Does Anyone Else See?

My feelings are mixed on the recent disengagement from Gaza. On the one hand I feel a deep sorrow for the countless families that were torn from their home and on the other hand I am bewildered that Israel would allow such a thing to happen.

Ilana Schneid, her husband and two young children are now sleeping in a tent. In a recent interview Ilana said, "I don't know where my son will go to kindergarten at the beginning of the school year," Schneid said. "He asks us when we are going home, and we don't know what to tell him, because we don't know where our home is. We need to move somewhere, and start looking for jobs. Right now, we are refugees here in Israel." My heart goes out to Ilana and her family. It is hard to imagine that this is going on simultaneously to 8,000 other people.

Does Sharon not know that 80% of Palestinian Arabs continue to reject Israel's very existence? I am so curious to know what Sharon was thinking. He has to have some hidden strategy to this whole mess. Otherwise I don't understand how Sharon and his clan could blatantly ignore the writing on the walls. Any kid knows that if he whines enough and his parent gives in he knows for next time that whining works. The arabs seem to understand this concept.

"Israel has never been in such a state of retreat and weakness as it is today following more than four years of the intifada. Hamas's heroic attacks exposed the weakness and volatility of the impotent Zionist security establishment. The withdrawal marks the end of the Zionist dream and is a sign of the moral and psychological decline of the Jewish state. We believe that the resistance is the only way to pressure the Jews." - Ahmed al-Bahar (top hamas figure in Gaza)



"the withdrawal is due to the Palestinian resistance operations. ...and we will continue our resistance." - Sami Abu Zuhri (A hamas spokesman)

"Today Gaza, tomorrow Jerusalem." - about 10,000 Palestinian Arabs dancing, singing and chanting at a mass rally in Gaza City August 4th.

"We will move our cells to the West Bank" ... "The withdrawal will not be complete without the West Bank and Jerusalem." - Jamal Abu Samhadaneh (commander of Gaza's Popular Resistance Committees)

"Our march will stop only in Jerusalem." - Ahmed Qurei (The Palestinian Authority)

"Wait for us in Jaffa, Haifa, Tel Aviv, Ashkelon. The knights of Gaza are coming. Our beloved sons of Palestine, we make no distinction between [Israeli-controlled] Palestine and [the West Bank and Gaza Strip] Palestine. There is no difference between Jaffa and Gaza, between the Galilee and Hebron. Hamas will leave Gaza and break out throughout Palestine to show the way of jihad, which will bring our nation to its summit. Oh sons of Zion, the defeat you suffered in Gaza is just the beginning..." - broadcast on Radio Al-Aqsa, Hamas' radio station after disengagement




Israel Will No Longer Exist (a recent poster after the disengagement)

I was shocked to hear Condoleezza Rice say, "Everyone empathizes with what the Israelis are facing. But it cannot be Gaza only." If you look below you will see Israel as represented by the black and the arab countries as represented by the green. Does Rice not see the big picture?





President Bush recently said, "We'll continue working for the day when the map of the Middle East shows two democratic states, Israel and Palestine, living side-by-side in peace and security." How does Bush understand the murder last night of Shmuel Matt as he was walking home from Yeshiva?

If the arabs and the united nations are not happy with Israel today what makes us think they will ever be happy? Approximately two thirds of all united nations resolutions have been against Israel. The world used to be anti-Jew, today it has resurfaced as anti-Israel. Until people realize what is really going on here in Israel there will not be peace. This is not about land this is about the right of Israel (the Jewish people) to exist.

Taking The Time To Enjoy

It is difficult to take time out of my busy day and think about life. It seems as though our default nature is to not think but rather to coast on auto-pilot. Whenever I do take the time I am often moved by the subtle ways of our world.

There are two ways to eat an apple. One way is to snatch one out of the bowl, wash it off and take a bite. Another way is to take a second and think about this thing called an apple. This apple probably sat on a tree for a good few weeks. It probably went through it's share of stormy days and powerful winds but held on by it's stem. It is interesting to note that all fruit - apples, bananas, oranges, peaches, plums, grapes and cherries are completely green before they ripen. They seem to hide out until they become edible.

This apple comes with an air tight covering to keep out bugs and lock in it's juices. If you leave it out to long, it will turn brown and save you from taking that soggy bite. Each apple comes with a free bonus that entitles you to a lifetime supply of apples. All the little seed needs is water, sunlight and tasteless soil to kick out roots, wood, bark, leaves and brand new delicious apples. When the apple is ready to be eaten it tells the tree to let go of it's stem.

Jews say blessings before they eat any type of food. The words of the blessings are beautiful and help us to remember where our food comes from. Blessings are also built in mechanisms to prevent monotony. It allows us to elevate the mundane and appreciate all of the worlds gifts. There is a source for everything and by learning to be more aware of this we live a much more meaningful life.

The Reality of Reality TV

One of saddest things I have seen growing up is perfectly healthy kids losing their sense of self-worth. With the multi-billion dollar media and advertising industry influencing our kids I am not surprised.

The FOX show "The Swan" takes women that are self-proclaimed "ugly ducklings" and has them undergo three months with a coach, a therapist, a personal trainer, a dentist, and a plastic surgeon. In the end, the transformed women compete in a beauty pageant against each other to see who will be crowned "The Swan." MTVs "I Want a Famous Face" films the lives of twelve young people who have chosen to use plastic surgery to look like their celebrity idols. Their goals are not just to look differently, but to look exactly like their favorite stars. I find it ironic that this is called reality TV. It is not surprising that China just hosted the worlds first Miss Plastic Surgery Contest.

In 2003 there were more than 8.7 million cosmetic plastic surgeries which was a 32 percent increase from 2002. Of the Americans considering Plastic Surgery, 60% would schedule a procedure immediately if financing were available.

The Torah says that man was created in the image of G-d. To try to be someone different than who we really are is a tragedy. We cheat ourselves by throwing away what is truly unique and special within us. We were given unique gifts and abilities and we are here to actualize them.

Rabbi Zusha used to say: "When I die and come before the heavenly court, if they ask me, 'Zusha, why were you not Abraham?' I'll say that I didn't have Abraham's intellectual abilities. If they say, 'Why were you not Moses?' I'll say I didn't have Moses' leadership abilities. For every such question, I'll have an answer. But if they say, 'Zusha, why were you not Zusha?' for that, I'll have no answer."

Jerusalem Weddings

I have had the pleasure of attending quite a few weddings during my stay here in Yeshiva. There is a song that is sung at every wedding that strikes a deep chord in my heart. It is taken from our Prophet Jeremiah. During the First Temple period he warns the Jewish people to correct their ways. They don't listen, the First Temple is destroyed and off the Jews go into exile. Instead of saying "I told you so," Jeremiah gives hope. He tells the Jews to set up markers so that they will remember how to get back to Israel. No other nation in the history of the world has ever returned to their homeland. Imagine the Native Americans taking back America. Jeremiah promises the Jews that they will be back.

Today, 2,600 years later his words are sung at every religious wedding! He declares, "Od yeshama - Again there shall be heard in this place ... in the [desolate] towns of Judah and the [deserted] streets of Jerusalem ... the sound of mirth and gladness, the voice of bridegroom and bride" (33:10-11).

I am so enamored by the depth of this beautiful song. It represents the great power of the Jewish people to always make a comeback. Despite the wishes of world powers throughout history, we are still here, celebrating weddings in our own land. With a quick glance into the past we remind ourselves of the richness and uniqueness that lie within the Jewish people.