Yesterday afternoon, a small group of AFSI activists visited me in Shiloh. Among them was the tireless Helen Freedman and the legendary Glenn Richter, of SSSJ.  My husband and I first met at SSSJ's 1967, Tisha B'Av "Fast-In For Soviet Jewry," organized by Glenn and Yaakov Birnbaum.

My guests were very concerned.  Why is there so much silence?  Shiloh along with most of the Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria are in danger.  Olmert has pledged to destroy us. Why aren't we out in the streets demonstrating?  Why are we so silent?  Behind their words, I could hear the fear that we had, G-d forbid, given up.

No, Baruch Hashem, we haven't given up.  Like the Biblical Chana who prayed to G-d with actions, rather than spoken words,  we are busy building our homes, our communities, praying to G-d, since it is a waste of our energies to make human sounds.

Isn't that the lesson we learn from Chana?

Chana's prayers are fullfilled.  The son she had prayed for in Shiloh is soon born, Shmuel HaNavi, Samuel the Prophet.  He's the leader who helps the Jewish People through the transition from tribes to a nation.

We all must focus our prayers on HaKodesh Baruch Hu, the One G-d.

Shabbat Shalom