Freeing Our Hostages

Abraham armed his disciples to save Lot, his nephew, who - despite his wayward ways, was no less than a brother in Avraham's eyes. He didn't flinch, he didn't think twice, striking at night, employing the element of surprsise to his advantage, pursuing the vicious and heartless enemy until Damascus. 

Rebbetzin Jungreis of blessed memory regularly quoted her father as teaching that if one wanted to know what was happening in the world one should look at the Parsha. The fact that in the Land of Israel in biblical times the Torah was completed once every three years and not once every year as we do today (as was the Babylonian custom) notwithstanding, it is hard not to see resonances of what happened in the time of our forefathers and what we are now seeing unfold in our home country. 

We hope and pray that all our prisoners are freed, and come home safely, though know in our heart of hearts that that is exceedingly unlikely, to the point where an Israeli father, to obviate a deal the likes of that for Gilad Shalit, went to the press and said I'm willing to sacrifice my daughter in the belly of Gaza for the safety of my people. The fact that we've come to such a point puts tremors down our spine, leaving us feeling feeble, and almost impotent in the face of the horrors we've seen. 

There certainly was a time when all soldiers set out for war did so with a fear of God, unmatched, unequaled to the point where if one served in the army of King David the rabbis in the Talmud teach that certainly he was from a family with holy lineage upon whom God's presence rested because David never would have chosen a warrior without knowing that he feared Heaven and was a man of God. In the biblical wars we knew that it was fear of Heaven, Moses's upraised arms, the moral integrity of the land that guaranteed success and victory and battle, and yet we feel so bereft of that reality and divine assurance today. 

The sheer number of Jews and soldiers alike, though, who are returning to their father in Heaven, who have begun praying again, who have started wearing tefillin and tzizit - hundreds, if not thousands of yeshivot, Hareidi and non-Hareidi alike have started making tzizit for tens of thousands of soldiers, can only instill us with a greater sense of purpose as a nation. 

I would like to recommend that we not only pray and learn but contribute to this uplifting and hopefully unstoppable movement, inspiring this return to our father in Heaven so that we never know such sorrow again. I began this blog during Corona, seeking an outlet to write, to keep my mind active, and to compel myself to learn about the weekly Parsha. Thank God, I have been zocheh to write 155 different entries. I never recommended any organization or charity, but now would like to share the name of one such organization dedicated to teaching Torah, helping our soldiers at the front, and reviving Teshuva amongst our brothers and sisters in Israel. If possible, please contribute generously to help live this dream. 

וּפְדוּיֵ֨י יְהֹוָ֜ה יְשׁוּב֗וּן וּבָ֤אוּ צִיּוֹן֙ בְּרִנָּ֔ה וְשִׂמְחַ֥ת עוֹלָ֖ם עַל־רֹאשָׁ֑ם שָׂשׂ֤וֹן וְשִׂמְחָה֙ יַשִּׂיג֔וּן נָ֖סוּ יָג֥וֹן וַאֲנָחָֽה.

In the words of Isaiah (51:11) "So let Hashem's ransomed return, And come with shouting to Zion, crowned with joy everlasting. Let them attain joy and gladness, while sorrow and sighing flee."

https://machonmeir.net/donate-to-machon-meir/