National Wake-up Call
When one trusts anything other than Hashem, the outcome is tragic. If leaning on Hashem can be compared to leaning on the Rock of Gibraltar, then...
Rebbe Nachman of Breslev teaches (Likutei Moharan I: 216) that Hashem immediately calls out to a person who strays from the proper path, beckoning that individual to return. Hashem summons each person in a tailor-made fashion and in accordance with that person's needs. For some, Hashem's call may be a subtle hint and for others a vocal reprimand. A "louder" call assumes the form of physical punishment; in the jargon of our sages (Midrash Mishli, 22), "A whisper suffices for the wise, but a fool needs flagellation."
Hashem's wake-up calls are also on a national level; the rise of the Hamas to power, the inability of the Israeli government to protect its citizens, the threat against Jerusalem and the wider nuclear threat of Achmedinejad are simply national wake-up calls from Hashem saying, "Come home, My children". Hashem loves us, and doesn't want us to stray. Hashem wants our hearts; the products of defense-industry high tech can't buy Hashem's love.
Iranian and Hamas threats don't bother me as much as a politician’s statement that "Israel is protected by weapons". Every time some general or Knesset member comes out with some anti-emuna expression, then something goes tragically wrong, G-d forbid. Golda Meir and Moshe Dayan in the summer of 1973 said that Egypt will "never ever be able to cross the Suez" because of the Bar-Lev line. The Bar-Lev line crumbled, despite the heroic defense of the few soldiers that manned it at the time.
When a person trusts anything other than Hashem, the object of their trust always goes sour. If leaning on Hashem can be compared to leaning on the Rock Of Gibraltar, then leaning on weapons or other nations can be compared – in the words of the prophet (see Ezekiel 29:6) – to leaning on a wobbly reed.
Above photo: Wobbly reeds…
Israel’s Arrow II missiles and state-of-the-art spy satellites will work fine, if Hashem wants them to work. Then again, if Hashem wants, even a broom can shoot.
The biggest threat to our security is neither Iran nor the Hamas; it's placing trust in anything or anyone other than Hashem. Trusting foreign powers is not only futile, but outright destructive. On a spiritual level – it leads to epikursis, outright heresy, the opposite of emuna.
Rebbe Nachman warned (see Sichot HaRan 35, 220) that Gog and Magog would not be a push-button war, but a war against emuna. Every day, we see just how deadly accurate Rebbe Nachman’s foresight is.
Gog and Magog have left us with the poison of epikursis, a nasty lack of faith and denial of Torah and The Holy One. Gog and Magog have contaminated the people of Israel with foreign values, materialism, and immorality, all which are mutually exclusive to Torah. The venom is all around us, on the TV, the radio, and especially on the web. Epikursis penetrates the mind and soul via the eyes and ears much faster than a high velocity 5.56 bullet penetrates the heart.
The purveyor of the poison that kills souls by the thousands is the Yetzer Hora, aka The Evil Inclination (EI), who works on two planes – within us, and outside us. The only way to defeat the EI is by Teshuva – good, old-fashioned atonement of our ways and a return to a life of commitment to Hashem's laws. The EI is more dangerous than Gog, Magog, Iran, North Korea, and all the world's terrorists combined. He can murder a person's soul in two short seconds. A bodily death is temporary, but a soul death is a tragedy for the next million years.
The Zohar at the end of Parshas Bo describes how The Almighty will slaughter the EI at the end of days. The EI knows that his end is near. He is therefore calling up his international reserve forces to prevent Moshiach and his own slaughter.
Promotions and decorations are few and far between in times of peace. In times of war, they come fast, but the stakes are high. This is the final fatal fight against the EI. The Bnai Noach and the Baalei Tshuva of the world have already enlisted on Hashem's side. They can't imagine the rewards that are in store for them when Moshiach arrives.
Hashem demands that we all commit. Each of us must choose between the EI and his golden calf of materialism and immorality, or between a life of commitment to Hashem and his Torah. There's not much time left, because once Moshiach comes, the ranks are closed. Now's the time to get off the fence. This is a call-up call – every additional tiny commitment to the strengthening of Torah values will tip the spiritual scales for our ultimate good. With blessings always, Lazer Brody
12/04/2008
ALIYAH Dear Rabbi Lazer,
Recently, My wife,(Denise) and I signed up with Nefesh B’Nefesh to make Aliyah by Peasch 2009. I am 100% for the move, but my wife needs a little more conviencing. We have been reading lazerbeams for over a year now and like it very much. Is this the right move for us? Are there jobs for us in Israel? We are both 50 years old, Shomer Shabbas, and attend an orthodox shul. Please reply when you have time. Sincerely,
Avigdor Randy Jonas
12/04/2008
Dear Rabbi Lazer,
Recently, My wife,(Denise) and I signed up with Nefesh B’Nefesh to make Aliyah by Peasch 2009. I am 100% for the move, but my wife needs a little more conviencing. We have been reading lazerbeams for over a year now and like it very much. Is this the right move for us? Are there jobs for us in Israel? We are both 50 years old, Shomer Shabbas, and attend an orthodox shul. Please reply when you have time. Sincerely,
Avigdor Randy Jonas