current events – The Tree of Life

Taanis Esther 5784

“‘Think not with thyself that thou shalt escape in the king’s house, more than all the Jews. For if thou altogether holdest thy peace at this time, then will relief and deliverance arise to the Jews from another place, but thou and thy father’s house will perish; and who knoweth whether thou art not come to royal estate for such a time as this?’” – Esther 4:13-14, JPS 1917 Tanach

“There is no man who has not his hour, and no thing that has not its place.” – Pirkei Avos 4:3

Esther petitioned King Ahasuerus to spare her people. She, her maidens, and the Jewish people fasted for three days, before she approached the King. She was risking her life, in doing so, because, no one could approach the king without permission. Yet, she was emboldened to approach him, after fasting, with all of her people in support of her. This is the power of achdas – unity.

Queen Esther was given her moment: “who knoweth whether thou art not come to royal estate for such a time as this?” (Esther 4:14). Esther was made queen, before Haman hatched his plan to eliminate the Jewish people. She was being called to accept the reason, from a divine perspective, that she was made queen. HaShem arranges the remedy, before the sickness (Talmud).

We may also ask ourselves, to what responsibilities are we called for in our lives, based upon our position, skills, and abilities? Why has G-d placed us in the circumstances of our lives? For what purpose, according to His will? As we reflect on our past mistakes, or faults, and aveiros (sins) on Taanis Esther, let us also request that we will be strengthened to follow through on the tasks in life that are uniquely our own to fulfill as individuals. And, may we also see hidden remedies revealed as miracles in our own lives.

In like manner that Esther and the ewish people cried out to HaSHem, let us consider that we have HaShem to seek as a refuge, both then and now; we should not take His shield of protection for granted; “our refuge and fortress in Whom we trust” (Psalm 91:2). We should seek Him in all of our trials and tribulations, keeping in mind that He is the Source of our well-being.

Especially, at this time in history, wherein we are challenged in such a time as this, to face the realities of the day. What is our unique role as a people at this time? And, what can we do to confront the nisyanos (trials) that we face in the midst of division, strife and hatred. Moroeover, to pray for K’lal Yisrael (All of Israel), especially, to remember our brothers and sisters in Israel.

Day Two: The Waters of Division

On the second day, G-d spoke the firmament into existence. He separated between the waters beneath and above the firmament. This separation brought into actuality, the atmosphere of the earth, and the point where space begins. Although, Ramban contends that the separation was between the spiritual domain and the material existence of the Universe. This rendering would denote the difference between Heaven, in the sense of a spiritual realm, and earth, akin to malchus – where G-d’s Presence can be found by way of His quality of immanence.

Unfortunately, many today in the world, have no concept of the heavenly as a spiritual dimension, except to a vague degree, nor, are some able to see beyond the material, acknowledging the spiritual. This unfortunate state of affairs has given rise to greater materialism, as well as doctrines that promote the advance of materialism. Hence, we here an emphasis on equity, to the exclusion of divinity, human rights, instead of human responsibilities to both G-d and man. Ask not what is due to you; rather, ask what you can contribute to the betterment of the world, in tandem with G-d’s design and divine plan.

Furthermore, in regard to the separation of the waters, Rashi comments that this division symbolized strife; and, for this reason, the second day was not referred to as “good.” Therefore, a parallel can be drawn to the disvalue of strife, as opposed to the inherent value of unity. As applied to a modern-day context, it can be understood that a separation between spiritual and material is problematic, in that both were meant to complement each other. The phrase, “heaven and earth” epitomizes this complemental relationship between the spiritual and material realms. To deny the spiritual realm in favor of the material leads to imbalance, and visa versa as well. The incorporation of the two leads to the fundamental aspects of our nature being acknowledged, so that harmony can prevail within and without.

Being Human is Key

When you begin to associate the identity of another person with his or her politics, then you are viewing them through the lens of identity-politics. Therefore, you have fallen prey to the divisive zeitgeist of our current times. Transcend this limited view by seeing the other as a whole person, not only as someone whose view is such and such.

Whether Republic or Democrat, Woke or Conservative, pro-Israel or pro-Palestinian, we are all human beings, regardless to what degree we have or have not embraced or represented our own humanity as individuals. This does not mean that we will all be able to reconcile our differences; yet, our shared commonalities should not be overlooked. To see the other, first and foremost as a person, rather than a representative of an identity-group is key to better understanding.

Only by fostering an element of respect toward others, even if not reciprocated, can we claim our humanity. The effort starts with those who have a conscious awareness of themselves and others as created in the image of G-d. Step forward and introduce yourself by name, not by the party or political viewpoints that you ascribe toward.

Most importantly, know that you are more than the viewpoints that you uphold. The personal is not the same as the political. In-depth acknowledgment of who you are as an individual human being should be primary within the framework of identity.

Challenging the Polarities

I am an introvert; however, I am not shy. There is a difference between introversion and shyness. While shy people would like to be able to socialize with others, yet, find this challenging, introverts are not inclined to socialize with others, yet, can do so when necessary. So, I have no anxiety around conversing with others, when engaging in conversation beyond the usual small talk that people make. And, I have even become more open to speaking with others.

With this in mind, I showed up at a local pro Palestinian protest at a university campus as a peaceful counter presence, intent on conversing with anyone who was receptive to converse with me. After the protest, while the protesters were still present, I was talking with several pro-Israel students, when one of the co founders of the university SJP club approached me and introduced himself. We conversed for about ten minutes.

Additionally, I met a Jewish student who viewed Israel disfavorably; yet, we were able to connect as fellow Jews. This only goes to show that divisions can be crossed, rifts can be mended, and the impossible become possible. This is only the start for me with similar endeavors, as I plan to show up at a panel discussion next week, sponsored by the SJP university club.

This is not something that I would recommend for anyone. For myself, I have a strong background of understanding within the framework of the pro-Israel stance that I uphold. Moreover, I am somewhat familiar with the history of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict going back at least to 1935. Historical context is important, because most of the lies have sprung up irrespective of the historical facts.

In engaging in conversation with anyone about this conflict, it is important to know how to recognize false narratives that might challenge the truth. So, before I attend the panel discussion, I will continue to educate myself, in order to strengthen my stance. HaShem willing, something positive will result from the breaking down of walls that separate.

Wake Up Calls

“You that make mention of the L-RD, be not silent.” – Isaiah 62:6

Twenty years ago, my views shifted, fellow environmental minded people, human rights activists, who were all for saving the earth, turned out to be anti-Israel activists as well. Thus, the dividing line was drawn, right around the time I was seeking to learn more about my Judaism as well.

These Leftists were steeped in the theories of colonialism and anti-imperialism. Yes, this was twenty years ago. They read the works of the leading authorities on these political positions; although, I will not name the authors, lest I give them any publicity. May their works be exposed for what they are – ideas that foment revolution.

Ten years ago, I was called to task, when an extreme Leftist anti-Israel OpEd was written in a local university paper. Since I was attending that university, I felt obligated to write a letter-to-the editor. My writing, critiquing the claim of genocide by Israel on the Palestinians, was printed; and, I was asked to join the OpEd department for the university newspaper. I wrote OpEds for three semesters, often in support of Israel and a godly perspective on the world.

In the summer of 2020, on a particular Friday afternoon, I began to prepare for Shabbat. The next night, motzei Shabbos, when I went online for the first time since 2 p.m. the previous day, I learned that the national guard was called out in over a dozen cities, as flames engulfed neighborhoods.

This led to my research on Wokism, the social justice movement and identity-Marxism. I wrote, based upon my findings, to bring awareness to others about these pernicious efforts of the Left to undermine society. The pro-Palestinian cause is one of the many causes that are supported by that movement.

On October seventh, at the synagogue that I attend, I heard the first reports of the tragedies that ensued that day. It was around 10 a.m., while I happened to be standing outside the entrance getting some air. As the day progressed, it was clear that this would be a day that changed everything for myself, Jews around the world, and Israel itself. Yes, it was and still is a wake-up call for all of us.

Renewal of the Soul: Change

reflections on renewal: Changes along the path of life

“You can’t go back and change the beginning, but you can start where you are and change the ending.” – James Sherman

The Gestalt Psychology of Fritz Perls teaches that change happens in the present moment. This is a very different premise than the psychoanalytic assertions of Freud, about digging into one’s past to seek resolution. In my own life, I made a conscious decision to shift my perspective, starting with my moral compass in life. Starting where you are in life in order to effect change, speaks volumes to me in regard to a personal dilemma:

I often regret, not having been raised in accordance with a deliberate moral framework based upon Torah. It is as if I have no other recourse, than to accept H’Shem’s chosen path for me, to become a ba’al teshuvah later in life. Yet, how am I to look upon my early years in life? If I still regret having had a secular education (even though I was raised in a Conservative Jewish household), then, I have not accepted G-d’s design for me from the beginning. Yet, if I accept my past, I can still change myself, and the trajectory of my life.

In further consideration of the notion of change, the above-mentioned quotation, written by James Sherman, was written within the context of how to cope with rejection. This also played a role in my life, as I’m sure rejection has for many people. Today, many Jewish progressives are dealing with the harsh rejection of their peers. This rejection is prompted by the ideologically motivated exclusion of Jews from the rank and file of the Woke Movement. Yet, perhaps these disillusioned progressives with a neshama that knows the truth will prevail, will begin again, after learning that embracing the world’s standards in something that runs against the soul.

Future Harmony

“Praise the L-RD, all who share the earth.”

– paraphrase, Psalm 148

In the beginning, mankind was created from the same handful of earth. And, we all share the earth, inasmuch that we are dependent upon its resources. We also share our own humanity with each other, if, indeed we engage with others in a humane way.

Yet, darkness is on the face of the earth, and the minds of many are clouded with ignorance, hatred, and pride. From a psychological perspective, anything below the level of consciousness, could be considered “darkness,” in the sense of scriptural understanding.

Hence, “they wander about in darkness, all the foundations of the earth are shaken” (Psalm 82:5). Truly, on a moral level, the foundations of the earth are shaken, as Western values crumble with the Woke onslaught upon civilization as we knew it.

The sharing of values should be a priority at this point for all people with a conscience, honed by a clear sense of right and wrong, according to transcendent morals. This is important, in consideration of the slippery slope of society into a morass of an almost anything goes melee.

Dissonance and consonance amongst different sets of values and belief systems abound; yet, for the most part, the world has become divisive, regardless of whatever one’s religious, secular, or ethical belief system may have in common with another. The commonalities are overlooked, in favor of division.

The catalyst for this division is the Woke identity-Marxism that posits a view of the world through power dynamics. All peoples are divided into oppressed or oppressor categories. A new definition of sin is propagated by the social justice movement, dependent upon these categories; and condemnation is spewed from their mouths.

Where can harmony be found for all peoples? In acknowledgment of what we have in common: we were created in G-d’s image. Let us uphold that image though the mirroring of His Attributes. And, wait upon the L-RD.

Myths and Facts 2

I am not ignorant of the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict, nor the extreme Leftist positions that are posited upon propaganda that created the Palestinian Myth. I encountered these claims years ago, and have been countering them even moreso since October 7^th. Here are some more refutations of false claims:

Regarding the checkpoints, these are in place to prevent the infiltration of terrorists. For every successful terrorist act in the past over the years, there have been at least ten others that have been foiled. Who is to blame for the check points? It is necessary for the safety and the protection of Israelis, two-million whom are Arab. Incidentally, case in point, there is no apartheid in Israel. Jewish, Christian, Arab and Druze Israelis all live side by side with each other, work together, and eat together. There are Arab members of the Knesset. The Israeli-Arabs are not second-class citizens.

Regarding the Palestinians, consider the following: Palestinian workers in the kibbutzim – the southern communities, that were decimated by Hamas on October 7th gave strategic information to the terrorists, concerning the Israelis. The very same Israelis who were peace activists and some of these Palestinians worked for them on the Kibbutzim, others were given rides by the Israeli peace activists to work inside Israel, and hospitals when necessary. Additionally, these past two years, before October Seventh Israel was pressured to permit more Palestinian workers to enter Israel. It has been discovered that this was a ruse; they were in Israel collecting information.

Furthermore, there is no genocide on the part of Israel toward the Palestinians. This is easily refuted in consideration of the treatment that has been shown to Palestinians over the years, prior to October Seventh. Truckloads of humanitarian aid had been entering Gaza over the years. No country intent on the destruction of another people would also give them humanitarian aid. Nor, would that country warn civilians by dropping leaflets, making calls on phones (texts), or dropping warning signals that make a loud noise, yet, do not harm – all done before targeting Hamas operative in the area. Yet, Israel has been approaching the situation in this manner for years.

Israelis treat Palestinian men, women, and children in Israeli hospitals, when they can not get treatment elsewhere. Incidentally, Jews and Arabs work side by side with each other in the hospitals. Yet, it is Hamas who uses its own people as human shields. It is Hamas who calls for genocide against Israel, and its supporters in the streets who shout out the slogans. A recent study done by the Arab world for Research and Development found that only 13% of Palestinians opposed the massacre on October 7^th.

Shame on those who spread lies. There are both ideologues, who deliberately promote false claims, and distorted viewpoints. Then, there are the naive person on the fringe of the pro-Palestinian movement, as well as the wider social justice movement that includes the former cause. May the truth about the Israel be brought out into the light for all to perceive.

see full post here

Myth and Facts

October Seventh changed everything for most people with a conscience and some semblance of humanity. Israel is united against an existential threat; many Leftists are disillusioned; they realize that peace is not favored by most Palestinians. Yet, if it has made less of an impression on Jewish Leftists outside of Israel, and even less on non-Jewish social justice warriors.

I write extensively on the intersectionality of the Pro-Palestinian cause within the social justice movement. Progressive Jews are being marginalized by their peers because they are Jewish; this serves as factual evidence of the equation: anti-Zionism equals antisemitism. (The Woke movement is not about the individual; it is about the ideology; individuals who differ are cast out).

Israel is under existential threat from five fronts: Gaza, the West Bank, Lebanon, Yemen, Syria; in addition, the social-media “front” promoted by organizations such as I.M.E.U. (Institute for Middle Eastern Understanding). The Leftist propaganda incites others to parrot the lies and slogans that many do not even understand. This furthers the invective and vitriol against Jewish people. Yet, when confronted, the naïve have changed their position, that had been based on ignorance.

One of the big lies rests upon colonialism; yet, the Jewish people are indigenous to Israel for several thousand years. There were no Arabs referred to as Palestinians until after 1967, when it became convenient for them to use the name for nationalistic reasons. There has never been a so-called Palestinian state. They are intransigent; they rejected every partition and peace plan from the Peel Commission to the Oslo Accords and continue to do so to this day.

There is graffiti on a wall in Ramallah, wherein David is depicted with a slingshot aiming at IDF soldiers. So, the Palestinians are the oppressed who were resisting their oppressors? This turning around of the narrative began years prior. Israel was attacked in 1948 by the greater powers of five Arab armies. Not until 1967, did the narrative shift as a deliberate ploy, by Yaser Arafat’s KGB advisors, who instructed him to present his cause in light of resistance of the oppressed versus the oppressor.

This is also part of the larger narrative, promoted by the so-called social justice movement today, that decries the ills of Western society. Many Leftist activists are pro-Palestinian, because it is one of the many causes raised up against the establishment of Western values. It is about the revolution for them, not the cause; so, facts don’t matter to them, as long as their lies support the revolution.

Most people in the Woke Movement that divides all peoples into only two categories, the oppressed and the oppressor do not know of its origins or deep-rooted Marxist ideology. They are being lured into an oversimplification of issues. And, the indigenous Jewish people of Israel, who have suffered oppression for 2 thousand years, are still suffering.

Intersectionality of Causes

The intersectionality of causes within the social justice movement allows for any cause to gain attention when brought to the forefront of the movement. The Pro-Palestinian cause has been one of the many human rights causes amongst activists going back several decades; this should not fall upon deaf ears. What we are seeing in the streets at the Pro-Palestinian (pro Hamas) protests is the current mainstream manifestation of a cause that has been supported by Leftist ideologues, years prior to the mainstream support for the social justice movement.

This cause is the tip of the iceberg of a movement that had previously been limited to ideologues, yet has now gained adherents from the mainstream, especially with the onset of the BLM protests in the summer of 2020. It is the manifestation of a cultural revolution, construed for the purpose of undermining the established norms of society that began to crumble in 1960’s America.

Wokism is cultural Marxism, designed for the sensibilities of Americans with compassionate hearts, yet no clear principles to guide their compassion. For those with a conscience, yet no specific moral framework to inform their conscience. It is a shame when people with good intentions have compassion for the oppressed, yet, incite hatred toward others. Real compassion freely flows to all peoples, not only the designated oppressed identity groups defined by the Woke Movement.

The current proliferation of anti-Israel sentiment is largely fueled by the underlying Woke mentality of dividing the world into oppressed and oppressor categories. The social justice movement is the catalyst; it views Israel as an oppressor; as such, Jewish people receive the fallout. The false ideology of the social justice movement must be defused, by addressing the misinformation and perpetuation of lies, as well as the naivete of the fringe followers. It is better to make the effort now to change people’s minds, before the ideology becomes concretized.