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Oh, I may have just answered my own question! Hashem is clearly our primary source of strength! But that is no secret; it’s an obvious no-brainer! We say each day in Tehilim (Psalms) 20: "They by horses & chariots, we by evoking the name of Hashem."
Our sedra begins by saying that Hashem led us in a roundabout way, so as to avoid our having to engage the Plishtim. But then it injects the cryptic statement, "and Bnei Yisrael went up from Egypt Chamushim." Rashi first quotes the Mechilta as saying this unusual word means "armed" (as in tachmoshet, ammunition). But Rashi is troubled by this, for what was the point in our having weapons if we did not use them, neither against the Plishtim, nor against the Egyptians chasing after us?
And so, Rashi brings another idea, that Chamushim relates to "Chamesh" or 5, suggesting that only one-fifth of the Jews of Egypt ever made it out of there (their either being killed during the Plague of Darkness, or remaining behind by choice when we departed in the Exodus).
But I have another thought. Immediately after saying Bnei Yisrael was armed, the Torah relates: "And Moshe took with him the bones of Yosef," who had sworn his brothers to a sacred oath that he would not remain in Egypt.
This, I suggest, constitutes the real arms, the secret weapon of Am Yisrael: the knowledge that we would not, could not live forever in Mitzrayim, that our destiny was to live in our own homeland, Israel, the natural habitat of the Jewish People, where our fullest destiny would be played out. This knowledge - that there was no choice but to leave for home - energized & armed the nation, for we knew there was only 1 direction in which to move forward.
This same conviction of Ayn Brera - we have no choice, is precisely what fuels our fierce determination to fight until victory today. An IDF holy soldier knows that he must win the battle, that he cannot be defeated, for there is nowhere to run, no place to which he can escape. We are not going back to the pogroms of Russia, the torture chambers of Spain’s Seville or Granada or the ovens of Auschwitz. And when your back is against the wall, you battle with an unrestrained passion & courage - &, by force of conviction, you emerge victorious.
Those bones, those bones; THEY were our arms.
P'ninat Mishpat P'ninat Mishpat: Realtor’s Fee on Large Commercial Building – part I
(based on ruling 85031 of the Eretz Hemdah-Gazit Rabbinical Courts)
Chemdat Yamim Moreshet Shaul: Twin Foundations
Based on Siach Shaul, Pirkei Machshava V’Hadracha p. 690
P'ninat Mishpat P'ninat Mishpat: Complaints about Contractor’s Work – part II
(based on ruling 83037.1 of the Eretz Hemdah-Gazit Rabbinical Courts)
Chemdat Yamim Moreshet Shaul: The Goal of an Agricultural Yeshiva – part I
Based on Siach Shaul, Pirkei Machshava V’Hadracha p. 263 (address at the laying of the cornerstone of the Yeshiva Chakla’it in Kfar Haroeh)
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P'ninat Mishpat P'ninat Mishpat: Realtor’s Fee on Large Commercial Building – part I
(based on ruling 85031 of the Eretz Hemdah-Gazit Rabbinical Courts)
(based on ruling 85031 of the Eretz Hemdah-Gazit Rabbinical Courts)
Chemdat Yamim Moreshet Shaul: The Goal of an Agricultural Yeshiva – part I
Based on Siach Shaul, Pirkei Machshava V’Hadracha p. 263 (address at the laying of the cornerstone of the Yeshiva Chakla’it in Kfar Haroeh)
Based on Siach Shaul, Pirkei Machshava V’Hadracha p. 263 (address at the laying of the cornerstone of the Yeshiva Chakla’it in Kfar Haroeh)
Re'e NEVER EXTREME EXCEPT ISRAEL
Parshat Re'eh
Judaism is against extremism, so how can we understand the seemingly extreme statements found in our sages in favor of living in the Land of Israel and against living in Chutz laAretz? The article deals with the seeming contradiction between the strength of Free-Will and the strength of being influenced by our surroundings.
Ekev DANCE FOR ISRAEL- FOR YOUR BENEFIT
Parshat Eikev
Description: The 7 Haftarot we read after Tisha B'Av ("Shiva D'Nichemta") surely get us excited that they're coming TRUE, and awaken us to yearn, dance & join the return to Zion! The short article also deals with the problems and solutions facing the American Jewish community as discussed at a recent panel, as well as the question why Jews come from America to Israel to help when we face problems, but Israelis don't come to aid Jews in America when they face anti-Semitism.
P'ninat Mishpat P'ninat Mishpat: Complaints about Contractor’s Work – part II
(based on ruling 83037.1 of the Eretz Hemdah-Gazit Rabbinical Courts)
(based on ruling 83037.1 of the Eretz Hemdah-Gazit Rabbinical Courts)
Chemdat Yamim Moreshet Shaul: Twin Foundations
Based on Siach Shaul, Pirkei Machshava V’Hadracha p. 690
Based on Siach Shaul, Pirkei Machshava V’Hadracha p. 690
D'varim Judaism’s Social Vision
Re’eh
Giving is more than an act of generosity—it is an essential part of human dignity that belongs to everyone, rich and poor alike. The ultimate goal of help is to empower others to stand on their own.
Kuzari -Rabbi Ari Shvat Kuzari class 9 - "Seeing is Believing" (parag. 21-30)
These paragraphs elaborate on the theme that seeing and knowing is better than any attempt to prove logically, and begins explaining the difference between Israel and gentiles.
