Tuesday, May 28

התיצבו וראו את ישועת ה'

That is a quote from Ari S. (okay, not originally...) , who spoke this evening at the Lemaan Achai dinner, while showing a clip of Iron Dome "taking out" 14 out of 15 missiles shot from Azza in the space of half a minute.
The video was filmed by guests at a wedding in Be'er Sheva durign Operation Pillar of Defense - who ran for their video cameras (rather than shelter) when the siren went.
When you think about it, the system is the large-scale equivalent of a a bullet taking down another bullet.  The concept sounded impossible to knowledgeable scientists, but impossible is normal in Israel.  In fact,  HaShem helps our army and defense systems so much, that it seems totally NATURAL that Iron Dome woudl work, and so the wedding guests didn't run for shelter, rather they pulled out their video cameras.

No, this is not a call to rely on miracles.
But it is a call to appreciate them when they happen.

(PS - yes, some American politicos said that we are gonna keep losing the propaganda wars as long as we keep defending our citizens at the same time as the Other Side ties their civilians to the rooftops of buildings that house missile launchers.   In repsonse to this reminder that "the world loves dead Jews,"  Ari got the coordinates of where the missiles WOULD HAVE landed but for HaShem's Iron Dome, and made a slide of photos of the hospitals, university campus, apartment buildings, that would have buried hundreds of Israelis.    I will try to get some of those and post them.)

Wednesday, May 8

one thing at a time....

In the past few weeks, I have had many posts in my head - so many things have come up that I want to share about the beauty of Eretz Yisrael, its people and public.
But BH life has also been so busy with those items, that I have not had time to type.
And today si Yom SHihrur Yerushalaim, about which I coudl write a book or two...

But I will write one at a time, starting with something I am seeing now:

An ad for a Yom Limud v'Iyun on the subject of police service on Shabbat.

This past year, graduated the first class of a new program, trainign religious Jews to serve in the Police.  The program is called Ma-aminim ba'mishtara, which translates to both "Believers in the Police" and "believing in the police".   Love lashon hakodesh!!!
The Yom Limud v'Iyun is being coordinated jointly by Mechinat Elisha which runs the course, and an organization called Torah Acharei haTzava.   Yes, there is life, and Torah, during one's army service, thanks to the mechinot, yeshivot hesder adn rabbanut tzvait, and there is Torah after the army, informally and with the help of a wonderful group of people who describe their mission as "to integrate Torah in real life."

The learning  will take place BEH tomorrow, Thursday, 29 Iyar at the yeshivat Hesder in Modiin, Rehov Emek Beit She'an 53.   The program is as follows (yes, in Hebrew):
3:30 Rav Asher Melamed , Rav of the Police Mercaz District, "the value of integrating Shomrei Torah uMitzvot into the Israeli police"

4:00 Aluf Mishne (res.) Rav Eliezer Shenwald, Rosh Yeshivat Hesder Modiin, "Faith and Internal Security"

4:30 Rav Yaacov Ariel, Rav of Ramat Gan, "Halachic Challenges in the Security Services of the State of Israel"

5:15 Rav rami Rahamim Berachyahu, Rosh Beit Midrash "ma'aminim BaMmishtara", "Returning on Shabbat after a Rescue Mission"

5:50 tefillat minha

6:00 Rav Eyal Krimm, Head of the Rabbanut Division in the IDF, "Characteristics of Security Activity on Shabbat"

7:00 Rav Haim Drukman, Chairman of Yeshivot Benei Akiva, "Maamad Har Sinai, the Basis of Faith and Security"

admission is free
for more information call Penina at 08-9241167