23 Iyyar 5784 | כ"ג אייר ה'תשפד
From the Kan כאן YouTube channel. כאן means "here."
I learned a lesson today (Tuesday, 21 May 2024, 13 Iyyar 5784) when my computer refused to reboot after a Torah class. I was offline for a couple of hours and, instead of getting upset about it because my at-home fix-it-guy wasn't home, I went and did something I had been wanting to do for months: A small gardening task on the retaining wall leading to the entrance to the apartment building where I live.
Last year around this time someone planted a mint bush there, and it flourished all summer as I (and possibly others) watered it. Weeds started growing next to it during the winter that looked like very large dandelions, but with pricks up and down their stems. I still don't know what they really are, even after searching for them online.
When the first signs of spring arrived this year, I noticed that tiny ants had started moving into the spots around these plants, but I was too busy to deal with it then.
It turned out that there were two colonies of different sized ants of the smaller varieties, even smaller than I'm used to.
Just so you understand, I'm not the appointed gardener here. But as my fix-it-guy says, no tenant here takes responsibility, so he often does, with different things. I took responsibility today with the retaining wall.
When I started working on the weeding, ants came pouring out. Fortunately, they didn't all jump on me at once, but many did, and I had to blow them off. Literally. I didn't want to kill them; I was aiming at the weeds, after all. But what I was doing was affecting their lives very greatly.
I found one ant had planted itself in my left arm, like a bee would. It was then that I realized that ants have stingers, they're just not as prominent as those of other bugs. But they are more like bees and wasps than I had realized, just not as poisonous per animal. More about ants HERE.
After dealing with that ant, and having taken out the weeds and throwing them over the wall, I watered what remained. Ants came pouring out again; I moved so they wouldn't jump on me. After a while I noticed that there weren't so many of them hanging around.
I think they "moved house." At least, I hope they did, for their own sake.
***
My lesson learned had as much to do with my people, Israel, if not more, as with the ants. It occurred to me that the people of this earth think that the Jews are like ants, who will move if their nest is uprooted or otherwise threatened.
I hate to tell you this, but with the Jews this has a limit. Just because you have seen Jews move about over the last 2,000 years, you think this will go on until there are no more Jews, even though the Bible and the Quran both declare Israel the Land of the Jews. Not just the land we're sitting on now, but much more than that. We are not ants, despite what you think of us because of our historically diminished population size. You will find out that we have a God Who has temporarily punished us because of our misbehavior, but Who loves us nonetheless.
If ants have a right to defend themselves and build their homes, all the more so do the Jews.
It may be that the death of the president of Iran and seven other high officials is the beginning of the end for our 'brother' enemies in the Middle East.
Unless you repent of your wicked ways!
We're really not ants, you know. This is our disguise! 😜
***
After doing my job outside, when I came back inside, my computer started working again. Baruch haShem!
I only stumbled on the particularly relevant video above on the day I posted.
***
P.S. Don't forget to pray for Arvin Netanel ben Sonia Tziona, as well as all the Jewish hostages all over the world, in addition to the ones in Gaza.
Shabbat shalom umevorach ! שבת שלום ומבורך
***
More reading/viewing...
VIDEO:
Professor exposes damning questions about October 7th | Watch: This is a 'useful idiot' |
READ:
Hamas clarifies: No innocent civilians in Gaza | Are American Jews supportive of Israel? | Did somebody hack into Israel National News.com...? |
3 comments:
I enjoyed this post of yours about the ants. I was sitting on my tiny Southern outside porch on Shabbos which I try to do every Shabbat, and when i finished reading, I started examining the surroundings. That’s when I caught those tiny ants (not the teeny tiny ones) and their trail across the bottom of the iron railing surrounding the entire length of the once outside porch. These little critters are very very determined. [so should us Jewish Israelis be]. Since it was Shabbos I couldn’t antagonize them in any way. I watched their pathway to find out how they got onto that railing. Well, after a while I watched the ones “leaving” and found that their path took them UP one of the spokes, and then onto one of the Pine Needles from the HUGE Pine Tree leaning against the railing. THAT TREE NEEDS TO BE TRIMMED!
So Yom Rishon is was on guard for their arrival. When they finally showed up, I was ready with a bottle of water to wet their path. They hate the water. That’s why when it rains there are NO ANTS. Soon as the earth dries and the Sun shines, they are up and about searching for food for their QUEEN ANT. Each ant hive has a QUEEN. They were defending their Queen when they attacked you. Give them credit.
And I loved the comparison to us.
Neshama, to your first para, last line: I do give the ants credit. That's why I wrote that I had no intention of killing them. Especially since I'm comparing them to us Jewish Israelis. ;-)
Well, not too much credit. Because when they find FOOD in your private abode, their ingenuity will soar. Then you will have to think twice about ‘deterring’ them, with all that entails.Be careful you don’t bring any of them into your living area on your feet, that is all they need to “search”. ;-))
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