America, the greatest democracy on earth, has struck a deal with a nation known for funding terrorists around the world; a nation that proclaims its desire to wipe out Israel and the U.S.
Yet, amazingly, Washington will grant Iran billions of dollars and the opportunity to further develop its nuclear ambitions.
Not to worry, say the administration and its apologists, these nuclear developments will be under inspection. But there is something in the agreement that should give us all pause. Inspectors will be allowed onsite only 24 days after Iran has received due notice.
Can you imagine law enforcement agencies having to announce a raid to drug cartels 24 days before arrival? It would be laughable if it weren’t so tragic. Even as that heinous deal was struck, the ominous cry of “Death to America” continued to echo in Iran.
Ours is a generation that prides itself on tolerance, on anti-racism. So how can one be an anti-Semite in such a world? Anti-Zionism is the new way of marketing old-fashioned anti-Semitism. After all, we are told that Israel is an “occupying country” that abuses its Arab population very much like the Nazis did the Jews.
Amazingly, no matter what Israel does – no matter how much kindness and healing it extends, even to those who are obsessed with its annihilation – it remains a pariah in the world.
Goebbels, the despicable Nazi propagandist, was a firm believer in a technique that today’s haters of Israel are using to their advantage: Repeat a lie long enough and in no time it will become truth.
I regularly visit Israeli hospitals. I see men, women, and children wounded and paralyzed in attacks by radical Muslim terrorists. I see their suffering. I see their tears for family members who didn’t survive the attacks. And on a number of occasions the very terrorists responsible for the carnage are recuperating in the same hospital, given the same care and consideration as their victims.
And yet Israel is accused of being a “Nazi-like” nation.
Should there be an earthquake, a tsunami, or any other natural disaster in any part of the world, you can be rest assured that Israel will be among the first responders. Should there be a drought or a famine, Israeli expertise will come to the rescue.
But the world has dubbed Israel a brutal occupier.
This new anti-Semitism marketed for the 21st century as anti-Zionism has become viral. But it is not only the nations of the world that have bought into this. Tragically and shamefully, there are those among our own people who have joined the chorus. We can find them in the BDS movement and in academic and media venues around the world.
There is a beautiful chassidic story about a rebbe who was walking with his disciples when he noticed a little boy behind a tree crying bitterly.
“Why are you crying?” the rebbe asked.
“Because I’m hiding and no one is looking for me,” the boy replied.
The child’s words pierced the rebbe’s heart.
“Woe is us!” he exclaimed. “G-d is waiting for us to find Him but we have failed to search for Him. Woe is us!”
Yes, even in the midst of frightening world events we have failed to search for our Heavenly Father – but He is waiting for us. He wants us to reach out to Him and find Him.
Maimonides taught that when suffering is visited on us we are commanded to cry out and awaken our people with the sound of the shofar. Every one of us must be alerted to examine his or her life and commit to greater adherence to Torah.
Maimonides warned that if we regard the tragedies that befall us simply as happenstance, as the way of the world, we are guilty of achzarius – cruelty.
At first glance it may be difficult to understand why Maimonides would chose an extreme word like “cruelty,” but if we think about it the answer becomes obvious. If we regard our pain and suffering as mere coincidence, we will not be motivated to examine our lives, to search for our Heavenly Father and return to Him.
With regard to our present predicament there is a midrash that should give us chills. In the Yalkut Shemoni it is written that before the revelation of Mashiach the world will be in turmoil. The king of Persia – today’s Iran – will provoke the king of Arabia. The king of Arabia will go to Edom (the leader of the Christian nations) to take counsel, while the king of Persia will threaten to destroy the entire world.
Israel will be in a state of panic. The sage Rabbi Yitzchok counsels: “Say unto them, ‘My children, do not fear; the time of your redemption shall come…and this last redemption will be different from the first that was followed by further bondage and pain. After this last redemption you will not experience any further pain or subjugation.’ ”
The Klausenberger Rebbe, zt”l, referring to this teaching, said, “Remember these words. They are perhaps not understood now but in time they will be and will be a source of strength to our people.”
Had you heard these prophecies centuries ago when they were written, you might have laughed. Even if you’d read them as recently as 40 years ago you would have scoffed. After all, the shah of Iran was a staunch American ally and Israel’s best friend in the Middle East. But in the blink of an eye the shah was gone and the Iranians are now committed to Israel’s destruction.
Let us follow the teaching of Maimonides and awaken our people. In unison let us call out to our G-d, for it is only He who can protect us. Only He can be our shield. We do not have to negotiate with any government. We do not need favors from politicians. We have a Father in Heaven and we must only turn to Him. Let us not forget the teaching of the Haggadah – “In every generation they arise against us to annihilate us but the Holy One, blessed be His Name, always saves us from their evil clutches.
When I was in Bergen Belsen, I knew without any doubt that we the Jewish people would survive. My saintly father engraved this faith on the tablets of my heart. What I did not know, however, was at what price we would survive: six million of us destroyed. The human mind cannot comprehend it.
The Nazis in Iran, the country spoken of in the aforementioned midrash, are well on their way to developing a weapon capable of…I can’t even finish the sentence. I know for sure that G-d will not abandon us and that the Jewish people will survive, as it survived the Nazis in Germany seventy years ago. But at what price?
Let us pray. Let us pray as one. There is nothing that brings more joy to our Heavenly Father than seeing His children praying together in harmony and love.
May G-d grant us the privilege of greeting Mashiach with joy very soon in our day.
(To be continued)