"When the ark went forth, Moses said, 'Arise, O L-rd, and scatter Your enemies! Let Your foes flee before You.'" (Numbers 10:35)
Rashi explains, "Who are 'Your enemies'? They are the enemies of Israel. Whoever hates Israel hates Him whose word brought the world into existence. As it says, 'Your enemies have lifted up their heads.' (Psalm 83:3) Who are these? The next verse continues, 'They take crafty counsel against Your people.'"
When we encounter the anti-Semites' hatred of Israel, we puzzle over why they hate us when we have done them no wrong. Seemingly, their hatred has no logical cause. Quite the contrary, down through the ages the Jewish People, with their benevolent soul, have done only good for mankind.
Truthfully, however, Israel's soul, through which G-d's light is revealed on earth, is the "problem". It is precisely Israel's nature, their goodness and light, and the fact that G-d is part of their name, which have always disturbed the anti-Semites, past and present.
The situation may be likened to predatory beasts that hunt under cover of dark. Light disturbs them from finding their sustenance. The anti-Semites fight us, thinking that they can thereby snuff out the light of the world. Yet they will never succeed. Quite the contrary, in the war between the sons of light and the sons of darkness, Israel will prevail:
"I proclaim G-d's decree: He said to me, 'You are My son. This day have I begotten you. Ask me and I shall give you nations for your inheritance, the ends of the earth for your possession. You shall break them with an iron rod. You shall dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel.'" (Psalm 2:7-9)
In our own times, we have suffered from anti-Semitism worse than all other generations. In the Holocaust, the nations spilt our blood and millions of Jews died sanctifying G-d's name due to hatred of Jews. Unfortunately, this terrible sickness still finds a home in the hearts of Israel's enemies, a hatred synonymous with hatred of G-d. This hatred is revealed not only through hatred of Jews in the exile, but also, and in fact, chiefly, through hatred of the State of Israel:
"Your enemies have lifted up their heads. They take crafty counsel against Your people?. They consult together. They form an alliance against You. The tents of Edom and the Ishmaelites?. They say, 'Let us take to ourselves the houses of G-d in possession.'" (Psalm 83)
In the war of the sons of light against the sons of darkness, the People of Israel will be victorious. As Moses said, "Arise, O L-rd, and scatter Your enemies! Let Your foes flee before You."
Each morning before reciting the Shema, we say, "Make us walk upright to our land." The word for "upright", "komemiyut", can be translated to mean "two floors", or "two stages", and indeed, our victory over our enemies involves two stages. The first stage is for Israel to be strengthened militarily and economically. The second stage is for Jewish unity and the nation's spirit to be strengthened. This spiritual dimension is occurring through a return to tradition and to our holy Torah. Through this, we will hopefully merit to see with our own eyes the fulfillment of Numbers 10:36: "When the ark came to rest, Moses said, 'Return O L-rd, the myriads of Israel's thousands.'"
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To mark their 30th anniversary, Machon Meir institutions are holding a gathering of all alumni from 1974-2004 on Tuesday, Tammuz 3 (June 22) at Jerusalem's Givat Ram stadium, 5:00-10:00 PM. For more info: torah@machonmeir.org.il
Rashi explains, "Who are 'Your enemies'? They are the enemies of Israel. Whoever hates Israel hates Him whose word brought the world into existence. As it says, 'Your enemies have lifted up their heads.' (Psalm 83:3) Who are these? The next verse continues, 'They take crafty counsel against Your people.'"
When we encounter the anti-Semites' hatred of Israel, we puzzle over why they hate us when we have done them no wrong. Seemingly, their hatred has no logical cause. Quite the contrary, down through the ages the Jewish People, with their benevolent soul, have done only good for mankind.
Truthfully, however, Israel's soul, through which G-d's light is revealed on earth, is the "problem". It is precisely Israel's nature, their goodness and light, and the fact that G-d is part of their name, which have always disturbed the anti-Semites, past and present.
The situation may be likened to predatory beasts that hunt under cover of dark. Light disturbs them from finding their sustenance. The anti-Semites fight us, thinking that they can thereby snuff out the light of the world. Yet they will never succeed. Quite the contrary, in the war between the sons of light and the sons of darkness, Israel will prevail:
"I proclaim G-d's decree: He said to me, 'You are My son. This day have I begotten you. Ask me and I shall give you nations for your inheritance, the ends of the earth for your possession. You shall break them with an iron rod. You shall dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel.'" (Psalm 2:7-9)
In our own times, we have suffered from anti-Semitism worse than all other generations. In the Holocaust, the nations spilt our blood and millions of Jews died sanctifying G-d's name due to hatred of Jews. Unfortunately, this terrible sickness still finds a home in the hearts of Israel's enemies, a hatred synonymous with hatred of G-d. This hatred is revealed not only through hatred of Jews in the exile, but also, and in fact, chiefly, through hatred of the State of Israel:
"Your enemies have lifted up their heads. They take crafty counsel against Your people?. They consult together. They form an alliance against You. The tents of Edom and the Ishmaelites?. They say, 'Let us take to ourselves the houses of G-d in possession.'" (Psalm 83)
In the war of the sons of light against the sons of darkness, the People of Israel will be victorious. As Moses said, "Arise, O L-rd, and scatter Your enemies! Let Your foes flee before You."
Each morning before reciting the Shema, we say, "Make us walk upright to our land." The word for "upright", "komemiyut", can be translated to mean "two floors", or "two stages", and indeed, our victory over our enemies involves two stages. The first stage is for Israel to be strengthened militarily and economically. The second stage is for Jewish unity and the nation's spirit to be strengthened. This spiritual dimension is occurring through a return to tradition and to our holy Torah. Through this, we will hopefully merit to see with our own eyes the fulfillment of Numbers 10:36: "When the ark came to rest, Moses said, 'Return O L-rd, the myriads of Israel's thousands.'"
------------------------------------
To mark their 30th anniversary, Machon Meir institutions are holding a gathering of all alumni from 1974-2004 on Tuesday, Tammuz 3 (June 22) at Jerusalem's Givat Ram stadium, 5:00-10:00 PM. For more info: torah@machonmeir.org.il