Dear Readers..

By

Dear Readers,

“If the Lord will not build a house, its builders have toiled at it in vain; if the Lord will not guard a city, [its] watcher keeps his vigil in vain.” (Tehillim 127)

A UN resolution didn’t give the Jewish people the land of Israel, and it won’t take it away.

Sure, all fair-minded people need to push back against this last ditch effort of Mr. Obama and Kerry to stack the chips against Israel in future negotiations, if there indeed are any. This is not a partisan issue.

Israel is a beautiful example of what a democratic country can look like even in the otherwise jungle called the Middle East. For the US Ambassador to the UN to allow Israel to be singled out and not offering a counter resolution condemning calls for violence by Palestinian leadership is absurd. What’s more, per the behind-the-scenes transcript leaked by Egypt (!), Secretary Kerry and Former Ambassador to the UN Susan Rice told Mr. Abbas that he had lived up to all expectations the administration had. Really?!

We Jews have a knack for turning lemons into lemonade. I don’t think the masterminds behind this foresaw the backlash it would bring from leaders right and left. Professor Alan Dershowitz called it a stab in the back, Democrat Party Whip Steny Hoyer called the Obama administration out on this, a Bloomberg News editorial called for bi-partisan agreement in moving the embassy to Jerusalem. This step backward will yet strengthen Israel’s position, including establishing Yerushalayim as the eternal capital of the Jewish people.

It’s interesting that the part dealing with Yerushalayim is what seems to have evoked the strongest response. Many of the prophesies and midrashim describing the final challenge facing the Jewish people refer to a battle for Jerusalem, the nations of the world ganging up on the Jewish people one last time. A final rabim b’yad m’atim.

It’s already happening. Let us be ready for the miracles which are to follow.

Like we say in the minchah Amida on Tisha B’av “For you, O Lord, consumed her with fire, and with fire You will rebuild her.”

Wishing you a wonderful Shabbos Chanukah,

Shalom