Torah lessons from Pinball

How is Torah like Pinball?

That question was posed by Israel National News's Yishai Fliesher and here are some thoughts on the topic demmonstrating how everything can teach valuable lessons..



1 When you start there are a lot of loud noises and flashing lights.
2 However, eventually to succeed one cannot be distracted by the bells and whistles.

3 With concentration, dedication and mazal one can continue forever and continuously score points.

4 If the ball falls through the cracks one gets another chance to score that is not prejudiced by the earlier ball’s failure.

5 No matter how many times the ball hits the same bumper one still scores new points.

6 One can continue until GAME OVER which is different for each player and not known to any player.

7 Remember and this is key,the ball must keep on moving, it cannot stay in any one place too long otherwise it will be out of play. In Torah one must grow and advance otherwise one goes downr

Conquest and Ownership

Monday, the 28 Nisan is the date when Yehoshua Ben Nun (Joshua) conquered Yericho the gateway to Eretz Yisrael. It is telling that the Aleinu paryer said at the end of three daily services was composed by Yehoshua at that time. The kabbalists (Sha’ar HaKvanot) associate the prayer that proclaims Jewry’s gratitude for being selected from among the nations because it is G-D who has created all existence is ensure that nothing negative affect the D-vine energy accessed through prayer.
In light of the above consider the first the Rashi on Chumash that the sole basis to a Jewish claim to Eretz Yisrael lies in G-D’s allocation of land and nothing else.
As Yehoshua opened up the land militarily he know only G-D, the Ribono Shel Olam (Master of Existense) could deed the land to His people. A point for today's leaders to ponder

HOMESH and HOPE

The return of some 3,000 Jews to the Samarian community of Homesh on 7 and 5 Nissan 5767 (March 26 and 27 2007)is very significant . Homesh was one the communities from which Jews were expelled along with the Jewish residents of Gush Katif in 2005.

Originally when Ms. Nadia Matar described the action it seemed to be just so much symbolism lacking any substance. This was a mistaken impression. Why the Army allowed some 3,000 plus came and once there some began building makeshift structures. One correspondent for Israel National News called these structures as Succoth. Additionally on Tuesday a Brit Mila, circumcision took place in Homesh. These two events offer a profound lesson which offers hope for a brighter future.

The Succa, the makeshift huts Jews live in during the Festival of Succoth in Hebrew the numerical value of the letters that spell succa equal 91 the combination of the four letter D-vine name and A*D^O*N*A****I, names that represent G-D as He fills and surrounds all existence. A Brit Mila the entry of a young man in to the Jewish faith is a symbol of hope in a future, a Jewish future.

The classic leaders of Historic Zionism all saw the then future Jewish state as a conduit for establishing a Jewish state embracing the values of Western Europe and abandoning the Jewish Heritage. Even Jabotinsky called for treating those who would not remove their beards and side curls, outward symbols of Jewishness are to be treated as second class citizens. The vision of the future Jewish state was one without G-D.

This is maybe why the vision of a new Israeli Jew would be, strong and defiant, the antithesis of the stereotypical exile Diaspora based Jew. A state could be located in Uganda, a state could be located in Uganda etc.

The fact is the Jewish masses who were raised on Next Year in Jerusalem could not conceive of return to anywhere but Eretz Yisrael or outside of the context of Messianic redemption as taught throughout the generation since the days of Moses and the prophets.

The present government behave with little or no consciousness of Jewry’s heritage or destiny. Or strangely enough in utter fear of Jewry's destiny being fulfilled.It seems the perception of the State as being merely a state of its citizens and embracing enlightened Western Liberal values. The Homesh returnees showed all the nation of Israel will not abandon its destiny or heritage. Those who dwell in Succoth, the shadow of faith or perform the brit, covenant that binds Jewry to G-D are linked to the Eternal and will not and cannot be denied by any earthly force.

The eternity of the Jewish people cannot be denied, Netzach Yisrael Lo Yishaker.

A PRE PASSOVER THOUGHT

Recently a Google video search under Zionism yield a film from www,shofar.org concerning Judaism and Zionism. The film was disquieting and inspiring at the same time. The film took quotes from Hetzel, Nordau, Jabotinsky as well as others in the Zionist Pantheon.

Each of these leaders the film quotes had either said or written things hostile not just Judaism but to the validity of a distinct Jewish Identity. The Jewish state was envisioned as a conduit for Jewry embracing values and mores of Western Civilization. The Jewish state was envisioned as being devoid of its own heritage and values. The new Jew to be forged in the new state was envisioned as one unshackled by the baggage of the past whether imposed by hostile host countries or by G-D Himself through Torah.

What these visionaries envisioned was indeed shortsighted. The concept of Zionism did not take hold until it was marketed as a redemption movement. As a Professor interviewed in the film put it The Zionist Leaders believed There is no G-D, but presented Zionism as fulfilment His promise. The flag has two blue stripes reminiscent of a prayer cape’s stripes. Blue was selected as it is symbolic of the tehelet, the blue dye applied to Zitzit fringes during Temple times and while now lost will be restored in the Messianic era. Zionism was to be the herald of a Messianic era.
A return to the land absent the yearned for redemption would not nor could not be accepted by the Jewish nation.

This contains a fantastic lesson. A perception of a Jewish future, a Jewish fulfillment and a Jewish utopia stripped of Jewry’s identity, stripped of the Jewish Heritage and Jewry’s worldview is a non starter.

Certainly, there are Jews who consciously run away from who and what they are, but these are the exceptions. Rank and File Jews may or may not be particularly observant, that is a function of education, but to abandon Jewish identity and heritage or destiny is unthinkable. Netzach Yisrael Lo Yishaker-The Eternity of the Jewish people will not be rendered false.

As Passover approaches this comes in to focus. Departure from the Exile is not for Israel to takes its place in the family of nations. Rather redemption is the freedom to be who one was meant to be to fulfill one's destiny to realize G-D's promise in totality with Mashiach in our lifetime.

BORATESQUE REPORTAGE

During the Soviet era the notion arose that a viable means of communicating and garnering support for the Communist way of life in the Capitalist- free world the was the use of dupes called, useful idiots. Useful Idiots, are very often the same folks who the Communists would first round up as enemies of the state. Currently, the individuals who cluelessly join groups like the International Solidarity Movement,B'tselem and similar organizations to promote Arab claims to within the land of Israel are the latest example of the useful idiot.

The naive belief that Israel alone is the problem, holding back Arab residents of Judea, Samaria and Gaza or those people who abandoned their property in 1948 at the behest of Arab leadership in anticipation of a swift Israeli defeat, from successful prosperous lives motivates volunteers to video settlers’ violent behavior.

A Google video search under Israel Jews yielded several videos each is quite disturbing. The films are introduced by lurid descriptions of stone throwing or hate speech and the IDF's apparent indifference to these injustices. While the film is rolling there is narration to make sure the intended message is not looked over.These picture are not worth a thousand words.The fact that Jews and and Arabs both wish to occupy Hevron exclusively and two objects cannot occupy the same place at the same time therefore tension exists. The possibility that there are subtle and overt Arab acts of harassment is ignored. The camera only captures a snapshot not what happened before and not after.

One film had an English film crew http://video.google.com/url?docid=1810499180473273268&esrc=sr4&ev=v&q=jews+settlers&vidurl=http://www.youtube.com/watch%3Fv%3DGSAvaYY-y7Q&usg=AL29H20dd61F8Jm6Rt1Rkrd_c3NVCw49CQ confront two teenage boys. One boy yells and curses at the internationals but if you listen, one hears more anguish than anger, one hears more “Why the heck are you bothering me, my family and community? I don’t bother you in your home why invade mine?”

The second film, http://video.google.com/url?docid=-2623241895341609634&esrc=sr27&ev=v&q=israel+jews&vidurl=http://www.youtube.com/watch%3Fv%3D25hfZQw9rV4&usg=AL29H22ccCTkMaNsw4TtU8yg13RXDWldzQ has an older woman as the main International confronting a group of children specifically a girl who may be 13 or 14 at the most (and she seemed to be the oldest in the group) debating whether Arabs ever hurt or killed Jews. She goes away a significant distance cursing at the lady telling to go home. Tones are thrown when one hits the International the thrower actually apologizes! Soldiers on patrol attempt to diffuse the situation by having both groups disburse The Internationals do not move and take offense at having their camcorder blocked. Even more disturbing is how vividly the incident is introduced. One would imagine the Internationals were attacked and pursued by a crazed mob of bloodthirsty Jewish settlers. It may be a bit of comfort to think the Internationals are that afraid of Jewish children

The third film http://video.google.com/url?docid=-2862466386052558422&esrc=sr20&ev=v&q=jews+settlers&vidurl=http://www.youtube.com/watch%3Fv%3D2EZ5_OXXUao&usg=AL29H22qBHzUd-1ueFUjYJbN4ZPdV5m0dA features two cherubic boys, no older than maybe 7 or 8 throwing stones and squirting water at an international. However, to more accurately, a child goes up throws a stone goes back a few feet to a doorway, goes back throws another stone then squirts the International with a liquid (as she did not express pain I will assume the liquid was not lethal like bleach or acid etc.), All the while the International entreats an off camera voice, identified as an IDF soldier to intervene, the off camera voice responds by being dismissive and punctuates his answers with profanity. The probability of a soldier behaving that way, to ignore an International’s request for assistance peppered with bad language is so low that the failure to capture the actual soldier on film is remarkable.

The conduct of the Internationals it can be inferred from the films themselves (without the benefit what happened just before) documents they are not mere silent chroniclers of events. These Internationals are at the very least provocative and quite frankly it would seem they attempt to create or manufacture and otherwise stage conflict. Even if one wished to take these three videos at face value comparison with Arab on Jew violence makes the events recorded by the Internationals trivial by comparison. True, the writer of these lines a an admitted right wing Jew who believes that Jews enjoy an exclusive right to the whole of Biblical Israel as promised by G-D to the Children of Israel yet it is doubtful any fair minded person would conclude differently . It is doubtful any fair-minded person would conclude differently, that the only criticism that can be leveled at the Settler community is that parents and schools make more of an effort at curbing profane speech.

It is shocking that these videos are accepted as evidence of Jewish settler violence this can only happen in a psyche already poisoned with Anti-Semitic delusions. Then again some folks believed Borat was a real journalist.

JEWISH STRENGTH

A copule of days ago Erez Levanon HY'D was murdered while praying in a forest a short distance from his home in Bat Eiyan. Reaction over this outrage has varried. Some noting how Dr. Goldstien HY'D attacked Moslems at prayer in the Cave of Machpalah in Hevron. The fact that Dr. Goldstein's actions may have averted a devasting attack against Hevron's Jews being lost amid the wastland of editorial discretion. R' Erez was without question a person of peace, priase and prayer. How does a Jew respond?

Some suggested that Jewish lack of outrage and rage over Erez Levanon HY'D murder is a sign of national weakness . Erez Levanon H'YD ZY'A was not weak his murders YM'S are weak. To paraphrase the Hadran paryer said at the conclusion of a volume of Talmud "We run and they run etc" We are selfless and they are selfless We are selfless to build and bind heaven and Earth and they are selfless to destroy and create chaos in creation .
As our zayde Yitzchak proclaimed there is the Voice of Yaakov and the Hand of Esaiv. Our memorial to Erez ZY'A is to live Torah as he did, live in defiance of Jihad either the Islamic or the lefist jihadesque assault on Jewish identity, destiny, heritage and values in Eretz Yisrael and Torat Yisrael . Instead of violent rage let our defiance be Evil will not move us , Evil will not taint our faith. The Nazis YM'S feared the Talmud Jude more than any other enemy. The Rebbe Reb Elimelich ZT'L, ZY'A taught saying shema should as a proclamation of Faith before all of Jewry's enemies. Draw strength from Hashem and His Torah, we need paitiant yearing for the time will come soon that the day of Mashiach is at hand.

Please do not think Torah is pacifist or fatalistic certainly in a place were an enemy only understands brute froce and anything less than dramatic and decisive action that vanquishes the enemy is preceived as weakness and surrender. Hesitation or restraint places the nation in danger and only those realities necessitate a firm unwaviering hand but not revenge, nor rage. Jews build and unite and not destroy.

Just say no bullies

The work on the Rambam Bridge linking the Western Wall to the Temple was put on hold by the Mayor of Jerusalem, a Hared, and devoutly observant Jew. Even though the bridge is not part of Temple Mount,is a repair to allow better access for all and was coordinated with Muslim authorities. However the violent protests of the Islamic community is only half heartedly responded to by the Police and their concerns are headed. This is the latest chapter in a situation that has recently begun festering.

A young Jew blew the Ram’s Horn,Shofar on the Jewish New Year at the small Western Wall was subjected to severe treatment by the police. Arabs are encroaching on Jewish presence throughout the land. Arab construction throughout the land of Israel is often without the required approvals and permits. Or Arab neighbors encroach and adversely possess common areas and create circumstances that amount to constructive eviction. Farmers in the Negev cannot defend themselves from Bedouin home invaders without fearing legal repercussions. Or Arab members of the government actively support enemy regime's or challenge the legitimacy of the national entity. Not to mix purely criminal and purely political action but, tolerating both types of activities only emboldens these folks to use the universal values of decency and tolerance which are the characteristics of democracy as means to engage in intimidation and terror.

Also the Arab call to change Israel’s flag and anthem to accommodate Israel’s non-Jewish population all flow from the source. The apparent reluctance of the State of Israel and part of the population to assert itself. The leadership is afraid to declare the State an s a Jewish state, a state were Jews would rule and exercise sovereignty.To alter these symbols of the state dilutes the Jewish claim of connection to the Land from national ideology to cultural and ethnic memory. This opens the door to justify the acquiesce to Arab bullying.

Instead Islamic Arab bullies carry the day The Jewish soul’s embers still burn, albeit dimly to ignite the future with light, with Torah and knowledge of G-D.Log ago Moredechai when confronted by an Persian/Iranian bully named Haman neither bowed or prostrated because he was a Jew (see Esther 3:2,4) Like Mordechai,it is time to just say no the Bullies that stand in the way of Jewry being where they belong.

Tu B'Shvat Aktion

The 15Th day in the Jewish Calendar month Shevat is when sap begins to flow anew in the Land of Israel's trees. This has significance in Jewish Law determine to which year of a sabbatical cycle produce belongs among other things.

Tu B'Shevat is a day of longing and connection to the land of Israel Many eat fruits connected with the land.

Sadly, those who wish to oppose and oppress Jews often do commit their acts of hate fueled violence on Jewish celebration days.
Therefore as Arutz Sheva, Israel National News reported that leftists, Arabs,American and other volunteers under the aegis of the Ta’ayush organization came to a Jewish community Sde Boaz, in the Gush Etzion region to plant olive trees on what they believed to be Arab land despite the existing community presence. However more distressing was the damage and destruction carried out in a community orchard. Additionally the Police/Authorities response was lackluster at best.
Call this an Aktion, a term used to describe organized intensification of prosecution of Jews by the Nazis YM'S may be harsh but it should evoke the same powerful images.
To consider this matter it should be clear that the failure by the State of Israel to have Jewish values and awareness serve as the fulcrum upon which policy and law enforcement turns leads to shameful results. To engage in acts of violence that fly in the face of the sacred character of a date in the Jewish calendar goes beyond political protest and touches on ethnic. Religious animus which cannot be tolerated in a civil society.
This incident should be seen for what it is - a provocation not just against the State of Israel or even the Jews of Yesha but Judaism itself.
Failing to act here is not restraint but self loathing. Nebach!

FIRST THINGS FIRST

There has to be a suicide crisis hotline for government ministers who wish to disassemble their own country to a hostile population. The lastest example has to be Ministers Livni and Peres joining Mr. Abbas for the formation of a two state soloution to the Israel PA conflict.
FM Livni compared the PA giving up terror to the expulsion from Gush Katif is as being hard choices for each side is nothing short of absurd.

Abandoning terror is not a hard choice it is expected.
The disengagement from Gaza and the subsequent treatment of the Jewish population speaks for itself as how an elected government breached the fundamental covenant between a people and their government.

Maybe the comparison is that both sides abandon policy as well as behavior that is contrary to the conduct of responsible governments

C'MON

Secretary Rice claimed Mr. Abbas gave his word that American weapons would not be used against Israel. This is the fellow who at a political rally called for Arabs stop raising arms against each other and oppose the occupation.

Does Dr. Rice think Mr. Abbas meant a mass letter writing and lobbying campaign to pressure Israel? One hopes someone so accomplished and powerful would not be easily fooled.

On the other hand the ideologically vacant Israeli government lacks the the fundamental self respect to recognize the State Exists evidence exists there was a Jewish presence in the land Mikvaoth (ritual baths), other items that conform to Jewish religious law and practice. The Modern state of Israel is the re-established state founded in the days of EZRA the Scribe.The Arab claim of being Canaanites does not survive the observation Jews came from Judea, Arabs should be called Canaanites, which they are not.

Even though it is a secular anthem HaTikvah expresses the Jewish yearning for the Land not just a slice but Zion and Jerusalem, Hevron, Tiveria, Zsfat, Aco, Bersheva Rosh HaNikra and Tel Aviv, you get the idea.

As new elections loom large it is time to push and push hard for Jewish Identity as the issue as this self image will dictate the direction of the State's future policy.