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From a practical point of view, this is indeed the role of the government and operational echelons. But we can contribute to public pressure that will lead to a harsher and more correct response.
Psychologically speaking, this is the time to look at Chukat, the Torah portion that we will read this coming Shabbat. It [Chukat] deals entirely with death and crises – ritual impurity of those coming into contact with the deceased; the death of Miriam; the sin of Mei Meriva (the water of dispute where Moshe hit the rock); the death of Aharon; the plague of the fiery serpents. In life we encounter "chok", i.e., the limitations of reality; a head-on collision with a seemingly impassable wall: disasters, human evil; sins and passions; injuries, and foremost among them is death.
But it turns out that death can also be defeated! The commandment of the red heifer is to take the total power of life that a "large cow", full of redness, "upon which a yoke was not placed" – and to sprinkle its ashes onone who was made impure by coming into contact with death. In other words: to add living flesh and blood in this world, to break the yoke of the bondage of death. In a world where the image of "nechashim serafim", fiery serpents, gives the feeling that reality is managed by random "nechashim" [which also means guessing in Hebrew] that "soref", burns us from the inside – we look up to Heaven and overcome. We will continue the lives of Elisha, Harel, Ofer and Nachman may their blood be avenged– by saying that "God will avenge their blood": we will avenge their spilled blood by increasing Torah learning, prayer, settlement, family and life; that way the authorized authorities will carry out the death penalty on those who deserve it.
The bodies of Elisha, Harel, Ofer and Nachman are not with us; their souls are bound in the bond of life of all of us, and we will meet them in the end, in the place where everyone meets after death.
The bad will pass.
The good will prevail.
With God’s help
Rabbi Haggai Lundin
Articles about Hanukkah The Triumph of Israeli Renewal over Greek Stagnation
From "Megged Yerachim" published by "Beit Harav"
Rabbis in Midrash
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Hosha'ana Rabba FLYDUBAI & HOSHANA RABBA- ANI VAHU HOSHIA NA- I & HIM SAVE US
"Ani vaHu Hoshia Na", "I and Him, Save Us". We don't just pray to Him, but we also pray to and for ourselves that we should emulate and educate our children to have that instinctive altruism with which He created the world. President Trump seemed amused about Yaniv Hayon, our PLUMBER who confidently worked with G-d like Superman (he learned from a pilot on a TV show!) to save 174 lives on the Dubai hijacking, but we in Israel are totally accustomed already 78 years to our plumbers, teachers, garbage-men, rabbis, farmers & doctors being Hashem's shlichim! This is what Zionism is about.
Moreshet Shaul Hashem Is your Shadow – part I
Based on Siach Shaul, Pirkei Machshava V’Hadracha p. 420 – an address from 1941
