Yitzhak’s Legacy – What Now?

Hoshanah Rabbah 5776
21 Tishrei

It may well be that Yitzhak's merit in spending his entire life here on orders from haShem is what justifies our return to Zion and gives place to the geulah process happening at this very moment. Why? Because his traits, as discussed in my previous post and more, are the ones that have kept us going through the millennia and are the ones we need the most right now.  He also obeyed HaShem never to leave Eretz Yisrael, even through some very tough times.

Fortunately for us, he completed his task on earth quite thoroughly. No, he was not perfect. Everyone knows the story: He was fooled by his son Esav’s blandishments enough to want to give him the blessing of the first born. However, he was wise enough to realize that Ya’aqov possessed the ability to apply gevurah (take the blessing, upon Rivkah's urging) when necessary along with hesed (lovingkindness, compassion) as appropriate to a given situation. In Kabbala this combination of characteristics is called Tiferet, Beauty, which is Ya’aqov Avinu’s trademark. But, here’s the catch: For the children of Ya’aqov to restore and retain this balance requires that we go through Yitzhak. Avraham's hesed alone is insufficient, and we need a whole lot of gevurah now.

In our day official Israel loves to (at least appear to) emulate Avraham Avinu by giving kindness and compassion to the minorities here, even though the latter compete with each other as to who will damage the Jewish people the most. I say ‘appearance’ because officials have proven quite capable of using gevurah on their fellow Jews, particularly approving draconian measures to those only accused of crimes even though they haven't been convicted.
 

The government is beginning to react now. I do not expect our government to read this blog, let alone take any real action to proactively deal with problems like Arab-generated terrorism.  I am told that the police, as well as the army, want to take more action than they are allowed, and they know that law enforcement personnel in other parts of the world are not as constrained as they; furthermore, the military and police functions are better separated. But the results are clear tonight, as Arabs attack Jews with more and more impunity since they succeeded in murdering a mother and father in front of their young children just a couple of days ago. See how the Israeli media reacted to this murder, negatively covering only Jewish reaction to it.

NYC Assemblyman Dov Hikind speaks up about the Henkin murders.

I suggest that those who wonder at the intractability of our problems would benefit from a study of Moshe Rabbeinu and the Mixed Multitude, with Jewish commentary where available. Yitzhak Avinu didn’t have to deal with the Erev Rav, the Jewish enemy within. Especially, go over Sanhedrin 97, where it is hinted that they would rule the nation before Mashiach comes. The government should not wonder why more and more Israelis are hoping and praying for another system to replace it; there is vast room for improvement, which we need, like yesterday!

And by the way, if you pray the Shmoneh Esreh daily, you certainly are praying for change in the Israeli government as well as your own, one way or the other, whether here in Israel or outside her.

My rough translation of the relevant paragraphs, the HaShiva Shoftenu and the LaMinim v'laMalshinim (could have different formulations, depending on nusah; this one is the Eidoth Mizrah as composed by R' Mordekhai Eliyahu, zz"l):

Restore our judges as they were at first, and our counselors as at the beginning, and take away from us grief and groaning, and take kingship over us quickly, You, G-d, alone, with compassion and mercy, with righteousness and law. Blessed are You, Lord our G-d, Who loves justice and [true] law.

Let the heretics and the informers not have hope, and all the evil ones be lost in a moment, and all who hate You be cut off. And let the malicious kingdom quickly be rendered useless, broken, shamed and embarrassed, and overpowered speedily in our days. Blessed are You, Lord our G-d, Who shatters enemies and subjugates heretics.

And that’s just the daily prayers. You should see the ones on Yom Kippur,  that we just prayed but a few days ago!

Additionally, only the Creator of the Universe has the right to decide who is a heretic and an enemy, and deal with the likes of these as He pleases; and He has graciously revealed this to His people Israel. Our government members still have a little time left to decide whether to be on His side or against Him, to defend this nation to the death or leave it to die — or be redeemed without them.

Dear reader, do you wonder why I agree with Rav Frand that we need to follow the footsteps of Yitzhak Avinu, why more gevurah is needed, and even beyond that — why Shim'on and Levi's attack on an entire people seems nothing less than appropriate right now? Yitzhak walked away only to press on and finally win. He made no pretense of striving to realize the national aspirations of the Philistines at his family’s (and eventually nation’s) expense, and neither did Shim'on and Levi, when their sister was raped and the whole village said not a word!

Hosha' NA! Hosha' NA! Hosha' NA! Hosha' NA! Hosha' NA! Hosha' NA! Hosha' NA!
Save Us NOW! Save Us NOW! Save Us NOW! Save Us NOW! Save Us NOW!

More reading:

Emergency, Reactions to Terror 'Havel Havalim' | Guardian Confuses Victim with Terrorist | BBC's Changing Headline | Yahoo News and Distorted Anti-Israel Headlines | High Holy Days Terror War Goes to New Level  No One Bothered to Tell Us My Brother Was Murdered | Politically Correct: US Condemns 'Tragic Stabbings in Jerusalem'

P.S. The real beginning of this escalation was when Mahmoud Abbas raised the Palestinian flag at the UN on September 30th, the day of the Hakhel, a septennial event.

Did I say, Hosha' NA! Save Us NOW!-???