Yerushalayim in the Hot Seat

Has Olmert done teshuvah? He is now calling for G-d's children to return to the borders of the Holy Land. The news around here keeps changing by the minute. The obvious effect since the missiles have started falling on the 17th of Tamuz is that teshuvah for last year's atrocity pulled off by the IDF and the police is becoming the choice of so many with no other choice. The pleasures of living in the coastal plain are quickly being replaced with thoughts about whether they are next on Hezballah's hit list. Reflection for last year's horrific crime, expelling decent citizens from their homes, and this year's horrific election is becoming easier and easier with each passing day. Why the righteous and the decent need to suffer with the wicked is something G-d himself will tell Eliyahu HaNavi when he sends his prophet with an eternal covenant before that blessed moment of Rachamim (compassion) comes to the Holy People in the Holy Land.

Since G-d struck the foolish or evil "Shepherd" (Zech 11 and 13) a.k.a Ariel Sharon with a heavenly sword above his right eye, the Holy Land has been in spiritual chaos. Angels of Destruction ascended on the 20th of Shevat with the installation of the Hamas government. Armilus has actually won an election with the albeit weakest plurality in modern Israel's history. He has appointed a labor leader as his defense minister so that the Labor Party leader does not destroy Israel's economy. The laugh is on us. And worst of all, the Abomination Parade is set to take place even when the Gallilee is being blown apart by hundreds of missiles. One might think this chaos started on the 5th of Tevet this year when G-d struck the Evil Shepherd with his sword, or when 10,000 Jews were forcibly removed from their homes last August. A more important question is when did the latest phase of the battle for Yerushalayim begin. The answer is December 21st, 2004 or the 9th or 10th of Tevet, 5765. On that day United Torah Judaism signed a letter of intent to join the Sharon government to keep it from collapsing when Tommy Lapid went into opposition. If UTJ had not joined, it is unknown whether or not the Gaza unilateral retreat would have occurred. This was a very controversial act of course disputed greatly by many Tzaddikim within UTJ itself. I have written about this before, and there is no need to write about this again except to bring up the following crucial point. Nebuchadnezzer started his siege of Yerushalayim on the 10th of Tevet. He sacked the Holy Temple 2 1/2 years later on the 7th, 8th, and 9th of Av. When Mitzvah observing Jews decide to give up on what G-d has given us here in Eretz Yisrael especially when it is a piece of Eretz Yisrael, it is a very serious matter. It places even our Holy City where Heaven's throne touches earth into question. Abandoning part of Eretz Yisrael to unrepentent terrorists, placing thousands into harms way of missile bombardment, places our very existence in the Holy City into question. Heaven has the right to ask: Will we sell it for a price too? Are we willing to learn Torah in a spiritual desert here in the Land of Israel behind beautiful Jerusalem stone walls while Hell comes for a visit? Learning Torah may be the best of ways to fight the forces of Hell, but not when money for doing so comes from those who empower Hell itself. Olmert and his wife until now have badly wanted this parade. A coalition with this man, until he stops this parade, is unacceptable. If he has done teshuvah, really, he will stop the parade today. If he has not, get out of this government. It is best not to be in a coalition with Bilaam or one of Bilaam's two sons.

We are now 1 1/2 years into the process since that letter of intent was signed. Next summer Yerushalayim will be divided, G-d forbid, if we do not take action now. Zecharia 12 offers one miraculous scenario for the attempt by the nations to wrest Yerushalayim from our hands, and Zecharia 14 offers another very unpleasant but ultimately miraculous scenario. When Operation Summer Rains started immediately after Gilad Shalit was captured on the 29th of Sivan, a good friend of mine, YS, reminded me that on the 29th of Sivan in the second year after leaving Mitzraim (Egypt), the spies left with Moshe Rabbeinu's permission to spy out the Land. On Tisha B'Av (9th of Av) they returned 40 days later with a report that would make any scholar shudder. Let us continue to learn Torah here in the desert under the "Clouds of Glory". Why take on such a harsh and powerful enemy under harsh conditions? The nation agreed except for Calev and Yehoshua and Moshe himself. For the next 37 years on Tisha B'Av those who were 20 and above when we left Egypt died in the desert.

Here is the good news for this year 5766. In the 40th year after leaving Egypt, no one died in the desert on the 9th of Av. It was the first positive sign in the desert of our impending entry into the Land of Israel. We are now in the 40th year since the Six Day War. The Erev Rav generation is quickly coming to a close. Perhaps this Tisha B'Av will see the birth of a new era. I will say nothing more about this, for I am not into the prediction making business, and G-d forbid if I disappoint. Yet, with G-d's help we will short circuit the Abomination Makes Desolate Parade scheduled for right after Tisha B'Av so that Tu B'Av (15th of Av) will be a day of G-d's Infinite grace for His people and not a day of twisted perversion on Jaffa Road. By being a cog in the wheel which stops this mess and stops our 2 1/2 year march to putting the Holy City in our enemies' hands, we can bring Divine Compassion down to earth without another year of Hell on earth. I choose Zecharia 12 over Zecharia 14 any day of the year. Let us pledge ourselves to keeping one more mitzvah, any mitzvah, big or small. Let us bring the forces for Good in the world into line with G-d's desire for us. Let us have the full redemption this year. Let us not wait until the lead up to geulah becomes most unpleasant by waiting until next Tisha B'Av or G-d forbid Rosh HaShana 5768. Please write me and let me know what mitzvah you have decided to take on. I will try to publish it by only mentioning your initials. Also do not forget to fax to the following numbers. Olmert is vulnerable to pressure now to stop this evil parade. Rav Lazer Brody has done a lot of work trying to stop this madness. Send as many faxes and e-mails as you can to Eli Yishai and the Gerer Rebbe. Eli Yishai can threaten to bolt the coalition, and the Gerrer Rebbe could be convinced to keep UTJ away from Armilus like the plague. If Armilus has done teshuvah, he will stop this madness now, but if this gilgul of Bilaam or one of his two sons is just spouting words, well, study the torah portion of Balak to see what Bilaam did to destroy the sanctity of the Holy People with the daughters of Midian. While his curses were turned into blessings, public fornication succeeded. How much worse is public abomination. On this note study the Torah portions of Chukat, Balak and the first part of Pinchas in the Book of BaMidbar (Numbers chaps. 19- 27) to get an idea of what the 40th year in the desert was like. Check out our successes and our failures, and compare them to this 40th year since the Six Day War. Study them with Rashi, Or HaChaim, and the Ramban.