One of the great intellectual dilemmas facing the “healthy” religious segment of Am Yisrael is the phenomenon of seemingly important rabbis in the galut who would rejoice at the dissolution of Medinat Yisrael. Their joy would extend to praising and even visiting Iran, which is close to achieving weapons of mass destruction to be used against the Jewish State.
Last week’s message evoked negative reactions of shock from several corners, claiming that my vengeful tone is un-Jewish and certainly inappropriate for a rabbi. Un-Jewish Indeed?! Un-rabbinic? Indeed! Avenging Evil is a Holy Mitzva.
As I sat on the Haas Promenade in Talpiot overlooking the Temple Mount on the 9th of Av in the 73rd year of Medinat Yisrael, the morning news came to my mind regarding the Germans who died by the torrential rains; equal to about three minutes in Treblinka.
An unscrupulous lawyer was instructed by a secretly wealthy client that, only after his death, should his son be informed of the fortune that his father had accumulated and bequeathed to him as an inheritance. The father passed away, but the lawyer never informed the son of the vast treasure that was his.
Last week I wrote about the devastating effects that fear can have on an individual, and on a nation; this week I will write about fear as a tool which HaShem utilizes at times to achieve His desired objectives.
Over and over again Balak instructs Bil’am to curse the Jewish nation and each time Bil’am blesses them!
How bizarre that Balak repeats his disappointment three times.
