A survey conducted by the Panels Insitute revealed that 64 % of the Israeli public , and half of secular Israelis, want the Temple rebuilt. 97% of respondents know that the Temple was destroyed on Tisha B'Av ( Ninth of Av).
The survey's second question queried the public’s desire to rebuild the Temple. Sixty-four percent responded favorably and 36 percent said no. Analysis of the answers revealed that not only hareidi-religious and other religious Jews want to rebuild the Temple, (100 percent and 97 percent respectively), but also the traditional public (91 percent) and many secular Jews (47 percent) do as well.
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| "Sof Maaseh, B'Machshavah Techilah" סוף מעשה, במחשבה תחילה ("The final outcome has been conceived of at the outset") | ||
"It does not require a majority to prevail, but rather an irate, tireless minority keen to set brush fires in people's minds."
Samuel Adams, American Revolutionary
"A really efficient totalitarian state would be one in which the all-powerful executive of political bosses and their army of managers control a population of slaves who do not have to be coerced, because they love their servitude.
To make them love it is the task assigned, in present-day totalitarian states, to ministries of propaganda, newspaper editors and schoolteachers.... The greatest triumphs of propaganda have been accomplished, not by doing something, but by refraining from doing.
Great is truth, but still greater, from a practical point of view, is silence about truth."
"Nobody made a greater mistake than he who did nothing, because he could only do a little.""When bad men combine, the good must associate; else they will fall one by one, an unpitied sacrifice in a contemptible struggle."
Edmund Burke
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12 comments:
Reply to Mike:
Dear Mike,
First of all, thank you so much for your positive words re; the blog. I am glad to know that people appreciate my hard work.
Second, regarding your upset over what I wrote:
First of all, let me remind you that I am NOT a rabbi, only one simple, civilian person with my own baggage, which includes having had close relatives murdered by Nazi antisemites. These people, these Iraqis, are every bit our enemies, and would be delighted to throw us into the sea, given a chance. So please forgive me for feeling the same about them. Whom do you think they side with in this world assault against Israel? Until proven otherwise, I guarantee you, not with us. Arabs are NOT our friends. So, as long as they wish me dead, it is my right to wish them dead too. I do not consider them innocent at all, although I could be mistaken.
Let's do a test: prove the contrary to me: try to contact Iraqis on the net, any Iraqis, and casually ask them what they think of Israel and the Jews. Then get back to me with your response.
If you can get me 100 people, and out of those 100, the majority are either positive or neutral, I will accept your criticism. Otherwise, I will repeat a saying of our sages to you:
"Do not judge another human being until you have walked in his ( her) shoes."
If I appear cruel to you, what can I do; here is another saying from our tradition to respond to this as well:
" Those who are merciful to the cruel will end up being cruel to the merciful."
And as far as being "elitist", frankly, I cannot understand that word in this context. How is hating your enemies being elitist? Remember, we Jews are not Christians, nobody said we have to love our enemies. That is a Christian concept that I find very foreign. These people are my enemies, these people want me dead, and I want them dead too, without any shame whatsoever. If this bothers you, I guess you do have some very Christian sensitivities that I do not share. Again, if, on the other hand, it turns out that they are not my enemies, that they love Israel and the Jewish People, I will be happy to ask for their forgiveness and retract my words, even be their friend.
Until then I will not withdraw my words.
Mike replied:
Im not totally educated in the tradition of the sages and i wont pretend to know more than you.
From the Torah ive studied, breslov Chassidut, ive always been more inclined to Chesed and followed the mentality of "dont speak negatively about anyone".... Now, if some is doing something bad i dont agree with and i know they'll hear my crticism i'll speak no problem. If its to someone who wont listen im wasting my words and also acting a little egotistically. In this case, im considering the type of propaganda all human beings alive have been subject to by the Powers that be. They have everyone around their finger. When their freewill is being undermined through sorcery and mind manipulation by other powers, i find it very difficult to hold them completely responsible. I agree with you that 19/20 Iraqis i meet will have a very staunch anti israel sentiment and people like that cant be placated through reason. What than? should i treat him as i treat someone who actually wants to kill me? I know some who have moderate anti-israel views and others who are full blown socipaths. Those people because of their ideology are very dangerous and are more than capable of bringing their radical fanaticism into real life action.
Cont'd:
Despite all that. 4 million iraqis have been killed since the american occuptation. Put yourself in THEIR shoes for a second. Imagine you were living in their world. Dosnt that make you sad and empathetic for the suffering theyve endured? I mean, that atleast should have caused you to not make that comment. 4 million people. The US has completely ravaged these poor people. And to add to it, they dont have the advantage of knowing the G-d of Israel or experiencing true emuna. Instead they have local leaders fanning the flames of anger and radicalism towards the west (very rightfully) and israel..
I mean, this is a very tricky and sensitive subject. I really do hate all those who hate Israel and when i talk to pepple with this attitude i do 100% agree in the dictum of the sages that "Those who are merciful to the cruel will end up being cruel to the merciful". I guess in my own life, ive experienced so much suffering and knowing how bad it is i dont want to wish it on anyone. If it so happens that the enemies of Israel - muslims in particular, want to act evilly and wish destruction to the Jews; and even hope for another holocaust, than let G-d act and me keep my mouth shut.
My personal attitude is may G-d bring what you wish on Israel back on you, as the Torah says about those who curse Israel.
Cont'd:
My personal attitude is may G-d bring what you wish on Israel back on you, as the Torah says about those who curse Israel.
Though, i know there are a differing views and i dont live in Israel so i probably dont know the full depth of how serious arab hate for Israel is. I can imagine it can be difficult to not respond in a like manner.
I still do respect your blog i was just taken a bit aback by the comment you made. Ive always known you to be a kind, caring and passionate writer and i enjoy your take on the news. Maybe youre just more inclined to that position (gevurah) than i am. But as the sages say some are naturally more gevurah and others more chesed, and yet both these views have justification..... I guess if they dont go to much to either side they can be understood sensibly...
Mike added:
Also, i can only imagine what being surrounded by Arab nations who unanimously want to destroy you can be like. In that context, your statement is more understandable.
Reply to Mike:
But to respond to you briefly, the way I see the situation is; Hashem has brought judgment on Babylon. Unfortunate for those people, who happen to live in this generation, but who are also proving that they are no better than their forebears.
You don't consider them responsible - I do. Every human being has freedom of choice, even if taught wrong. Maybe as children they are not responsible, but those children will grow up to be more Jew haters, more harmful people, so what should I do, cry over their deaths? Granted, I don't like to see any creature suffer, not even animals, yet sometimes you do have to kill animals when they turn into pests. Hashem commanded King Shaul to kill EVERY Amalekite, including even their animals. King Shaul had FALSE pity, and for that he was severely punished by Hashem. King Agag got his wife pregnant before he was killed , and out of that descendant came Haman the Rasha, the evil one. So just being a child is no guarantee of goodness. Same with the Israelite babies that Pharaoh used to build the walls in Egypt: they were shown to be very evil babies, and Hashem did the people a favor by eliminating them. Yet, the suffering was horrible and intense.
Cont'd:
Hashem knows best. He knows who should live, and who should die. I myself will not go and kill another human being, I would not be capable of it - at least, I hope I will never have to be tested this way. But if Hashem decreed that those children of evil people, of enemies of Am Yisrael, should die, why should I cry? If a Tsaddik dies, then I will cry, and cry bitter tears. Also if the child of a Tsaddik dies I will feel very bitter. If the child of a good non-Jew dies, I will be sad. But the children of my enemies? Why on earth would I be sad? I am happy that Hashem is eliminating those enemies for me. If the Americans are the means, so be it. Still, I am not justifying the murder by those Americans, who are big hypocrites, I am just saying, I am glad that Hashem is doing His Judgment on Babylon.
True that even during the Seder we throw out a drop of wine for the Egyptians. So as a concession to the Haggadah, I will do the same, and throw out a drop of wine; but not without first saying Hallel, Thank God!
There was a mix-up, and Mike's original e-mail was erased. Here it is:
Im sorry DS. Did you mean this as i think you did?
Why wouldnt the death of innocent people not be a concern? I dont like the fact that these people have anti-israeli views but how much do they know? theyre like children theyre so innocent. I dont think you should have said this. It maks Jews and you in particular seem cruel and elitist. And this is something as a non jew that ive never sensed from any rabbi i look to for emuna and emet.
I respect your blog very nuch and id ask you to be more thoughtful before you say something that can be interpreted in a very negative and a tad bit malicious way.
Thankyou
blessings and shalom
michael.
Mike,
About those nice Iraqis.
By the way, I DO feel for the Kurds, and DO feel upset and sad when THEY get hurt, they are victims of a great injustice both in Iraq and in Turkey. I wish them well. If any of them got killed by Americans, my condolences.
Report: 75-Truck Convoy to Syria with Missiles
7/13/10
Former minister Mordechai Ben-Porat reported on Monday the passage of dozens of trucks loaded with Iranian missiles on Iraqi soil, en route to Syria. Interviewed on Arutz Sheva's Hebrew journal, Ben-Porat said a dispatch from a Kurdish friend of Israel living in the northern city of Irbil talked of 75 tractor-trailers loaded with big missiles, headed from the Iranian border for Syria from where some of them would make it into the hands of Hizbullah terrorists in Lebanon. He added that Iraqi authorities are not lifting a finger to stop them.
The 86-year-old Ben-Porat said his connection with the source has been constant for years. He noted, "The Kurds in northern Iraq want to communicate with us but were concerned about Israel because of its ties to Turkey. Today, since there's no need to worry about Turkey, is the time to communicate with them."
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