'And they shall contemplate the kindness of Hashem'

ed note–as we say here often, no one can grasp the full extent of the apocalyptic future that awaits us all unless they read the literature of the Jews themselves, and by that we don’t mean the scribblings of ‘Torah True Jews’, Neturei Karta or Jewish Voice for Peace, which are red herrings put out there as a type of intellectual anesthesia for public consumption.

Now, the first thing worth noting in this piece is the fact that indeed–as we point out here often to the irrationally-based discomfort of those who simply refuse to view and accept facts as they are–it is the Torah that serves as the foundation for Jewish thought today, and certainly serves as the recipe book for all the murder and mayhem we see taking place in the Middle East and beyond as evidenced by the words of our unesteemed rabbi himself, to wit–

‘…Restore our judges as in earliest times and our counselors as before so that we will merit to become a kingdom of Torah in Eretz Yisrael.’

The second item encompasses those last 2 words, ‘Eretz Y’Israel’, which is translated as ‘Greater Israel’ and which our unesteemed Rabbi further goes on to discusses as follows–

‘Widen the borders of our land as You promised our fathers, from the Euphrates to the Nile.’

Again, all that ‘Nile to the Euphrates’ business is not something taken from the Talmud, but from the Torah, to wit–

‘On that day the LORD made a covenant with Abraham, saying “To your descendants I give this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river Euphrates”…–Genesis, 15:18

‘And God spoke unto us saying, ‘Go to the hill-country and all the places nigh thereunto… in the Arabah, the hill-country and in the Lowland… in the South and by the sea-shore, the land of the Canaanites, and Lebanon, as far as the great river, the river Euphrates…Go in therefore and possess the land which the Lord swore unto your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, unto them and to their seed after them…’ Deuteronomy 1:6–8

‘Every place whereon the sole of your foot shall tread shall be yours, from the wilderness, and Lebanon, from the river Euphrates, even unto the hinder sea shall be your border…’ Deuteronomy 11:24

‘…From the wilderness, and this Lebanon, even unto the great river, the Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and unto the Great Sea toward the going down of the sun, shall be your border…’Joshua 1:4

‘When the Lord your God brings you into the land he swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, he will give you a land with large, flourishing cities you did not build, houses filled with all kinds of good things you did not provide, wells you did not dig, and vineyards and olive groves you did not plant…’–Book of Deuteronomy

Rabbi Ariel Levi, Israel National News

Our Sages taught that prayer is “work of the heart”. We are commanded to make an effort to pray from the deepest and innermost levels of the soul.

We Jews are lucky to have been born into an era filled with blessings and the ability to appreciate our blessings is a vital component in achieving closeness to Hashem, the Divine.

Sometimes we focus on the negative, and struggle with disillusionment. This makes it all the more important for us to actively contemplate Hashem’s kindnesses with a joyous heart, while at the same time continuing to hope for a time when Hashem will “restore our judges as in earliest times and our counselors as before,” and we will merit to become a kingdom of Torah in Eretz Yisrael.

My friend Rav Shachar Shmuel Sasson showed me a prayer of thanksgiving written by Rav Ezra Tzion Melamed. This prayer was written in honor of the first Yom Ha’atzmaut which was celebrated in 1949 and printed in his Sefer, “Pirkei Minhag veHalacha” which was published in 1954. This book exudes expressions of appreciation for Hashem’s great kindnesses and expresses hope that we will be blessed with a spirit of holiness and purity leading to the ultimate geula (redemption ).

“For the miracles, and for the salvation, and for the mighty deeds, and for the victories and for the wonders and consolations which You performed for our forefathers, in those days, at this time.”

“You are the God Who awakened our fathers’ hearts to return to the mountain of Your inheritance, to dwell in it and to rebuild its ruins…”

‘And when the evil government of the British locked the gates of our land to keep out the remnants of the cruel enemies’ sword of the Nazis, You swept away his empire and freed the land from his rule…’

‘And when Arab enemies rose against us to destroy us, You, in Your might, struck them with terror and fear, until they fled outside the borders of our land…’

‘And when the seven nations came to conquer our land and enslave us, You, in Your great compassion, stood to the right of the Israel Defense Forces and delivered the strong into the hands of the weak; the many into the hands of the few; the wicked into the hands of the righteous. With Your outstretched Arm, You helped the sons of Israel to expand the borders of our land and bring our brothers home from the camps of death…’

And for all this we thank You, Hashem our God, with a bowed head.

And at this time, the time of our celebration and joy, we stretch out our hands and beseech You on behalf of our dispersed brothers, and ask that they be gathered to dwell in Israel in peace and tranquility.

Widen the borders of our land as You promised our fathers, from the Euphrates to the Nile.

Rebuild Your holy city, Yerushalayim, and rebuild Your Mikdash within.

And just as we merited to witness the beginnings of the blossoming of our redemption, so may we merit the complete redemption in our days, Amen.