Israel Be Strong and Be Light

     With antisemitism on the rise with the call for a boycott of Israeli products even on Facebook perhaps Israel should take a look inwardly.  Of course every nation makes mistakes, but Israel is special.  It's G_d's country.
      In Deuteronomy (Devarim) Moses states in 4:8-10 "And which is a great nation that has righteous decrees and ordinances, such as this entire Torah that I place before you this day?  Only beware for yourself and greatly beware for your soul, lest you forget the things that your eyes have beheld and lest you remove them from your heart all the days of your life, and make them known to your children and your children's children the day that you stood before Hashem, your G_d, at Horeb, when Hashem said to me, 'Gather the people to Me and I shall let them hear My words, so that they shall learn to fear Me all the days that they live on the earth, and they shall teach their children.'"
      Rabbi David Abudraham (Abarbanel) states in reference to 'entire Torah,' "The key word is entire, for the Torah;s infinite wisdom is recognized only when it is seen, studied, and understood in its entirely."
      Rabbi Shlomo Yitzchaki (Rashi) states, "Only if you remember the laws and perform them perfectly will you be respected by the nations, but if you permit forgetfulness to pervert your proper performance of the commandments, you will be regarded as fools.  The Torah is not a grab bag from which one may pick and choose.  It is like the blueprint of a complex edifice; unless every part is followed, the building may collapse."
     Rabbi Chaim Ben Attar (Or Chaim) states, "So that they shall learn to fear Me.  The very fact of the Revelation as enough to implant a sense of awe into the Jewish soul, so that fear of G_d became part of the nature of the Jew.
     "Moses implied that fear of G_d is an essential outcome of the study of Torah and contemplation of the Revelation Meditation that does not lead to commitment and action is entirely insufficient."
     Israel, it is time to look at your study and at your actions.  If they are aligned with the Torah, continue on.  If they are not aligned with the Torah, try harder to do better and do Teshuvah (repentance).  Unfortunately, the darkness is targeting the light's imperfections.  Be strong and be light.


P.S.  To my blog readers:  If you want to support a struggling math/engineering teacher and author, please buy my first book, "The Romance of Kilimanjaro," soon to be followed by my second book at:  https://www.tatepublishing.com/bookstore/book.php?w=9781613464960         Thank You!