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We will never forget how in the midst of that thought-to-be historic July 4th (6th of Tammuz), Israel surprisingly "stole the show", and really made it an historic and even eternally memorable event, by swooping undetected into a different continent, and miraculously surgically removing those 103 hostages with only 3 casualties (one being commander Yoni Netanyahu).
While figuring what to do in the Middle East, President Trump would be wise to participate and aid Am Yisrael, as he has often done in the past, and remember that King Cyrus, Lord Balfour, Harry Truman and those who give priority to help G-d's Chosen People of Israel, all enter the annals of eternity. This is precisely the "Kiddush Hashem" which even Moshe Rabbenu failed to do in this week's parsha while striking the rock, and despite being the most ideal human ever (Rosh HaShana 21b), is eternally remembered for that one single misstep. Contrarily, many a gentile leader who may even have lived an entire life of many morally questionable actions, can gain eternity by "coming to bat" for Israel (and at least not restrain us) against our nuclear enemies.
Before he may decide to give priority to other national and international factors, do Trump a favor and remind him of Mordechai's warning to the hesitant Esther (4, 14), "if you remain silent at this time, relief and rescue will arise for the Jews from elsewhere, [but] you and your family's legacy will perish; and who knows whether you attained the kingdom for [precisely] this moment?"
The following is a moving account of that historic Shabbat in Entebbe (from R. Yoni Lavie): In the darkness of the terminal at Entebbe, thousands of kilometers from home, one woman approached a window. She gazed at the stars, closed her eyes, and tears streamed down her cheeks as she quietly recited the blessing: "Blessed are You, Lord our God... who has commanded us to kindle the Sabbath light."
Her six-year-old son, Shay Gross, the youngest hostage, watched her curiously. To him, the entire ordeal seemed like an adventure. "Ima, why are you crying?"
In a broken whisper, she replied: "Because we are here, while your brothers, Adi and Roni, are so far away... and who knows what will happen to us."
At that very moment, back in Israel, Shay’s brother stood in shul reciting a special prayer that Chief Rabbi Shlomo Goren had handwritten for the hostages.
Then something happened that shook the entire congregation. The grandmother—a Holocaust survivor—suddenly rushed into the men’s section of the synagogue. She ran to the Holy Ark, buried her head against it, and cried out with a plea that seemed to tear through the heavens:
"Master of the Universe, I lost my entire family in the Holocaust. Please, do not take from me what remains. Leave me my grandson...". The entire congregation wept with her.
What they didn't know was that at those very hours, high above Africa, four Israeli Air Force Hercules aircraft were making their way toward the impossible.
Later, one of the pilots, Amnon Halivni, recalled: "The journey was a nightmare. The aircraft could barely get off the ground because of the weight, and the stormy weather [A.S.: it doesn't rain in the Mid-East in the summer, but that "terrible weather" enabled us to evade African radars!]. We were tossed around by turbulence the entire way. Even the toughest commandos from Sayeret Matkal were vomiting.
But then, as we approached Entebbe, something happened that made no sense. Suddenly the skies cleared. The airport lay beneath us, calm and visible, as if someone had prepared it for our landing.
I am a complete atheist, but I can tell you this: on that Shabbat, G-d was working overtime."
All of this happened exactly fifty years ago this week, and the coming Shabbat is known by many as "Entebbe Shabbat." A Shabbat which the anxious prayer of a mother in Uganda, the anguished cry of a Holocaust-survivor grandmother in Israel, and the courage of Israeli soldiers in the skies came together in a remarkable miracle—one that gave living expression to the words of the song:
"A people that will not remain silent, a people that will never abandon its children to strangers." Fifty years have passed, yet Entebbe is not merely a glorious chapter in the history books. It is a legacy. The legacy of a people who learned, through bitter experience, what happens when Jews are left defenseless—and who resolved: Never Again.
A people that does not leave its sons and daughters behind.
A people that does not come to terms with evil and refuses to accept compromise, surrender, or resignation in its face.
A people that knows how to pray as though everything depends on Heaven, and to act with Him courageously, as though everything depends on ourselves.
Entebbe reminds us that even in the face of a ruthless enemy, even when the distance is vast, and even when the mission appears impossible, we must never lose faith, never abandon courage, and never grow accustomed to the idea that nothing can be done. Something can be done. There is something worth fighting for. And there are people worth fighting for.
And when the people of Israel believe in the justice and ETERNITY of our cause, dare greatly, and act with determination, Divine assistance participates—and even the impossible becomes possible.
Shabbat Shalom! Rav Ari Shvat (Chwat)
Rabbi Ari Shvat
Lectures at various yeshivot, michlalot and midrashot. Has published many books & Torani articles and is in charge of Rav Kook’s archives.
Ein Aya Understanding the Beauty of Shabbat - Tasting the World to Come
Ein Aya Shabat Chapter A Paragraph 15
Rabbis in Midrash
Lessons
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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.
Ein Aya Various Universal Stages of the Geula Process
Rav Kook examines the various stages of redemption, explaining how (in addition to the obvious oft-mentioned stages of ingathering the exiles, reviving the Hebrew language, army, state etc.) the messianic dream of world prosperity, the State of Israel and world unity can and are realistically and logically gradually coming true.
Kuzari -Rabbi Ari Shvat Kuzari class 8- "Answering Questions on the Kuzari's Proof from Mass Revelation
How do we know that the "claim" of mass revelation to 2,000,000 witnesses at Mt. Sinai is really true? This important class answers all of the questions skeptics ask about this claim of the Kuzari.
Ein Aya Armies Still Necessary for Balance & the War Against Wars
Rav Kook explains why the world was originally divided into the various seemingly contradicting ideologies and cultures, in order to develop each one respectively. Swords or armies symbolize how each respective ideology defends themselves, as well as deters their opposing ideologies and cultures. On the other hand, the messianic era will be one of peace, and Rav Kook explains the transition to that stage, which mankind is already undergoing.
The Land of Israel LGBT'S IN ISRAEL
The question was asked, how can one make Aliyah with the LGBT parades?
Kuzari -Rabbi Ari Shvat Kuzari class 7 - Five Accumulative Proofs of G-d
As a preparation for the Kuzari's classic proof of G-d from the mass-revelation at Sinai, we start here with 5 other directions to strengthen our belief which also contribute to what the Kuzari will present as well.
Ein Aya Muscle & Meaning: The Dual Nature of Gevurah (Physical Strength)
Is physical strength and fitness a necessity or an ideal? Although it if often totally overlooked among topics of Judaism, Rav Kook writes that it clearly is also a necessity to deter the many enemies of Israel, but even in Y'mot HaMashiach, in the Messianic era, to a certain extent, it's ideal continues even after our enemies will have been finished off.
