Another week begins in Israel... A shooting attack in Jerusalem... The police on highest alert... The IDF attacking Gaza... And another 22 Kassams.

Not to mention the race for the leadership of the Labor Party, which will be decided Monday.
And Arkady Gaidamek, the Russian tycoon who stepped in to provide Sderot residents with some refuge by setting up a temporary accommodation in Tel Aviv.

Well I suppose that’s good news.

Someone actually doing something for the benefit of others.
Someone realizing that the people of Sderot are our people, our brothers and sisters.
That Sderot today can be Haifa or  Jerusalem tomorrow...

The time has come for the Jewish people to realize we’re all in this together.

Hamas couldn’t care less whether you’re religious or secular, Labor or Likud.
And if not Hamas, then Hezbollah or Ahmedijan.
Like Haman and Hitler before them. They want all Jews out.

And if you need proof it’s not just a war against Israel, look at the increased anti-Semitism in Europe since the IDF’s attacks in Gaza.

(Hundreds of similar attacks also occurred in 2000-2001 as well.)
The Jewish people are under threat.
Again.

Now is not the time to attack each other.
Now is the time to realize we’re one family.
I don’t expect all members of a family
to agree with each other...

And yes, there are families in which siblings don’t even speak to each other. But I bet that 99% of the time, family
members would do all in their power to protect the lives of their parents, brothers, sisters and children.

Now is the time to put our differences in perspective and understand we have much more in common than we tend
to think.

Like life, for example.

Let Hamas and Fatah kill each other.

Israel, and Jews, are different.

Every Jew is connected to every other Jew, whether in Ashkelon, Australia or America.

That’s just how it is.

And the sooner we realize that, the safer we’ll be.

Another 9 Kassam rockets last night...
More targeted IAF attacks on Hamas strongholds...
And the cycle of pointless and endless violence continues...

It’s a cycle that’s been revolving since 1948, and – in its present format – since the first Intifada.

Nothing has changed.

And nothing will, unless Israel drastically changes track.
Well that’s not strictly true. If Israel keeps up its reactive, targeted attack policy (which has got us nowhere), the Hamas, Hezbollah and our other friendly neighbors will continue to laugh at us and gently send their rockets over the fence every day until they get what they want.

After all, they forced Israel to evacuate Gush Katif with this policy. They humiliated Israel in the Second Lebanon War with this policy, so why should they stop?

Israel must do what it has to do. No fear. No hesitation.

Israeli citizens are being attacked every day.
This is not the time for “protecting innocent Palestinians.”

This is not the time for worrying “what the world will say” or “how Bush will react.”

Israel must finally realize that its future is in its own hands. And it has to take the lead in the war against evil because no-one else will.

Now is the time to allow the IDF to do what it’s supposed to do: defend Israel. And that’s by giving them free rein to eliminate Hamas in Gaza.

No more political diplomacy. At least not with Hamas.

When you’re dealing with a bunch of terrorists, you have to talk in their language.

Israeli citizens have a basic right to live without the daily threat of Kassam rockets over their heads.

And normal Palestinian citizens have a right to live without tyranny and fear...

Yes, do it by trying to minimize loss of innocent lives...

Yes, do it by giving a 48-hour ultimatum for those that want to leave Gaza...

Yes do it, by clearly explaining to the world what we’re about to do...

But DO IT!

Before it’s too late...
 
 

Lag BaOmer. That’s the name of the holiday celebrated in Israel today (and mainly last night.)

My kids stayed up all night around their bonfires. For the last month, they’ve been dragging branches, tree trunks, broken furniture and wooden legs (only joking) to prepare for this all night fire alert.

What’s it all about?

It’s all about Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai,a wise man who lived during the Roman conquest of Jerusalem some 2,000
years ago.

When the Romans outlawed Torah study, Rabbi Shimon dared to oppose them. And so they promptly issued a price for his head.

Rabbi Shimon and his son Elazar fled to a cave. They had no food but miraculously a carob tree grew nearby, along with a stream of fresh water.

They spent their entire days deep in Torah study.
For 12 years.

Then one day, Elijah the prophet visited them and told them that Caesar had died and the decree against Rabbi Shimon had been annulled.

However, since they had been exclusively involved in lofty spiritual matters for 12 years, when they left the cave they vaporized everything they saw, Harry Potter-style.

At which point a Heavenly voice ordered them back into the cave to learn how to control their spiritual powers.

Rabbi Shimon became the greatest teacher of his generation.

One of his students, Rabbi Abba, described the day of his master’s death:

“I couldn’t even lift my head due to the intense light emanating from Rabbi Shimon. The entire day the house was filled with fire, and nobody could get close due to the wall of fire and light...”

Indeed, Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai wrote the archetypal Kabbalistic treatise, the Zohar, which literally means “shining light.”

So that’s why Israeli children build bonfires 20 and 30 feet high on Lag BaOmer – to celebrate The great light and fire that was Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai.

What’s all that got to do with you and me?

At least three things I think:

1. An ideal leader will illuminate the path for his/her followers. He will not use his power to burn and destroy.

2. Although we are sad at the death of someone we cherish, we should always be encouraged by their good deeds and their impact on the world.

3. We should learn about perseverance and enthusiasm from our children. It’s certainly not my idea of a good time to get splinters in my hands the whole month just to sit and stink of smoke all night long...

But as Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach once said:
“Sometimes we should walk in front of our children to show them the way...

Sometimes we can walk with our children when they know the way...

And sometimes we should lag behind our children so they can show us the way.”

Happy Lagging!