Loving and Supporting Our Soldiers, Our People – a Charedi Sister Speaks

The Following was written by a Woman Living in a Charedi Community in Israel. The Deaths of a close family member and the Three Boys who were Cruelly Taken from the People of Israel, and now, the Just War Against Terror in Gaza, made it so clear that the Jewish People of  All Stripes Are One People, One Family, and that “Achdut” – Unity and Love for One And Other is Above All What We Need to Strive For.

Lema’an Achai Veraiay, Adabrah nah SHALOM BACH,
Lema’an BEIT HASHEM Elokeinu , Avaksha TOV LACH

Peace is in YOUR power to achieve, for Hashem’s sake and for your good.

Now begins the three weeks of “Bein Hametzarim” for Klal Yisrael.  In a certain sense, in different extremes, depending on where we live in Eretz Yisrael, we have become under siege due to the constant sirens that are keeping us semi homebound.  Please let’s really work on ourselves during this time to break barriers that are stopping us from truly fulfilling the very vital Mitzvah of ‘VeAhavta Leraiacha Kamocha’.

Around a month ago we were all shocked by the deaths of the three kedoshim, Eyal, Gil-Ad and Naftali a”h.  On the Erev Shabbos before they were kidnapped, I heard that a Rav said that when a Jew is captured it is as if Hashem Himself is captured.  In my limited understanding, this concept was hard for me to grasp.  During the Shiva it dawned on me how intense the dynamic is between a parent and child.  So too we cannot begin to imagine the extremeness of our Father Hashem’s pain when His children are in pain.  Hashem does not ‘want’ His children to suffer for another minute the pain of Galut and Nisyonot – it pains Him the most.  Mashiach is ‘right behind the curtain’ begging to come.  Hashem is waiting for us to come to His Home, the Beit Hamikdash.  We all know that the Beit Hamkdash was destroyed due to senseless hatred.  Hashem is kivyachol waiting for all brothers, all Klal Yisrael to unite truly and feel for each other like brothers do and then we may merit the ultimate reunion of Father and Son, Hashem and Bnai Yisrael.

We live in very busy times, which makes this challenge of feeling and finding the time to really care about each other much harder.  The following are two messages that I hope may help you too, to achieve our goal of Ahavat Chinam in this trying Galut (True, we are Baruch Hashem in Eretz Yisrael, but still awaiting the Coming of the Mashiach when we will all truly be freed from the shackles of Galut):

1. BE STRONG! Be strong in your Emuna (guilt –  regretting) is not Jewish) and feel secure because Hashem in his infinite wisdom and love for His children orchestrates this world so brilliantly exactly as it’s meant to be for your good.  Hashem knows exactly what each man’s mission is in this world and Hashem wants us to become the best people we can be.  Hashem co-ordinates each action, every word that is said to us (sometimes hurtful), every nisayon (gift in disguise) that is sent our way so that we may achieve the most we can in this world.  Sometimes we need small injections of pain, to help us become better people.  Hashem knows exactly what dose each person needs in order to fulfil his purpose in this world.  If we could see the other side of the tapestry we would be in awe of itsbeauty.

2.DON’T JUDGE!  After we hear of the passing of a person, we say, “Baruch Dayan HaEmett”.  HASHEM IS THE ONLY TRUE JUDGE!  Please, leave it to Hashem to judge a fellow Jew who has wronged you or who serves Hashem differently to the way you do.  Don’t point fingers and think you know or could do better.  You can never ever be in someone else’s place and therefore can never understand why he behaves the way he does.  Everybody has to work on their own individual Teshuva and Hashem knows how to lead every Jew to that destination.

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We are the chosen nation and we the Jewish people are all the children of Hashem.  As one may see from his own children or siblings, each child has his own interests and is drawn to different things.  As parents, we need to accept and appreciate each child’sintrinsic

individuality and thereby help him develop fully.  No two people’s physical looks are the same and no two people have the same inner make-up either.  That is how Hashem created us.  In the same way, Klal Yisroel are made up of 12 shevatim (tribes) and the Torah says “Yachad Shivtei Yisrael”.  Every Jew serves Hashem in his own way and if he may be doing something wrong, leave it to Hashem to take care of him.  We have to respect and love each Jew even though we may not understand what his heart is drawn to.  Breslov’s heart (way of serving Hashem) may be in “Simcha”, Chabad’s heart in “Moshiach”, Mizrachi’s heart in “Tionut/Zionism”, Litvish’s heart in “Limud Torah”…  Each Jew has his beautiful way of serving Hashem and we have to accept and LOVE him for it.  The greatness of Matan Torah was that we came together as one (ke’echad) and we said ‘Na’aseh VeNishma’ as one.  Nobody is perfect in this world of Galut.  Hashem is the perfect and Only Judge.

Until the sirens were sounded in our hometowns, we did not begin to fathom or feel what our brethren were enduring in the South and we went on with our busy, busy lives.  We are only human after all.  Now I see what it is and I cannot judge anyone who doesn’t feel as strongly about our present state of siege because they haven’t been in this situation.  Try to feel that it is not about Sderot or Ashdod, Tel Aviv or Benei Brak,  Eretz Yisrael or Chutz La’oretz….we are all brothers in the same tzarah.

‘Kol Yisrael Areivim Zeh LaZeh!”“ACHAINU KOL BEIT YISRAEL BATZARAH!”

Please truly appreciate what sacrifice and hardship each soldier and his family are going through on the battlefront and at home.

Please truly appreciate the strength and protection for Eretz Yisrael that is supplied through your fellow Jew’s Limud Torah and Shemirat Shabbat, and the many Acts of Chessed – Kindness between All Kinds of Jews. Twenty thousand Israelis of all religious stripes attended the funeral in Haifa of the Lone Soldier, so that he would not travel his last road alone. This is what makes Clal Yisrael Special: We are Truly an Ahm Shel Chessed. A Nation of Kindness, even though our enemies try to portray us as the opposite.

Please break the barriers (prejudices, our busy lives) that are blocking your view of every shining Jewish Neshamah.

Let’s love each Jew Kamocha, just as much as you love your way of serving Hashem.

The month of Shloshim observed for a loved one may involve many intense minhagim that are taken upon when losing a brother.  Such is Hashem’s will for the loss of one Jewish brother is so great.  As deep as the pain is for the loss of a child or sibling, there is only one month of mourning.  Yet when mourning for the loss of a parent, the mourning period extends to a year because one has lost the mitzvah of Kibbud of VaAim.

Hashem gave us the Mitzvot of Bein Adam LeChavairo (Mitzvos between man and his fellow man) which brings us to the Mitzvot of Bein Adam LaMakom (Mitzvot between man and Hashem).  Let’s fulfil the ultimate Kibbud Av and be Brotherly and loving to every Jew.  There is no greater joy than when children get along happily. Let us put our political and social differences aside, or at least respect that None of is the Judge. That only is Hashem’s job. Love all of our brothers and sisters as they are. Appreciate what they are all doing for the Ahm, for the Nation. Hashem wants and Loves that.

Mah Ani Mevakesh Mimchem?  Elah Sheyihiyu Mechabdim Zeh es Zeh. All that Hashem asks is that we Respect One and Other.

Let us take this opportunity to come close to Hashem through His many incredible Nissim that He has shown us in this war and not through nisyonot.  We don’t need the world’s support –

we have Hashem! The Good People in the World see the Truth and do support Hashem’s Land – Eretz Yisrael and His Children.

In the midbar (desert), we had the protection of the Ananei Hakavod in Aharon’ s merit.  Aharon’s greatness was pursuing Shalom.  Let our shalom be a protection from all the missiles!

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We have witnessed 1000 nissim (miracles).  Approximately 1000 missiles have been sent with only one direct hit on a human life!  Hashem is directing many missiles to open areas, making sure that people are not home when their homes are hit, and given us the ‘refuah lifnai hamaka’ – the Remedy Before the Illness in the form of the ‘kipat barzel’ Iron Dome.

Let’s bring our Father in Heaven real Naches and hopefully through our Achdut may we merit by the end of these three weeks that Tisha B’Av will be a Yom Tov through the coming of Mashiach soon!!!  Please really believe and daven to Hashem with all your heart for Moshiach’s arrival.

PLEASE SEE THIS LETTER FROM A SOLDIER WHO IS SERVING IN AZZA PRESENTLY:

Letter from a soldier in Azza:

Today our hearts are pounding in fear.  Who of us will die?  Who will return safely?

We are your messengers in fighting.  We are fighting so you can live peacefully with your children.  So you can stay alive.  We are your protection.  Will you be ours?

We are going to this dangerous mission knowing some of us will not come back, but will rise to their next position in a storm to heaven, as Eliyahu the Navi did.

We are going with devotion and dedication.

We are asking you to be our protection with your prayers.  Protect us by going above and beyond yourselves through Ruchniyus and good deeds.

Pray for us.  Pray that you won’t see another mother burying her son.   Pray that you won’t see our wives as widows raise our children in tears.  Pray that our children will grow up knowing who their fathers are.  Pray that we will eliminate the terrorists who aim to destroy us, and that we will not injure innocent women and chidren.

Please, we are begging you, as you are reading this, don’t just go on to the next thing you are doing.  Say a chapter of Tehillim.  Wake up David HaMelech to ask Hashem for full Geulah and peace for all the world.  Take upon yourselves another good deed. And please pass this on.  I’m certain that your prayer will make a difference.

Remember, we are in it together.  We are on the front lines carrying the weapons and you are fighting along with us in your prayers.

The Bostoner Rebbe and Rav Kook from Rechovot have started a project called “Elef Lamateh”.  They have asked people to “adopt” a soldier and provide protection for him through prayers or good deeds.

Let’s start this project on behalf of the soldiers of Beit Shemesh.  If you have names of soldiers and their mother’s names or if you would like to take something on ( something small that you know will be easy for you to follow through with) please contact:

nitchazek@gmail.com