And All I Did Was Grimace and Mutter

Shabbat Shalom to all of you.  This article is cross-posted on Shiloh Musings.  I write there more frequently than here, and you're invited to check it out.  Thanks

Here's my husband's report.

We were at the United States Jerusalem Consulate's "July 4th" celebration. We've been invited for quite a few years, at least fifteen, if I'm not mistaken. In the early years, we were among the very few blatantly (in the uniform of kippah for him and hair-covering for her) Orthodox Jewish attendees. Most years there was a "kosher table," but this year it seemed even more kosher than usual. This year there just wasn't some food with a sign, there were people "guarding" the food. That's a Halachik (Jewish Law) requirement. The food was dairy and parve, which meant that those who wanted the Ben & Jerry's ice cream could have the ice cream for dessert. In previous years, they had Hagen Daz.

I didn't grimace because of my diet. It wasn't all the traif, Israeli loony Left and Arabs which bothered me.

I didn't like the message of the outgoing U.S. Counsel General Jake Walles. He made it very clear that he and the American Government would do everything in their power to create a sic "Palestinian" State. He went on and on and yapped and yapped and said other nonsense like that the United States was founded for freedom. Historically that isn't true. Did you ever hear about the Boston Tea Party? "No taxation without representation." The American Revolution was all about money, not freedom. The liberty/freedom stuff came later.

If a high-ranking American State Department official can't get American History straight, do you really think he (and they) know anything about the needs, history, security etc of another country? Another part of the world?

I was politely silent when attending their event, but now I can open my mouth and send my words out to be read.

Moses and Aaron, Burnt Out Leaders

Parshat Shavua, Torah Portion of the Week, Chukat (Numbers 19:1-22:1.) That was last week in
A tired and bitter Moshe and a weakened Aaron would have been counter-productive and dangerous to Joshua's leadership in conquering the Promised Land
Israel and half of this week's in Chutz L'Aretz, the Diaspora.

At last week's Chukat's Women's Class in my neighborhood, the rabbi, Ya'akov Cohen, asked us why Moshe was denied entrance to the Land of Israel.

Chapter 20

è åÇéÌÄ÷ÌÇç îÉùÑÆä àÆú-äÇîÌÇèÌÆä, îÄìÌÄôÀðÅé éÀäåÈä, ëÌÇàÂùÑÆø, öÄåÌÈäåÌ. 9 And Moses took the rod from before the LORD, as He commanded him. é åÇéÌÇ÷ÀäÄìåÌ îÉùÑÆä åÀàÇäÂøÉï, àÆú-äÇ÷ÌÈäÈì--àÆì-ôÌÀðÅé äÇñÌÈìÇò; åÇéÌÉàîÆø ìÈäÆí, ùÑÄîÀòåÌ-ðÈà äÇîÌÉøÄéí--äÂîÄï-äÇñÌÆìÇò äÇæÌÆä, ðåÉöÄéà ìÈëÆí îÈéÄí. 10 And Moses and Aaron gathered the assembly together before the rock, and he said unto them: 'Hear now, ye rebels; are we to bring you forth water out of this rock?' éà åÇéÌÈøÆí îÉùÑÆä àÆú-éÈãåÉ, åÇéÌÇêÀ àÆú-äÇñÌÆìÇò áÌÀîÇèÌÅäåÌ--ôÌÇòÂîÈéÄí; åÇéÌÅöÀàåÌ îÇéÄí øÇáÌÄéí, åÇúÌÅùÑÀúÌÀ äÈòÅãÈä åÌáÀòÄéøÈí. {ñ} 11 And Moses lifted up his hand, and smote the rock with his rod twice; and water came forth abundantly, and the congregation drank, and their cattle. {S} éá åÇéÌÉàîÆø éÀäåÈä, àÆì-îÉùÑÆä åÀàÆì-àÇäÂøÉï, éÇòÇï ìÉà-äÆàÁîÇðÀúÌÆí áÌÄé, ìÀäÇ÷ÀãÌÄéùÑÅðÄé ìÀòÅéðÅé áÌÀðÅé éÄùÒÀøÈàÅì--ìÈëÅï, ìÉà úÈáÄéàåÌ àÆú-äÇ÷ÌÈäÈì äÇæÌÆä, àÆì-äÈàÈøÆõ, àÂùÑÆø-ðÈúÇúÌÄé ìÈäÆí. 12 And the LORD said unto Moses and Aaron: 'Because ye believed not in Me, to sanctify Me in the eyes of the children of Israel, therefore ye shall not bring this assembly into the land which I have given them.'

Maybe I'm just haunted by my own ignominious end to my EFL teaching career, but all I could picture in my mind was when Moses needed help to hold his hands high during a crucial battle and his silence when Joshua and Caleb debated the other ten spies. Call it burn out!

We all know that Moshe was a very reluctant leader. He fled his people afraid of his power. G-d had to force him to return and bribe him with the promised assistance of his brother Aaron.

Parents, teachers and all others in authority know that if we speak to our charges in anger we will lose them, and their behavior will be worse. Look at the highlighted words I quoted, "you rebels." It was clear that Moshe was at the very end of his energy.

There never was much charisma. Charismatic leaders project a faith and confidence. That's the faith that G-d proclaimed was missing from Moses.

"...ye believed not in Me, to sanctify Me in the eyes of the children of Israel..."

Moses didn't state to the people that G-d was providing the water. He didn't use the event to promote faith in G-d.

A tired and bitter Moshe and a weakened Aaron would have been counter-productive and dangerous to Joshua's leadership in conquering the Promised Land. It was necessary to G-d to provide Joshua with the best conditions possible, and that's what He did.

Jewish Construction In YESHA

This post consists of two articles from Shiloh Musings, which is updated daily plus.

Let the politicians and diplomats and media yap all they want about freezing us, strangling us ad nauseum. There's building going on in our Holy Hills!

Moetzet YESHA Doesn't Represent Its Residents

Hat tip: IMRA

It's hard to figure out what Moetzet YESHA really is. Or more accurately, it's not very pleasant to admit it to myself. But one thing for sure, its policies don't reflect the feeling on the ground.

 Pinchas Wallerstein, its present chairman, has finally retired from his role as head of my district, Mateh Binyamin, and seems to be trying to act "political." He has some convoluted proposal which will please nobody. He, who has no authority over the sic "outposts" is willing to transfer those built on "private Arab property" on the condition that the government unfreeze the building in YESHA. Interestingly or ironically, in his own yishuv the very veteran Ofra, many of the houses, possibly even his own, are built on "private Arab property."

Now for "broken record" time:

You can't be a little bit pregnant.

If you think we Jews can't live in Hebron...

You can't be just a little bit pregnant.

And again...

If you don't recognize Jewish rights to all of Eretz Yisrael, the Land of Israel, then you're endangering the entire country. We have more historical and moral rights to Shiloh, Hebron, Shechem and Jerusalem than we have to Tel Aviv!