions that take into account only selfish desires and egocentric concerns .The Midrash is saying that each such choice inevitably leads to a frame of mind that continues those same decisions. Pharaoh took away his own free will by beginning with his policy of refusal, and the events took control of Pharaoh and forced him to follow its path to the inevitable and bitter end. G-d allowed Pharaoh to make those choices and live with its implications.
The Ramban and the Sforno offer another fascinating thought. Every single plague and national calamity ate away at Pharaoh’s resolve. Every supernatural event chipped away at any free will that Pharaoh may have originally had. G-d had to harden Pharaoh’s heart in order to bring his heart and awareness back to equilibrium of free choice. G-d did not take free choice away. He actually re-instated it.

This country has been inflicted by one plague after another. It began with the hatred of our neighbors followed by the indifference of the world. That was soon followed by the weakening of Israel's leadership and resolve which came along with the intensifying of the animosity of most of the world. The plagues of terrorism, corruption and selfish hedonism soon followed. It is becoming very difficult to live in this country and have the courage and the resolve to make real and honest choices. We will have to dig deeply into our reservoirs of faith and vision in order to choose with intelligence and truth. We will need G-d’s help to return us into the equilibrium and balance of true free choice.

Now that it seems clear that Netanyahu will be the next Prime Minister , it has become increasingly important to ensure that a clear, courageous voice of the land of Israel, its torah and its vision ,is strengthened. Especially if such a voice becomes lost within Binyamin Netanyahu’s attempts to be politically correct.

For me, that meant to do all that I can to influence those that love this land and people to vote for the National Union/ Ichud Leumi party. The land of Israel movement represented by the National Union, has brought together people of all types. It seems that the love for the land of Israel is the vessel G-d has used to imbue all of them with an undying sense of purpose and direction. It is a voice that must not be silenced. It is a voice that must be heard above the din of small politicians and raucous media .It is a voice that will strengthen the elected leadership to avoid the pitfalls of misguided policies. .

Yet most important of all , is that though a small party, its voice of faith and resolve is the strong voice that will empower the people of this country to become all that they need to be.

Leadership Of A Higher Calling

Moshe Kempinski

For years the people of Israel have been fed a low level of journalism and concocted media events. For years we have had to endure reading on the front pages of Israel’s newspapers about who hates who, in the corridors of power. We have been inundated for a very long time with reports of corruption, thievery and immoral conduct. The television is replete with Reality television glorifying the most basal and self serving qualities of the people of Israel. It is no wonder that the Israeli people have become demoralized to such an extent that they do not expect any better from their leadership and no revelation of criminal activity or immoral behavior is received with surprise.

Yet suddenly the leaders of Israel are making the right decisions and saying the right things. Their motivation remains suspect and the new approach is probably temporary. This is so since even in the midst of warfare the bickering of these self serving leaders has simply become embarrassing. Senior sources in Jerusalem,( read the Prime Minister Office) slam defense minister Barak over his support of Egyptian ceasefire initiative which they claim Hamas interprets as weakness. Prime Minister Ehud Olmert very un-diplomatically claims that his intervention with President Bush made the US abstain from last Thursday's UN Security Council resolution vote on a Gaza cease-fire. State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said Olmert's story of what happened in his conversation with Bush was "just 100 percent, totally, completely not true "Whether the story was exaggeration, falsehood, or the whole truth, it reeks of self serving interests. Meanwhile Foreign Minister Livni is being maligned by all sides for her handling of the crisis.

This is the elected leadership of Israel and one wonders if there is any hope for a people who elected and have supported such a leadership.

We read in the beginning of the book of Shmot that Moshe left the palace to walk amongst his people in order to both understand their plight and show his support. Upon seeing an Egyptian beating the Hebrew slave and no one standing forth to protect him, he began to realize the full impact of the oppression. The Israelites had lost the will or courage to stand up and fight back. Yet when confronted with the brazen response of this evil Hebrew slave beating another, Moshe began to comprehend the full impact of this slavery. This Hebrew slave considered Moshe’s act of justice and compassion to be inherently evil.

This was what is meant when Moshe declares "Indeed the matter is known" (Shmot/Exodus 2:14).These oppressed slaves had lost the understanding of justice, righteousness, and compassion. If Moshe wondered ,as Rashi implies, what is it that kept this people in bondage for so long, "Indeed the matter (was now) known.” Moshe escapes from Egypt when Pharaoh hears of the event. Moshe escapes from the persecution of the Egyptian authorities. He escapes as well from his disappointment in the people that he sought to reach out to. The pain of looking to and fro and seeing that there was no man that had the courage to stand up for his freedom was too great to bear. as it says in the verse ;

" And he looked this way and that way, and when he saw that there was no man, ( ibid 2:12) "

Moshe seemed to have lost his belief in the ability of this people to soar above their slave mentality. Perhaps there was no hope for such a people. We then hear nothing regarding Moshe for over fifty years.

Yet when the people cry out to G-d with the classical Jewish sigh, the events take a dramatic turn.

” and the children of Israel sighed by reason of the bondage, and they cried, and their cry came up unto G-d ( ibid 2:23) .

That Jewish sigh was the classical cry of sadness mixed with an undertone of hope and faith . It was what Jews called a Krechtz a sigh that intimated that things could and should be better. It is after that “sigh” that G-d meets Moshe at the burning bush. The small little bush which so clearly became a metaphor of the Israelite nation under oppression became a message that Moshe clearly understood .This little bush blazing with fire was not to be consumed and Moshe was to understand that the same was true of this his people.

Such is the case of the beleaguered people in the small nation of Israel. The power of this people is not to be found in its faulty leadership. The power of this people is found in the midst of the people themselves. Suddenly the pages of those same newspapers are filled with stories of faith passion and courage. Stories that keep unfolding hour after hour and day after day.

The parents of St.-Sgt. Nitai Stern and Capt. Yoni Netanel sent messages to the soldiers whose “friendly fire “accidentally killed their sons. Rabbi Amos Netanael and his wife Malki wrote the following" It is important for us to tell you that we love you with all the warmth of our hearts, you are like our own children Please, we ask you, keep up the same great spirit that beat in Yoni¹s heart ¬ the spirit of faith, of strength, daring and love, and we will then know that Yoni continues to live forever within you."

Thousands of reservists answered the nation’s call and entered Gaza this week. These groups of soldiers were made up of working people, professionals and students. Many left young children at home and one of those declared on the radio ,that as he entered Gaza , he said Shma Yisrael and prayed that he would see his children again . Yet in spite of those concerns he said that he was filled with a determination to do what needed to be done to protect his fellow countrymen. Another soldier declared”We came here with a lot of will. We are taking upon ourselves this mission with all the courage necessary, and we will do whatever we need to do and return home victorious, healthy and whole, amen," .

IDF officer Aharon Karov was critically wounded Monday night in the Gaza strip. Aharon had only been married a week and a half before his injury. .He had studied in a yeshiva in Netzarim, one of the Jewish communities destroyed in the 2005 Israeli Disengagement from Gaza. Yet neither the wedding nor the fact that he was one of the victims of this same government's Expulsion/Disengagement kept Aharon from doing what he felt he was religiously driven to do. Prayers are being said throughout the world for his recovery.

Homes across Israel have opened to residents of the south who needed a place of refuge for themselves and their children, even if only for a Shabbat. Prayer gatherings were being held across the country in homes, synagogues and Yeshivot. Many individuals took upon themselves to pray for an individual soldier, many times not knowing who those soldiers were. A woman in the old city of Jerusalem has been busy knitting scores of socks and warm hats while another in the north is baking cookies nightly to deliver to the boys on the front. People are donating games clothes and baked goods for the residents in the south that have been ordered to stay within 15 seconds of the shelters.

The leadership of this country has failed its people. Yet the people are showing greatness, compassion and vision. The leadership of this country is focused on election day while its people are focused on destiny. The Israeli nation is a people without true leadership and it is therefore a great relief that they are a people that are being led by a Higher calling.

KNOWING THE END

Moshe Kempinski

The Torah portion of Vayechi stands out from the other torah portions in an interesting way. In the Torah scroll there is usually a space between the last words of the previous Torah portion and the next one. The Torah portion of Vayechi is not separated from the previous one by a space .In Jewish terms that is called that the portion is SATUM or closed. Rashi asks what we are to learn from the fact that this Parsha( Torah Portion) is SATUM. Rashi says;

“Why is this portion closed? The death of Yaacov caused a closing of the eyes and hearts of Israel, due to the troubles of the oppression which began (at this time).Also .. (Yaacov) wished to reveal the end of days to his children, but it was closed to him. [Rashi 47:28, based on Breishit Rabba 96:1]


Jacob wanted to explain to them what would happen in the "end of Days" and the secret was SATUM-Closed to him as it says;

" And Jacob called unto his sons, and said: 'Gather yourselves together, that I may tell you that which shall befall you in the end of days. (Breishit 49:1)

Yet one wonders what benefit such a revelation would bring his children about to enter into exile and slavery. Would it offer them any sense of hope and comfort that redemption was over three thousand years away?

Rabbi Yehuda Aryeh Alter known as the Sfat Emet quotes his Grandfather, the Chidushei HaRim , who, in turn, quoted Rav Simcha Bunim of Psyshcha , that Yaacov was not in fact attempting to reveal the secret of “ the end of days” but rather he was attempting to reveal to them that such a concept was a fact.

Though the particulars of that end may have been closed to him , the message buttressed by his demand to be buried in the land of his forefathers brought the message clearly into their hearts. It is only with that knowledge that his children could withstand the long voyage still ahead of them. Only thusly could they weather the coming storms of oppression. An eternal people have no fear of a long voyage when they know that the voyage is headed towards destiny.

Those armed with such knowledge can have the strength and courage to enter the dark alleyways of the Gaza strip to weed out terror. Those who have a deep sense of destiny can withstand the pressure of a world that has sometimes lost direction in the eternal battle against evil.

In Afghanistan there has been a war raging against the terrorist designs of the Taliban and regrettably many innocent civilians are being killed in the fray by the European and American forces. Yet even though very few European soldiers are being killed, no one is calling that war a disproportionate war. A world that has lost direction inevitably loses discernment.

When Israel does what any healthy nation would do if their citizens were under the barrage of thousands of rockets is called aggression by a world that is partially confused and partially malicious. When the murderers who sent out the missiles and kassams clearly hide behind men women and children .the shells fired back in defense are viewed as the evil. The evil of "he hit me back first".

It is further interesting that none of the casualties on the Palestinian side are ever called terrorists , or even militants. They are all civilians. What happened to the Hamas? Where did they go? They have disappeared and become invisible to a world that has lost vision.

Yet even amongst our own people the concept of Destiny has waned. This is true of the weak leadership that took months to do what should have been done before the enemy became so dangerous. Yet it is also true of the people who call for a division of this people of Israel. They, being so frustrated by the stubborn ignorance of those that have lost their way , call for separating from those others and disconnecting from Israel’s institutions. That too is a mark of losing the sense of destiny.

That type of call might be understandable coming from those living in the exile. It is very hard to be connected to the vision of redemption in the affluent towers of exile. But one cannot avoid that sense or vision here in the land of Israel for very long . You can avoid G-d elsewhere, G-d forbid , but you cannot avoid G-d here His land.

That fact may explain why some secular Jews in Israel are so vehemently secular. You can be passively secular in America. It is impossible to do so here. As a result, if the implications of a redemptive G-d becomes too frightening for some that as a result they wrongly feel a need to rip that awareness out in anger and vehemence. That is the secret of the passion of secular Israel and yet it is a passion that is easily turned.

That is the reason that the return to Judaism movement has grown so dramatically in this land. That is the reason our young men in battle are turning inwards into their Jewish souls. Events around us have forced many in Israel to relook at that deep sense of destiny that flickers in their soul.

What Yaacov revealed to his sons in Egypt , if only in remez, by hinting , is a passion that is waiting to be fulfilled.