From:         Rabbi Ariel Bar Tzadok
Subject:       Ruchani Eye on Israel - Menachem Av
To:            rabbi@koshertorah.com

Menahem Av 5760,
What Have We Learned From History

By Rabbi Ariel Bar Tzadok
Copyright c 2000 by Ariel bar tzadok.  All rights reserved.


There is an old saying that everybody knows well - if you do not learn the
lessons of history, you are bound to repeat its mistakes.  Here we are again
in our national period of mourning, 1,932 years after the destruction of the
Second Commonwealth of Israel (as it is called in academic circles).  Here we
are in the 52nd year of the Third Commonwealth, the present State of Israel. 
Part of our Torah learning during this three week time period of Beyn
HaMitzarim (between the fast of the 17th of Tamuz and the fast of Tisha B'Av)
is a review of the relevant sections of the Gemara, (Gittin 56A-B, Shabat
119B) which describe the reasons why Jerusalem was destroyed in the year 3828
(68 C.E.).  In those days, certain elements among the people of Israel and
Jerusalem surely led themselves and the nation down a path of suicide.  We
all know what happened then.

Reflecting on the current situation in the Third Commonwealth (today's State
of Israel), I contemplate in wonder if whether the government and the people
have any idea about where their behavior is leading the nation.  One does not
have to be a Sage to recognize the validity of another old expression,
"united we stand, divided we fall."  This is what happened 1,932 years ago;
the divisions in Israeli society led to the destruction of the nation.  I
wonder, is it possible, can it happen again?

Shlomo HaMelekh, a man very familiar with Jerusalem in good times and bad
wrote, "there is nothing new under the sun" (Koh. 1:9).  In his profound,
almost mystical understanding of human nature, he foresaw how everything in
the universe and in man proceeds in cycles.  Indeed, we do travel around in
circles, each revolution only bringing us a short distance forward along the
path of human destiny.  We arise to a great height and then, crash!!  We are
cast into the chasm of destruction by the unseen hands of Fate, Destiny or
what have you.  After a time of despair, we again rise up and build, even
grander than was previous.  We continue to ascend until again the Hands of
Fate rise up against us.

This seesaw movement of up and down correctly describes the history of the
Jewish people ever since our exodus from Egypt.  Whether in the days of Moshe
Rabbeynu himself, or later in the days of Yehoshua, the Shoftim, the Kings or
the Sages, the nation of Israel has risen to great heights only to be
followed by great lows.  Shlomo HaMelekh said it best, "there is a time and a
purpose for everything under Heaven" (Kol. 3:1).  We Jews have contributed
more to mankind than any other people; in return, mankind has subjected Jews
to the severest of persecution, more than any other people.

What is the meaning of all this?  Is our repetitive cycle of rise and fall a
sign to us, as a nation, from G-d? When I view the present state of affairs
in modern day Israel, the Third Commonwealth, I am reminded of the words of
the prophet Yirmiyahu, who wrote in Eicha 2:14, "your prophets envisioned for
you vanity and foolishness, and they did not expose your iniquity to bring
you back in repentance; they prophesied to you oracles of vanity and
deception."  Today, Israel's false prophets are her political leaders.   They
continue to proclaim, "shalom, shalom, but there is no shalom (peace)" (Jer.
6:14).

The Israeli government is trying to meet the Palestinian deadline of
September 13th as the date to have in place a peace agreement with what will
become the newly established State of Palestine.  This date, like many others
before it will most likely come and go without it becoming an Independence
Day for Palestine.  Yet, with or without Sept. 13th, 2000 Mr. Barak still
believes he will be able to forge an agreement of peace between the State of
Israel and the to-be-announced State of Palestine.  I believe that sooner or
later, barring any, yet unforeseen Divine intervention, Mr. Barak will
succeed in his endeavors of making an agreement with the Palestinians. 
Whether this agreement will actually bring peace and security to Israel and
the Jewish people is another story.

Just because there is an agreement of peace between States, does this mean
there will be an agreement of peace between peoples?  In other words just
because the States of Israel and Palestine are technically at peace, does
this necessarily mean that there will be peace between the Jewish and Arab
peoples?  Not even Mr. Barak has deceived himself into believing this. 
Indeed, anyone who believes that there will be peace between Jews and Arabs
truly is "envisioning vanity and foolishness."  Yet, the numbers of such
"oracles of vanity and deception" are legion.  As P.T. Barnum of circus fame
has said, "there is a sucker (someone easily fooled) born every minute."   As
Shlomo HaMelekh has said, "there is nothing new under the sun" (Koh. 1:9).

One of the basic tenets (#11 of 13) of the Jewish religion as outlined by
RaMBaM is that "God, blessed be He, gives reward to one who obeys the
commandments of the Torah and punishes one who violates its prohibitions." 
This is a principle unfortunately not remembered often enough by Israeli
politicians and layman alike.  Indeed, G-d did send Mr. Barak a warning at
Camp David.  As reported on CNN and in a number of Israeli papers, one
evening while eating dinner, Mr. Barak swallowed a bone and almost choked on
it.  If not for a nearby friend who performed on him the Heimlich maneuver,
he would have died.  Thank G-d that Mr. Barak was saved.  Yet, I pray that he
is courageous enough to admit that G-d was gracious to him.

Indeed, G-d constantly sheds His grace over his people Israel.  Yet, even so,
we are not exempt from His Divine wrath.  Sixty years ago, His Divine wrath
took the form of the Holocaust, where 1/3 of world Jewry was wiped out. 
Whether one was religious or not, Sephardi or Ashkenazi, it did not matter. 
The unity of the Jewish people that escaped them in life, they all found in
death.  This is one horrible history lesson that I earnestly pray that we
will not have to learn again.  Looking down the road that the State of Israel
is now walking, I must wonder and be afraid.

Sacrificing sacred Jewish lands, arrogant secular rebellion against
everything holy, ethnic anti-Sephardi racism reminiscent of anti-Black racism
in the United States, all these are contributing to the destruction of the
Third Commonwealth State of Israel.  The Zionist fathers wanted to create a
Jewish State that would be like every other State.  Indeed, their dream has
been filled.  The State of Israel is now full to its brim with every kind of
larceny, sexual immorality, bloodshed and drug abuse.  This is the State of
Israel, whom the Holy One, blessed be He, looks down upon from His lofty
throne in Heaven and watches.  Do you think HaShem likes what He sees?  If
not, what do you think He will do about it?  I for one am afraid to ask.

Today, Rosh Hodesh Av, 5760, a great Tzadik has ascended to Heaven.  On this
day, the anniversary of the passing of our holy Kohen Gadol Aharon Ben Amram
(obm), Rabbi Shlomo Halberstam, known as the Bobover Rebbe, of Brooklyn, NY
has passed away.  May the memory of the righteous be a blessing and
protection for us.  May the ascent of this sacred soul find grace in the eyes
of G-d, that He, blessed be his Name, might shower his people Israel with
grace and forgiveness for our sins.

As we begin the nine-day period of mourning, we should not place emphasis on
the sins of our past.  Rather, we must focus on the sins of our present!  We
do not need another national reason to mourn on Tisha B'Av.  We do not have
to continue to provoke a reaction of Divine wrath because of our most immoral
and quarrelsome behavior.

At this time, the State of Israel in on the brink of a precipice.  A vote for
early elections passed this day in the Knesset.  Yet, early elections, if
they are to be held, are still months away.  In this interim, Mr. Barak can
cause a great deal of harm to Israel and the Jewish people.  I pray that the
memory of a small chicken bone choking him to death might remind Mr. Barak
that, if He wants to, G-d can also cause great harm to him.

Rosh Hodesh Av is the beginning of our national period of mourning for all
the great calamities that have befallen the Jewish people, "coincidentally"
during this time.  Both Temples, thus both (Commonwealths) States of Israel,
the first and the second, fell on Tisha B'Av.  If Mashiah does not come, will
we in one hundred years from now (or less) also be mourning for the
destruction of the Third Commonwealth, the present State of Israel?  I, for
one, pray not.  Yet, our holy Rabbanim have warned us repeatedly that we
cannot rely upon miracles. 

If the State of Israel is to be saved, if the Jewish people are to avoid yet
another expression of Divine wrath, then we must do something!  I only wish
that the solutions to all Israel's problems would be early elections and a
new government.  However, what kind of new government will it be?  A Likud
led government?  Likud might not be able to muster the necessary support,
even for a coalition. 

How about a Shas led government, with a religious, G-d fearing, Torah
observant Prime Minister?  I know the thought of such a possibility sends
chills down many a spine, some is joy, others in terror!  Shas will
definitely receive new seats in the next elections, for the Sephardim have
all too clearly seen how the other parties show no concern or respect for
their interests.  Even many Arab voters support Shas.  As Sephardim and as
being religious, Shas represents to the Arab a more familiar and moral face
than that which they have seen from European anti-religious Ashkenazim.  Even
amongst Ashkenazim, Sephardic religious philosophy has great appeal because
of its mystical, Kabbalistic element, as well as the famous Sephardi spirit
of tolerance. 

Shas, dreaded and feared by many, is well loved by a large and growing sector
in Israel.  They may be the answer that Israel now needs.  Israel needs now a
change of heart more than it needs a change of government.  The only force
powerful enough to bring such change, barring overt Divine intervention, is a
political party that wants to see a moral, G-d centered Israel.  Shas may
turn out to be playing G-d's Hand in things.  For whether it is Shas or
another political or social movement, the spirit of the State of Israel needs
to be revived. 

During these nine days, we must keep focused on the truly important issues,
not whether there will or will not be a State of Palestine, but rather
whether there will or will not be a State of Israel.  The choice is ours. 
G-d is watching what we are doing.  If we stray too far from where He wants
us to be, His Hand will manifest and swipe us back into place.  Learning from
history the swipe of G-d's Hand can be a very painful thing.  This is
something we should seek to avoid, not encourage.

Let these nine days serve as a time for us to seriously reflect upon our
behaviors and attitudes.  Remember that a Heavenly Eye is upon us.  Let us
act wisely to avoid also having upon us a wrathful Divine hand.

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From:          Rabbi Ariel Bar Tzadok
Subject:       Ruchani Eye on israel - All for Jerusalem
To:            rabbi@koshertorah.com


All For Jerusalem

By Rabbi Ariel Bar Tzadok
Copyright c 2000 by Ariel Bar Tzadok.  All rights reserved.


It appears that the Camp David II summit fell through because of a
lack of agreement regarding the future of Jerusalem.

Jerusalem, the city of peace refuses to become the city of pieces.

Mr. Barak publicly stated that Arafat was not a true partner in peace.
 Indeed, President Clinton expressed similar sentiments in his remarks
at his news conference ending Camp David II.  Certain Arab and
European news media sources, however, must not have heard President
Clinton's remarks.  They put the blame for failure squarely upon
Israel.  The Guardian newspaper of England in particular stands out
for special notice for the voracity of their anti Israel prejudice.
Their website www.guardian.co.uk has a number of stories whose
viewpoint is ever so different from that portrayed in the American
media.  Indeed, the Guardian viewpoint is harsher than that expressed
in the Jordan Times. 

Mr. Barak, Arafat and President Clinton have all agreed that
negotiations will continue.  They all know that Sept. 13th; the
Palestinians day to proclaim their State is just six weeks away.
Whether that day will live in infamy or not, we will soon see.  And
for what?  All for Jerusalem.

The tensions in the area are high.  Hamas has called for a Jihad
against Israel.  The Israeli army has already issued "shoot to kill"
orders to any soldiers or settlements faced with attack.  The
situation is as tense as an old west shoot out where both gun slingers
are facing each other in the street, each ready to draw their pistol
and shoot, yet neither wanting to draw first.  It doesn't take much
for the first bullet to fly.  Violence can break out at any time.
However, Palestinian violence is not that all that haphazard.  As was
learned by the Intifada and the Land Day riots, Palestinian violence
is orchestrated.  Therefore, if Palestinian violence does break out,
you can rest assured that someone, most likely Mr. Arafat, prepared
it, sanctioned it and will be directing it, all clandestinely, of
course.  And for what?  All for Jerusalem.

The entire stability of the Middle East and possibly the world
revolves around the status of this rather small but ancient city,
Jerusalem.  If the Palestinians choose a path of armed conflict with
Israel over the status of Jerusalem, this conflict can ignite the
whole region into war.  After Sept. 13th, the newly established State
of Palestine, which will be recognized by many world governments,
still will not stand a chance of winning a military conflict against
the Israel Defense Forces.  Not being constrained by any agreements
with Israel, Palestine most likely will call for and receive military
and troop reinforcements from many an Arab neighbor who share their
cause, most notably Syria and Iran.  An escalating conflict of this
nature can be the starting point of WWIII.  Every government in the
world knows it, with most trying to avoid it!  And for what?  All for
Jerusalem.

So, what is so important about Jerusalem?  Why is this tiny piece of
real estate so important that those seeking control of it are willing
risk world war?  Jerusalem has always been the capital of Israel and
the yearning of Jewish prayer for 2,000 years.  The Palestinians claim
Jerusalem is also their capital.  Yet, this is a claim I do not
understand.  In reality, there has never been a Palestinian State ever
in history.  In reality, there have never been a Palestinian people
ever in history.  Up until 1967 when the Israelis arrived, the
Palestinians were Jordanians.  Jerusalem was never the capital of
Jordan, nor ever the capital of Palestine.  How then, all of a sudden
does it become so important to Moslems? 

Do you wish to answer and say, the Temple Mount with the Dome of the
Rock Mosque, this is what makes the city so sacred to Arabs.  Yet, Mr.
Barak offered Arafat the Temple Mount and Arafat refused it.  It
wasn't enough for him.  Arafat wants all of "east" Jerusalem.  And
why?  Not because it has any real Arab significance, but rather
because it has real Jewish significance.  Mr. Arafat wants Jerusalem
because he knows that this tiny little piece of real estate is the
heart and yearning of the soul of every Torah believing Jew in the
world.  In the eyes of Arafat the Moslem, if he rests Jerusalem away
from the Jews, then the religion of Islam has scored a victory over
the religion of Judaism. This can be the only revenge for the offense
that the religion of Judaism has perpetuated against Islam by the
declaring of a Jewish State.  (Notice the blurred line confusing
Zionism and Judaism - this is why all Jews, regardless of nationality
are targeted by Moslem terrorists).

Indeed, according to Islam (and I might add Catholicism) Jews are
meant to be subjugated for their rejection of the prophets (Mohammed
and Yeshu).  For Jews to regain their independence and to be able to
freely practice Judaism is, in the eyes of a faithful Moslem (and
Catholic) an offense against G-d who wants the Jews punished for the
sin of rejecting the prophets.  This is indeed Islamic (and Catholic)
doctrine.  Check it out for yourselves!  Why do you think that the
Pope wants Jerusalem to become an international city, under Vatican
control?

Arafat knows his priorities.  He is a Moslem first and a Palestinian
second.  Thus for Arafat, Hamas, Hizbollah, the Saudis, Iranians and
the rest of the Moslem world, Jerusalem is not political issue, it
was, is and forever more will be a religious issue.  I don't know if
the secular Israeli public really understands the depths of this.  I
know that the Sephardic Jews, who have lived under Moslem rule, know
this all too well.  Ask HaRav Ovadiah Yosef.

The battle for Jerusalem is thus a religious conflict and not a
political one.  This makes the problem ever more frightening.  For
whenever there is a conflict and battle against a tenet of the Jewish
religion, the G-d of the Jews is not far away.  In other words, overt
or covert Divine intervention is bound to happen.  With all the talk
these days about the coming of the Mashiah and the messianic wars, an
Israeli versus Palestinian battle for Jerusalem might very well turn
into the long ago prophesied battle of Armageddon (Gog & Magog). 

The Biblical prophet Zechariah wrote, "The Word of HaShem . . . Behold
I am making Jerusalem a cup of poison for all the peoples all around .
. . It shall be on that day that I will make Jerusalem for all the
peoples a burdensome stone, anyone trying to lift it will be
lacerated; and all the nations of the world will gather against it. On
that day - the Word of HaShem - I will strike . . . "  (Zechariah
12:1-4).

I believe that the struggle for sovereignty over Jerusalem will be an
issue never fully resolved.  Regardless of any compromises that Mr.
Barak or any future Israeli government might make, the issue of
Jerusalem will remain a religious one, and thus outside of the hands
of any politicians to settle.

Our only alternative is to petition the TRUE ARBITER of religious
matters, I refer of course to HaShem, He who is Creator and G-d of
Israel (secular and religious alike), G-d of the Moslems and G-d of
the rest of the universe too.

 Only by we individual Jews doing very serious teshuva (repentance)
can we avoid the wrath of G-d who might not like secular Israeli political
moves to place Jerusalem under a control not willing to recognize
HaShem's Torah.  Do not underestimate the wrath of HaShem  - it comes
in many different forms, only one of them being warfare.

War can be avoided.  It cannot be avoided by attempting to appease
hate filled enemies.  War cannot be avoided by surrender - this only
leads to enslavement.  War can only be avoided by our supplications to
our Creator and our begging him not to allow war to happen.  Indeed,
war can be avoided; all we have to do is to stop antagonizing the
Spiritual general of all armies - HaShem Tzvaot (L-rd of armies).

Most secular people consider it nonsense to introduce religion into
politics, especially introducing the concept that our social behaviors
have direct effect upon our national fortune, or lack of it.
Nonetheless, in spite of secular opposition to the concept, the
reality of said concept is not annulled.  G-d does indeed judge us,
individually and on a national scale.  Whether we believe it or not,
or like it nor not - the reality doesn't go away.

As a nation, Jews living in Israel and abroad, we had better pray that
G-d forgive us our sins and we had better get our spiritual act
together.  What Mr. Barak does no longer matters.  It matters what you
and I do.  We have the real power when it comes to doing teshuva
(repentance).  Let the secular mock and laugh.  We will have the
comfort of knowing that our teshuva saved their lives as well as our
own.

As David Ben Yishai, the King who chose Jerusalem as Israel's eternal
capital has said, "Pray for the peace of Jerusalem."

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