Yom Kippur

Included in the Avinu Malkeinu prayer are the following two petitions to HaShem:

אָבִינוּ מַלְכֵנוּ הָרֵם קֶרֶן יִשְרָאֵל עַמֶךָ.

Our Father, our King, raise high the pride of Yisrael your nation

. אָבִינוּ מַלְכֵנוּ הָרֵם קֶרֶן מְשִיחֶךָ

Our Father, our King, raise high the pride of your anointed (the Jewish nation or the mashiach)

The request of HaShem for the restoration of Jewish pride becomes ever more acute when seen in the background of our 2000-year exile and the high rate of assimilation.

We were twice exiled from our holy land for not abiding by the rules of the covenant agreed upon between HaShem and our forefathers Avraham, Yitzchak and Ya’akov, in the name of all their future generation to this day. The Jewish nation experienced all the punishments described in the two parshiot of Tochacha (rebuke) – Bechukotai and Ki Tavo– the plea for the restoration of Jewish pride takes on a seemingly extreme and irrational request in this anti-Semitic climate.

Ninety years ago, the Germans and their like were disseminating their poison that they were the ubermenschen- supermen, while the Jews are racially untermenshen – sub-human. Hence the Jews are a terminal disease for civilized humanity and must be exterminated as one nonchalantly kills a nasty rodent. And so, they turned the bodies of Jews into bars of soap, which I saw when several were brought to the Minister of Religious Affairs, Rabbi Dr Zorach Warhaftig, during the time that I was on his staff.

It is the natural desire of every race and creed to be held in respect. But the request for Jewish pride is exceptional when viewed on the background of who we were in the past and to what level of degradation we were brought to in the Shoah, when the name of Yisrael was brought down from a magnificent status of honor and blessing to less than…

Trepidation and Atonement

The Midrash (Yalkut Shimoni, Yeshayahu chapter 499) relates that in the future (which is now) Iran (Persia) will spread fear and chaos over the world. Leaders will be in a panic to find a resolution to the Shiite-Islamic threat waiting to engulf the world in their demented belief that their Mashiach will come only on the background of a world-wide apocalypse: atomic war with billions dead which they strive for. For this end, the State of Israel is simply numerically insignificant, therefore they have developed intercontinental ballistic missiles to reach all parts of the Christian world, including the continental United States.

The Midrash goes on to explain that the Jewish nation will, as the others, stand in dread of what might happen at the hands of these crazed Sunni Moslems.

Then HaShem will say to his people: Why are you in such trepidation? All that I have done and prepared in the international scene I have done for your sake. For the time of your salvation has arrived. And this salvation will not be like the exodus from Egypt, which was followed by a long history of violence and suffering. For this salvation shall be absolute and clear. End this section of the Midrash.

When studying this Midrash, I could not understand why or how the will of the crazed people of Iran and their means to destroy humanity would be “for the sake of Am Yisrael”?

However, as events evolve and take us to where we are now, HaShem’s intention becomes ever clearer.

The current situation is meant to propel Medinat Yisrael to the exclusive status of world leader, nothing less! It is HaShem’s answer to our request:

Our Father, our King, raise high the pride of Yisrael Your nation.

Our Father, our King, raise high the pride of Your anointed one (the Jewish nation or the mashiach).

A year ago, the Jewish state was in existential danger. The plan was for Hamas to invade Israel from the south with 6000 terrorists. Hezbollah would invade Israel from the north with 15 thousand terrorists, and the Arabs in Judea and Shomron would cross into the cities of Kfar Saba, Petach Tikva, Netanya and others, and the Medina would not be able to repel this surprise attack.

A miracle. For some “unexplainable” reason, Hamas entered alone and after several hours Tzahal achieved the upper hand. This didn’t happen without HaShem’s “behind the scenes” protective manipulations. Today these Arab military entities are on their last breaths and begging for a cease fire.

And the world cannot understand how we did it. How did we neutralize thousands of Hezbollah terrorists through their beepers, blinding and maiming them?

How were we able to liquidate their leaders with a missile through their windows many kilometers away? And the goyim hold their heads in wonder, astonishment, admiration, wonderment, awe, disbelief, reverence, incredulity, respect, veneration, and incomprehension.

In addition, at this time Israel holds the key to the world’s economies. At any given moment the Prime Minister of Israel can give the command to attack Iran and its oil operations. This would bring the price of a barrel of oil to $120 a barrel, and the price of a gallon at the pump in Dallas, Texas to $5 and more, and millions of people would be unemployed, and Donald Trump would be elected president.

The same applies to the possibility that we might destroy Iran’s nuclear facilities, which would heave a breath of relief among people who value life. It could even encourage those who value life to copy Israel and destroy that vast concentration camp called North Korea.

Who knows? Our success in defeating those Arabs who value death over life could possibly ignite the fuse to set off the prophetic insights in the Tanach regarding a future international war between the descendants of Aisav and those of Yishmael (Europe vs. Arabs and some other Moslem countries).

The historic pendulum that swung slowly for 2000 years in the direction of the Jewish exile, began its slow opposite swing with the creation of Medinat Yisrael. And now, 76 years later into modern Jewish history, the swing has intensified in the direction of:

Our Father, our King, raise high the pride of Yisrael Your nation.

Our Father, our King, raise high the pride of Your anointed one (the Jewish nation or the mashiach).

In conclusion: What is happening now is a clear reality of the blessing in Vayikra 16,30:

כי ביום הזה יכפר עליכם לטהר אתכם מכל חטאתיכם לפני ה’ תטהרו

Because on this day (Yom Kippur) atonement will be made for you, to cleanse you. Then, before the Lord, you will be clean from all your sins.

And Am Yisrael will surely be restored to the magnificence of the days of Kind David and King Slomo.