Daily News from the Unity Coalition for Israel

Daily News from the Unity Coalition for Israel:
(from September 27, 2006)

Islamic Fascism 101, National Review Online, Victor Davis Hanson

Intimidating the West, from Rushdie to Benedict, New York Sun, Daniel Pipes

Silence of the Sheep, Freeman Center for Strategic Studies, Yashiko Sagamori

Was that really George W. Bush at the UN?, Fundamentally Freund, Michael Freund

Syria Aspires to Go Nuclear; Denies Ongoing Program, The Media Line

PA: 63% Support Hizbullah Tactics, Arutz-7, Nissan Ratzlav-Katz

Senator Santorum Expresses Concern Regarding the Growing Relationship between Iran, Cuba, and Venezuela, U.S. Congress, U.S. Senator Rick Santorum (R-PA)

Yom Kippur-- "Shabbat Shalom!" Weekly Teaching by Ron Wexler

Yom Kippur

This is the Shabbat between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur – The Day of Atonement. This period between these two high holidays is known as the Days of Awe, time for good deeds, prayers and repentance. A time to reflect on our lives and our purposes, a time to ask for forgiveness and be thankful to the Lord, for “On Rosh Hashanah they (Souls) are inscribed and on the fast day of Yom Kippur they are sealed: How many shall pass away and how many shall be born; who shall live and who shall die? Who shall be tranquil and who shall be harassed; who shall enjoy well-being and who shall suffer tribulations; who shall be poor and who shall be rich; who shall be humble and who shall be exalted?

Repentance, Prayer and Charity, avert the severity of the decree!”

It is easy for us to understand the concepts of repentance and prayer; charity is different. The sages were able to distinguish between many levels of charity and philanthropic models. The emphasis is usually on the motives of the givers and the state of mind of the recipients. It is one thing to give; it is entirely a different story however, how you give and why. One may for instance embarrass the recipient and his/her family, if the charity is given in public and with much attention. Also when put in such situation, the recipient may feel uncomfortable and indebted to the giver.

The book of Ruth describes in a most beautiful way the custom of giving the opportunity to the needy (in accordance with the word of God) to harvest with the workers (Ruth 2:2). What a magnificent way to be charitable without making the needy have to beg and be embarrassed.

Charity is God’s most favorite trait of mankind, he who is charitable and kind to others will never be forsaken!

The following is a true story I heard from my Rabbi that made me think real hard about charity, especially during these Days of Awe – charity and the way it relates to the faith in God.

In a small town in Poland lived a rich man who was known as the miser of the town. He was cheap; he never gave any charity or offered to help the needy and poor… And there were plenty of them in that town. He hardly had any friends or associates; no one wanted much to do with him, while many had a lot to say behind his back. The man had a daughter but no sons to carry on his name. When this man died, the Jewish burial society of the town decided to treat him in his death the same way that he treated others during his life. They buried him in the cemetery’s section that was designated for those who lived their lives among the wrong elements of society. In this part of the cemetery there were buried thieves and other undistinguished members of the community. No one seemed to have known what ever happened with the man’s wife and daughter who couldn’t stand the treatment they received from their neighbors and fled way.

In the weeks that followed the man’s death, the poor and needy of the town suddenly realized that the charitable portions of food that were always available to them were all but gone. The town’s butcher, the grocer and the fisherman that made sure that those who were in need could always come and collect from their shops, no longer had these portions available. Neither the clothing store owner, nor the shoemaker that also had their goods available to the less fortunate offered their help anymore.

The poor and the needy demanded to know why no longer the butcher, the grocer, the fisherman and all the others were helping as they had done before. The answer they got shocked them all; do you think the charity you received came from us, asked the merchants? You are all but wrong, it did not come from us, they continued, it all came from the man you buried in the bad part of the cemetery. This man you buried next to thieves and “low lives” came each and every week to all of us to buy the food and clothes that you all enjoyed while he was still alive.

The story caught the attention of one of the most righteous and famous Rabbis in Poland. Upon hearing the story, this great rabbi immediately declared that when his time comes, his wish was to be buried next to that man. Indeed when this Rabbi died in good age, he was buried in a grave next to the “miser of the town”.

This was not the end of the story. . .

Three generations later, a Baptist pastor from Tennessee decided to participate in an ecumenical conference. At the conference the story of the “miser” was told by the key note speaker who was an orthodox Rabbi. Following the Rabbi’s speech, the pastor, visibly shaken up, asked the Rabbi if he would repeat the story again for him in private. The Rabbi complied with this strange request and told the story again to the pastor, this time in one of the conference’s private offices. By the time the Rabbi finished telling the story again, the pastor’s face was washed with tears. This is my story said the pastor to the surprised Rabbi. You see the pastor continued, my mother was married to a Baptist pastor in Tennessee, and in fact it was his church that now I am the pastor of. I heard this very story from my mother over and over again, she used to tell me the story with tears in her eyes since I was a little boy. When my mother died, in her final moment she held my hand and said Shma Israel Adony Elohainu Adony Echad! (Hear, O’ Israel the Lord is our God the Lord is one) I am a Jew she said to me and so are you. Completely shook up by the experience, the pastor looked at the rabbi and said, I think that I am the grandson of the “miser of the town” who had no sons to carry on his name.

Years later, on a visit to Jerusalem, the Rabbi was standing in prayer next to the Western Wall, as he noticed a bearded man (like many others at the Wall) staring at him, as if waiting for him to finish. In fact, upon finishing his evening prayers, the man approached the Rabbi and asked, do you remember me? The Rabbi said no, he couldn’t place the face anywhere at all. I am the pastor from Tennessee said the man, I came to see you a few years ago, after you told the story of the “miser’s burial” in Poland. After our meeting, the man continued, I began an extensive search into my genealogy and I found out that I was right when I said to you then that . . . that was my story. I found out without a shadow of a doubt that this man in Poland was my grandfather! I live now in Jerusalem with my family as a Jew and I proudly carry his name.

“And, All living things shall forever thank you, and praise Your great Name eternally, for You are good, You are everlasting salvation, blessed are You Lord, Beneficent is Your Name and to You it is fitting to offer thanks.”

Shabbat Shalom!

Ron Wexler
President/ CEO
Ten Commandments Commission
www.TenCommandmentsDay.com

"Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: May they prosper who love you" (Psalm 122:6)

"Shabbat Shalom!" Weekly Teaching by Ron Wexler The "Shabbat Shalom!" weekly teaching is published every Friday and contains a short commentary by Ron Wexler, President/CEO of the Ten Commandments Commission on verses and teachings in the Old Testament, that are read in Synagogues during Sabbath services around the world.

Shabbat Shalom and a Happy Rosh Hashanah!

Shabbat Shalom, Rosh Hashanah

This week’s Shabbat falls on Rosh Hashanah (the head of the year). Rosh Hashanah is known as the Day of Judgment, a day when all souls are being judged in the Supreme Court of heaven. Transgressions and sins are laid down on the scale of justice against good deeds and repentance, iniquities are measured against charity, slander and evil council are opposite sincere prayers and blessings to others.

On Rosh Hashanah Jews come before God in repentance and hope to be inscribed in the book of life, blessings, peace, deliverance and favorable decrees.

(Article continues on website)

To finish reading this article, click here.
Message from Ron Wexler, President/CEO of Ten Commandments Commission, www.tencommandmentsday.com

These messages from Ten Commandments Commission are sent weekly on Fridays and they contain very short commentaries on the portion of the Bible that is read in synagogues on the corresponding Sabbath services.

Renewal of the covenant

"Shabbat Shalom!" Weekly Teaching by Ron Wexler

Renewal of the covenant

This week’s teaching is from a portion in the book of Deuteronomy, verses 29:9 – 31:30.

On the last day of his life, Moses gathered together every member of the Jewish people, from the most exalted, to the lowest, old and young, men and women, and initiated them for the last time into the covenant of God. What was new about this covenant was the concept of responsibility for one another, under which every Jew is obligated to help others observe the Torah and restrain them from violating it. This is why Moses began by enumerating all the different status of people who stood before him, and why he said that God would not hold him responsible for sins that had been done secretly, but that they would be liable for transgressions committed openly. This is essential to the world view of the Jew; for it explains why one may not be apathetic to the short comings of others and why public desecrations of the Torah are the concern of every Jew of good conscious.

According to the sages, when the people heard the frightening litany of the curses in the admonition, there seemed to have been a hopeless future for them. Moses comforted them, saying that despite all the sins of the past; they were still standing before God. Just as he had not discarded them before, so He would maintain them in the future. Fear of admonition would prevent them from sinning, and if they did sin, the punishments would bring them attainment, not destruction.

Rabbi Ressler in his “Dvar” commentary captured this moment in history: It was the morning of the 7th of Jewish month of Adar. No one has slept this past night knowing that this was to be Moses last day. All night long, in silent dread, we have stood waiting, crying, and wondering. What will we do? How will we go on? Moses our Teacher is about to die and there is nothing we can do about it! All night long we have been gathered around Moses tent as he instructed the great Joshua. Oh that we have reached this fateful day!

But wait! Joshua is coming out. Look at his face! It seems to glow with a light as bright as the shine of the moon in a dark starry night! What has happened? Where is Moses? Suddenly an expectant hush falls over all of us. There must be more than 3 million people here! Tribal heads, members of the Sanhedrin (Supreme Court), dignitaries, men, women and children.

The great Joshua turns to the tent's entrance and bows his head. There he is! It is Moses! The simple joy and love that emanates from his smile as he looks out upon all of us is magical. Each and every one of us feels the sadness and dread drain away. What regal bearing! What majesty! Even with the veil we can sense the celestial power of his radiance. We must remember this moment!

But wait! It looks like Moses is going to lift the veil. He's about to speak. His voice seems to be carried as if on the wind itself. It's an ageless voice that resonates with the echoes of Sinai. We must listen very carefully. There are his final words; today is Moses final day. And so this is how this reading portion begins... "Today you are all standing... your leaders, your law enforcers, every Israelite man, your children, your women, even your wood cutters and water carriers." (29:9)

Shabbat Shalom!

Ron Wexler
President/ CEO
Ten Commandments Commissionwww.TenCommandmentsCommission.org

First Fruits

"Shabbat Shalom!" Weekly Teaching by Ron Wexler

First Fruits

This week’s teaching is from a portion in the book of Deuteronomy, verses 21:10 -- 25:19.

The Torah now gives the details of a commandment that was first mentioned in Exodus 23:19, after the land of Israel was conquered and allocated, farmers were to take the first ripened fruits to the temple and present them to the Cohen (priest), in a ritual that included moving declaration of gratitude to God for His eternal role as a guide of Jewish history. The Jew’s gift of his first fruits or “Bikkurim”, the Cohen symbolizes that he dedicates everything he has to the service of God. For a Jew to say that his every accomplishment, no matter how much sweat he invested in it, is a gift from God is one of the goals of creation.

Rabbi Shlomo Bressler depicts in comments on this reading portion that though we instinctively understand that being happy is an important emotion, this portion seems to take this a step further than we might have thought. The verse tells us that many curses will fall onto the person that "did not serve God amid gladness and goodness of heart when everything was abundant."

Maimonides (Rambam) uses this verse to explain that the only way for people to reach their maximum potential is if they're happy. The question is: Why would performing God's will without happiness cause terrible curses if after all they actually performed what was required of them?

The sages answer that a person that is unhappy while performing God's commandments indicates that they are not emotionally involved in those acts. As we see from King David (Psalms 128:2 and 100:2) and the Talmud; happiness is required for everything done in the Temple, for the Levites to sing and for the priests to perform their duties. It is clear that the emotions behind our acts are very much a part of the acts we perform. It's now clear that the Torah is sending us a warning:

Not being emotionally involved with your religious observance will result in meaningless acts of faith.

Beware and be aware!

Shabbat Shalom!

Ron Wexler
President/ CEO
Ten Commandments Commission
www.TenCommandmentsDay.com

"Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: May they prosper who love you" (Psalm 122:6)

Interesting Facts on Israel

Source--Unity Coalition for Israel
B'nai Jehuda Bisseleh Bytes - June 28, 2006

…Israel, the 100th smallest country, with less than 1/1000th of the world's population, can lay claim to the following:

• The cell phone was developed in Israel by Israelis working in the Israeli branch of Motorola, which has its largest development center in Israel.
• Most of the Windows NT and XP operating systems were developed by Microsoft-Israel.
• Both the Pentium-4 microprocessor and the Centrino processor were entirely designed, developed and produced in Israel.
• Voice mail technology was developed in Israel.
• Both Microsoft and Cisco built their only R&D facilities outside the US in Israel.
• The technology for the AOL Instant Messenger was developed in 1996 by four young Israelis.
• Israel has the fourth largest air force in the world (after the U.S, Russia and China). In addition to a large variety of other aircraft, Israel's air force has an aerial arsenal of over 250 F-16's. This is the largest fleet of F-16 aircraft outside of the U. S.
• Israel's $100 billion economy is larger than all of its immediate neighbors combined.
• Israel has the highest percentage in the world of home computers per capita
• According to industry officials, Israel designed the airline industry's most impenetrable flight security. US officials now look (finally) to Israel for advice on how to handle airborne security threats
• Israel has the highest ratio of university degrees to the population in the world.
• Israel produces more scientific papers per capita than any other nation by a large margin - 109 per 10,000 people - as well as one of the highest per capita rates of patents filed.
• In proportion to its population, Israel has the largest number of startup companies in the world. In absolute terms, Israel has the largest number of startup companies than any other country in the world, except the U.S. (3,500 companies mostly in hi-tech).
• With more than 3,000 high-tech companies and startups, Israel has the highest concentration of hi-tech companies in the world - apart from the Silicon Valley, U. S.
• Israel is ranked #2 in the world for venture capital funds right behind the U. S.
• Outside the United States and Canada, Israel has the largest number of NASDAQ listed companies.
• Israel has the highest average living standards in the Middle East.
• The per capita income in 2000 was over $17,500, exceeding that of the U.K.
• Twenty-four per cent of Israel's workforce holds university degrees, ranking third in the industrialized world, after the United States and Holland and 12 per cent hold advanced degrees.
• Israel is the only liberal democracy in the Middle East…

Click here for the complete article, or copy and paste this link into your web browser: http://www.israelunitycoalition.org/news/article.php?id=7213

It's the Budget Stupid!

By Mike Evans

What seems to have completely escaped the American press in their analysis of Ehud Olmert's acceptance of the UN cease-fire agreement is that without US willingness to continue to supply financial aid to Olmert's government they have no choice but to stop their pursuit of Hezbollah.

According to finance minister Avraham Hirchson, the war has cost Israel some $1.6 billion so far. He has indicated he will ask the government to cut $650 million from the 2006 state budget to help pay for the war.

With the US State Department's insistence that Israel honor a cease-fire agreement with the terrorist organization Hezbollah, Ehud Olmert understands clearly the implication. No cease-fire agreement, no more bullets.

Everyone seems to understand that the war that has filled the news reports is, in fact, a proxy war being waged between America and Iran. Iran is supplying Hezbollah through Syria. America is supplying Israel.

US aid to Israelfor the current fiscal year (FY ‘06) amounts to $2.28 billion in military and $240 million in economic grants, for a total of $2.52 billion. And this was before the war began.

With a third of the country unemployed as a result of Hezbollah rocket attacks and Israel's major source of income, tourism, effectively shut down since the intifada began, Israel simply cannot prosecute the war without America's tangible financial support.

Some in the press has made it look as though Olmert's government is vacillating. They have written of Israel's lack of focus. They have spoken in terms of a muddied mission with no clear sign of goal.

What they fail to recognize is that Israel is focused like a laser, willing to take the battle in the Middle East to Tehran itself if called upon, willing to spill the blood of young Israeli soldiers in the battle against terrorism. Israel is not vacillating.

America is.

The cease-fire brokered by a corrupt United Nations and a liberal US State Department is one more action birthed out of the moral confusion which seems to have gripped the American people in regards to the war on terrorism.

If it is true, as virtually all now agree, that the war being waged in Lebanon is in fact the front in a war being fought between two contrasting civilizations with Iran playing the role of tyrant and America playing the role of Western democracy... A question is raised.

Who just backed down?

In case you missed it, it wasn't Iran, Syria, or Hezbollah.

Nor was it Israel, though many in the press seemed to believe such as the case.

It was America.

By withholding our support from Israel and demanding that they agree to a cease-fire (Which amounts to a victory for Hezbollah and the radical government of Iran) the United States of America just blinked first.

And don't think the terrorists missed it.

Not only did America blink first, they did so at the worst possible moment. August 16, 2006 was the planned day for the repeat of a terrorist attack worse than 9/11.

August 31, 2006 is the deadline the UN Security Council has given Iran to suspend uranium enrichment. The same day the G-8 conference began, Hezbollah, at the direction of Iranian government kidnapped the Israeli soldiers and set the present hostilities into motion, thus effectively distracting world attention from their nuclear ambitions.

What would possess George W. Bush, Condoleezza Rice, and John Bolton to weaken their resolve, embolden their enemies and eviscerate their only democratic ally in the Middle East at the most critical moment in the conflict?

Midterm elections? Oil prices for votes? Moral confusion? World opinion? If the answer to any of these possibilities is "yes" then we have already lost the war on terrorism. It's only a question of time before freedom gives way to tyranny.

Be assured those who are devoted to the West's destruction are not moved by such petty concerns