B"H

THOUGHTS FOR THE MONTH OF TAMMUZ

Dear Friends:

 

Now we enter the difficult days of summer.  Is it not amazing that the non-Jewish world looks upon these days as representing FREEDOM, HAPPINESS, VACATION, RELEASE FROM RESTRAINT, PLEASURE, and we - lehavdil - the Nation of G-d , look upon them as the greatest challenge of our year, the days during which our greatest tragedies have occurred.

 

Just to walk down the street in the summer is a huge test.  In Jerusalem last week, I saw a man with a cloth hanging down from the front of his hat to shield his eyes from what he should not see.  He was negotiating the sidewalk as best he could.  We must guard our eyes and our souls.  We must try to erase the pollution which is eating away at our souls. 

 

Under the burning sun of Eretz Yisroel, tragic and horrific events occurred during this season, and they did not occur for no reason.

 

Please, my dear friends, listen to the words of the Yom Tov Mussaf service, which we recently said on Shavuos: "Because of our sins we have been exiled from our land and sent far from our soil.  We cannot ascend to appear and to prostate ourselves before You, and to perform our obligations in the ... great and holy House upon which Your Name was proclaimed, because of the hand that was dispatched against Your Sanctuary."

 

Someone said on our return from Israel, "Welcome back to Golus." Do you think our Exile is over?  Is Exile only outside the Land of Israel? 

 

No, my friends, it is not so.  Ask anyone in Sderot if the Exile is over.  In Ashkelon! In the Golan Heights!  In Yehuda and Shomron! 

 

Ask any perceptive Jew in the heart of Yerushalayim or Bnai Brak ... or Borough Park ... anywhere!

 

Why did it happen?  "Because of our sins."

 

How will it be cured? Because of our teshuva, our repentance!  It's all in our hands.

 

My dear friends, the headlines proclaim, "Truce with Hamas."  On our recent flight an El Al stewardess said to me, "Now perhaps we will have peace."

 

LET'S WAKE UP BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE!

 

"Eichah... Alas, she sits in solitude.  The City that was great with people has become like a widow.  The greatest among nations the princess among provinces, has become a tributary. She weeps bitterly in the night and her tear is on her cheek."

 

We sit among ashes on the FORTY NINTH LEVEL of degradation, wandering aimlessly and leaderless, lost in Exile, a Nation almost devoid of unity and hope.

 

IS OUR HOPE TO MAKE A TREATY WITH A NATION THAT HAS HATED US SINCE THE DAYS OF OUR FATHER ABRAHAM?  HOW NAÏVE CAN WE BE?  HOW THIS SOPHISTICATED, BRILLIANT NATION GRASPS AT STRAWS! 

 

ALL BECAUSE WE DO NOT WANT TO DO TESHUVA!

 

The Torah warns us [1] against making treaties with our enemies.  There is absolutely NO SECURITY in that.  ONLY ONE PEACE TREATY COUNTS: PEACE AMONG AM YISROEL AND PEACE WITH OUR FATHER IN HEAVEN!  IT IS ALL THE SAME, MY FRIENDS.  PEACE WITH G-D WILL COME IMMEDIATELY AS SOON AS THERE IS PEACE AMONG HIS CHILDREN. 

 

It is well-known that we are in Exile today because of Sinas Chinom [2] unwarranted hatred among the Children of Israel.  But the question is: do we believe it?  We pay lip service to achdus and ahavas chinom, love among our family, but do we live as if our lives depend on it? 

 

ANNOUNCEMENT: OUR LIVES DEPEND ON IT!

 

There is NOTHING ELSE of importance except this!  NOTHING!  If we would become once again like "one man with one heart" as we were at Mount Sinai, and stand together before our G-d saying once again, "Na'ase v'nishma," we will live Your Torah, the Redemption would come in the blink of an eye!  The entire world would instantly be at peace, our internal and external enemies would have disappeared before we knew it, the Temple would stand upon Mount Zion and Moshiach ben Dovid would reign forever in Jerusalem the Holy City. 

 

IT IS UP TO US AND ONLY US.  HAMAS IS NOTHING!  IRAN IS NOTHING!  BIN LADEN IS NOTHING!  THEIR THREATS AND BULLETS HAVE POWER ONLY BECAUSE THE POISON REMAINS IN OUR HEARTS! 

 

As Kalev says to the Children of Israel: "You should not fear the people of the land, for they are our bread. Their protection has departed from them." [3]

 

TESHUVA!  ACHDUS!

 

THERE IS NOTHING ELSE, MY FRIENDS.  ABSOLUTELY NOTHING!   MAY WE SEE THE GLORIOUS DAY OF OUR REDEMPTION THIS MONTH, AND BRING HEALING TO THE WORLD!

 

 

With love and hope, Roy S. Neuberger

 

 

© Copyright 2008 by Roy S. Neuberger

---

[1] See Ramban on Genesis 32:4 (thanks to Rabbi Osher Jungreis for this reference)

[2] Tractate Yoma 9b

[3] Numbers 13:9