I can't handle this. Here's a young couple with a small child who left their families to live in a strange land, just for the sake of helping build the Jewish community there. You know how many kids they saved from drugs and from prison? This is their reward? This is the protection G‑d gives them?
--S
Dear S,
We're all in pain. We're all stunned. But you are asking questions you know you cannot answer. Why? How will that help anyone? What we need now is strength and courage. What we need now is to regather our forces and to rebuild.
We knew beforehand that we are at war with an enemy. We knew that the world needs to be healed, that it oozes with a venomous darkness, and that darkness will not sit passively as we steal away its dominion. We knew that the more we fight this darkness, the harder it will fight back. We didn't fool ourselves. We decided we will fight and we will win. That is why Gavriel and Rivky went where they went. They went not as tourists, but as fearless soldiers.
Once you are at war, you don't stop to ponder all over again—can we win? Is this worth it? Maybe they're worse than we thought? That's deadly. If you would rather stay home and enjoy comfort while the rest of the world sits out in the cold, you should have decided that a long time ago. Now you are out there on the field of battle, you have already awakened the bear from its den, now there is no turning back.
They are darkness. We are light. They storm the shores with death in their eyes. We come to teach compassion and acts of beauty. They carry assault rifles and grenades. We carry candles for Friday night, a Torah of wisdom, joy and beauty.
Are we to surrender before them? Are we to stop and cry and ask, "maybe we're fighting the wrong battle"?
We will fill the world with light and wisdom and the spirit of darkness in men's hearts shall forever perish. They come with their guns and their might, with a god of destruction and terror, but we come in the name of the Eternal, the source of all life and healing. They and all memory of them will vanish from the face of the earth and our lamp will burn forever.
May the Almighty G‑d hear the cry of their blood from the earth and put an end to all sorrow. May it be very soon, sooner than we can imagine.
I am with you - but I don’t know what to say...
L
We will fill the world with light and wisdom and the spirit of darkness in men's hearts shall forever perish. They come with their guns and their might, with a god of destruction and terror, but we come in the name of the Eternal, the source of all life and healing. They and all memory of them will vanish from the face of the earth and our lamp will burn forever.
Yes. Yes. Yes. Bless this man and his family and the world wide Jewish community as well as anyone these terrorists try to destroy. Let their action of destruction backfire onto them 10 fold. The Eternal light will live forever and eliminate all darkness.
Are we in the Final Days ?
It’s a bit late for a response. Since nothing was done on or after September 11, 2001 to protect normal people, it’s really late now.
Seven years later the perpetrators and their cheering section are now a protected victim class. They enjoy the benefit of being able to accuse normal people of racism and always being believed. Normal people are afraid of saying the truth for fear of losing their jobs, reputations or life.
A bit late now, don’t you think?
The time is long past to pull your hair out and ask "why, why, why?".
Western society, for the most part, is guilty of cowardice in the face of the enemy. The usual punishment for that crime is death.
My only consolation is that, in our various wars with islam, we've killed far more of them then they've killed of us. But, considering that all the muslims on earth are worth less than one Jew or Christian, it is a limited consolation.
A very wise man is this rabbi.
"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus
FTA “we teach compassion and acts of beauty. They carry assault rifles and grenades.”
Yes Rabbi, it is commendable that you are on the side of righteousness and teach compassion and do good works, but you also must be a realist. In reality it would be best to keep on with the mission of good deeds, but also be prepared to defend the life God gave you, by teaching your good people how not to be like lambs at the slaughter.
No, not everyone has to be armed. Not everyone is competent enough to be safe while armed. But certainly, some of those in harm’s way while doing God’s work, can be armed and protect the lives God is working through to achieve good works.
To be completely unprepared for muslim attack is not a good thing or a righteous thing, it is a stupid thing. God gave us the free will to be warriors for Him. We are not required to lay down and be slaughtered in order to be children of God.
God does indeed help those that help themselves. The evil muslim butchers rely on our not being prepared to defend ourselves. It’s time the world starts waking up to that fact and takes preparatory actions.
Ping!!!
Surrender to’’them’’? I’ll say we have. A Muslim has been elected to the White House.
Warning! This is a high-volume ping list.
The US should cease all aid of any sort to Pakistan and offer India any military assistance it figures it needs in dealing with pakistan.
“A great deal of intelligence can be invested in ignorance when the need for illusion is deep.”
Rabbi Freeman’s answer is so good I had to email it around.
Not to take away from the message, but please, why are you afraid to actually put GOD in the post. G-d is BS. I am not a Christian, once was but not now, but I take offense at the abbreviating of the name GOD. If people don't like it they can get the he** off of this forum. Period. I see this as a slap at our freedom and another plank added to that of PC. PC, what an abomination that is!
This is a sad comment. If this Rabbi doesn't have an answer to the question, he should just say so. Gavriel and Rivky were not fearless soldiers. They were emissaries. They were not in Iraq, or Indonesia. They were in a civilized country once again invaded by savages. This is not what this peaceful couple envisioned. Pretending otherwise calls into question everything this Rabbi Freeman has said or has to say.
ML/NJ
Personally, I suggest a whole lot of old testement style retribution as opposed to new testament cheek turning.
‘’This is the protection G-D gives them’’? Might be better to ask “Where was God in Mumbai?’’ For that matter, where was HE on 9/11?