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Last Updated: Nov 10th, 2005 - 19:31:01 |
Shabbat Shelach-
I wonder if I had lived on a snug little shady street in sleepy-town USA, away from all the sacred wars that go on here, feeling protected and free, having democratic rights- would my life have been satisfying spiritually, would I today be connected to my soul as I am now?
Would I feel a complete person?
Definitely not. Despite the toll we pay on the gesher tzar meode ( the narrow bridge) to a life of and for Eretz Yisrael.
Why am I even asking you this question about myself? I guess it has to do with the fact that my 14-year-old daughter, Merav, a shy, terrific girl, ba’ alat middot, was thrown into prison last month for demonstrating against the intended disengagement. She stood quietly, holding up a sign that said- “Jews don’t throw Jews out of the homes in their homeland”. The next thing she knew she was being dragged by her long orange ponytail into a police van, from there to prison for the next 4 days. She spent that time with other youngsters, sometimes gazing into the cells of murderers and other serious criminals. They say crime has risen drastically in Israel these days. It’s no wonder, with police running after 14 year old honor students for quietly demonstrating about this government’s evil plan to uproot Jewish settlement of 30 plus years and let terrorists have a better aim at Ashkelon and Chadera.
We don’t live in Gush Katif, or North Shomron, where the lo aleynu pullout is pending, however, every Jew is a brother, every house- a home. For this we STRUGGLE today.
I think back 20 years ago, almost to this day, when we moved to Israel, to Itamar, a then wild, ungrown place. We were full of dreams and feeling a great opportunity. There were struggles then too, struggles with the Land- making it fruitful, struggles with being isolated, with harsh conditions. Chazal say that this is a hard place, this place we live. It was from here that Yosef was sold down to Mitzrayim, Dina taken… and a place where today- Arabs have rights to carry weapons and have used them against us. It is a place of war against the enemy, who sit upon the gravesites of kivrey avot desecrating and burning.
We live in a heartbreakingly beautiful landscape, surrounded by mountains all around- hugging you, facing the very place that Am Yisrael were gathered together for “Shechem echad al achecha”. It is the exact place that Yosef was later returned to for a final rest after he forgave and forgot that his brothers sold him out and threw him out of his home. He didn’t war against THEM, despite what they had done.
The people that live here have a sense of that, of what the inner essence of this place means. The ancient memories persist on your conscience, the forefathers are here in your psyche, holding you up. On a Kabbalistic level Yosef means Yesod- foundation. Yosef represents unity- so if there is no unity, there is no foundation. Without foundation there can be no Malchut (majestic dominion)- or Mashiach ben David. The Vilna Gaon wrote in his sacred book over 200 years ago that we must pray for Mashiach ben Yosef every day not to die in war. Only now, as the Jewish government in Eretz Yisrael arrests minors for demonstrating, as the Jewish army tears down Jewish ownership of property- when we have reached this point of the struggle do we begin to understand what this means. No unity- no foundation- it all falls apart.
Our right to demonstrate for what is right; not to uproot Jews from their homes remains a struggle. We are set before many painful challenges and have to remain strong, internalizing the Yesod concept of strength – the strength of Yosef Hatzadik. It is from him that we learn that strength doesn’t come after one “makes it”, after one climbs the mountain. Indeed, it is striving during the process, during the STRUGGLE (like, when thrown into the pit, thrown into nisayon of forbidden love, thrown into jail, and later striving to gather the brothers together (antithesis of the disengagement). If we can only understand a millionth of what Hashem wants, let it be Hashem echad.
We are far from saying “mission accomplished”. We have no choice but to be strong in this struggle. The children that are raised here are very intense. They are kind and generous to Am Yisrael, fierce for Eretz Yisrael. We stand together in the struggle.
My daughter has been to the Israeli courts 3 times. She is under yeshuv arrest and has been accused of trying to hurt a policeman. This is a total fabrication. They will not break her spirit or ratzon to continue in the struggle.
Hashem oz le’amo yitayn, Hashem yevarech et Amo Beshalom!
Leah Goldsmith
© Copyright 5764, 5765 by author and Tsel Harim
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