Dear Friends
It has been a tough few days of terror attacks that have struck at soft targets in Istanbul, Bangladesh and multiple very painful ones in Israel.
As a parent of a similar age girl, I was shaken to the core by the news yesterday, when Hallel Yaffe Ariel a 13 year old Israeli girl was killed in her bedroom by a Palestinian terrorist. She was murdered in her bed the morning after a dance recital for the sole crime of being Jewish.
Listening to the mother speak at the funeral left me crying and shaken, and reminded me to value each moment we have with our children and loved ones.
Today, a family driving near the same area was attacked and as a result a father of ten was killed in front of his wife and children, along with several of the family members who were wounded. Once again innocent people were gunned down in a cruel and vicious manner for the sole crime of being Jewish.
The picture of the soldiers hugging the son of the victim as
they took him out of the overturned car, and trying to somehow comfort him with love and an embrace in the moments after this incomprehensible situation, is a painful a powerful picture of a tragic and despicable event.
May Hallel's family and the Mark Family find the strength to be comforted from these senseless and terrible murders.
Where it all Starts
Attacks like this and others similar ones which occurred in Israel this week, don't just happen by accident with someone waking up in a bad mood, rather they are a direct product of the incitement and hate that is propagated by the Palestinian Authority while the West and the Media turn a willing blind eye.
Just a few days ago, Mr. Abbas the leader of the PA stood in front of the EU Parliament and spread lies that included, "Israel commits genocide" and "Israel's Rabbis are planning to poison the waters of the Arabs". Of course he received a 30 second STANDING ovation for that speech.
One of his key advisors stated that if given the chance he would slit the throats of Jews. The West, UN, the Media and everyone else keeps quiet and experience a severe case of selective hearing. In fact, Jeremy Corbyn the leader of the British opposition Labor party had no qualms with publicly comparing Israel to ISIS, as he knows that what he says is supported by more than a few in his party.
Meanwhile in Gaza, at a time when children are normally graduating their Kindergartens and celebrating their new skills that they have learned and discovered, they are celebrating raising a new crop of terrorists.
Take a look for yourself at what they teach them in this video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gM07qFvcTE8
Peace is an important ideal and one that we all hope, pray and strive for, but for it to work it must start with a process that does not teach and incite to hate and murder.
A Lesson from the Spies, a 3300 Year Old History Lesson
This week, we read the dramatic story of the spies who went to scout out the Land of Israel before the Jews were to move in after their having left Egypt and received the Torah. Twelve spies were selected and went on a forty day mission during which they traversed the entire length and breadth of Israel, including to the city of Hebron.
Ten of the spies became extremely disheartened by what they saw and the challenges which they anticipated as a result. They feared the powerful warriors of Canaan, they were afraid of the fortified cities, and felt that the land itself would consume and drain any aspirations and spiritual goals that the Jews had. They came back and told the Jews a terrifying description of what they saw, they spoke of their own timid perspective and of their fears, and succeeded in disheartening and demoralizing the Jews from wanting to take on the challenge of the Land of Israel.
Two of spies got it right, as they remembered the promise that G-d had made to the Jews time and time again that he will give the Land of Israel to them and help them succeed. They famously proclaimed and encouraged the Jews with the words “we are certainly able (to do this and succeed)”, instead of the cry of the other ten spies which was “mission impossible”.
Thousands of years later, the journey for peace and tranquility in the Holy Land is an ongoing process and at times it is brutally painful and bitter. Yet we are confident with the knowledge that the age old promise of G-d regarding the land of Israel, combined with our own determination and hopes, will ensure that we will succeed in our mission in creating a country and society that is a reflection of the physical and spiritual qualities with which it has been endowed.
This evening as we prepare to celebrate the 4th of July weekend in this country, let us light Shabbat candles and bring in some of the light of spirituality into our lives and the world around us. Let us do it in memory of thirteen year old Hallel who can no longer light this week, and let us make sure to continue to add light, hope and meaning to the world around us to make it a brighter and better place.
Candle Lighting in Sudbury is at 8:08pm this evening!
Shabbat Shalom
Yisroel
P.S I am looking forward to visiting Israel in August and I hope to visit some of the family members of some of the recent terror attacks. I am planning on bringing them some love and an embrace from the Massachusetts Jewish community.