Although it seems like a long time has passed since last Sunday when I went to comfort Iris Ifrach, who lost her son Eyal, I cannot shake the profound impression that the visit to the grieving family's home made on me.
A 25-minute drive from Kfar Chabad, I encountered the same human mosaic that can be found in Kfar Chabad during second rounds or other mass events. In the long line of women sheltered in the kind shade of a tarpaulin that someone had spread over the heads of the mourners, stood a crowd of women from all walks of life and all types.
Behind me stood a woman in shorts and a sleeveless shirt, followed by a Hasidic rabbi's wife in a double headscarf. In front of me stood someone from Iris's work, who wondered about the long wait. "I know her from work, why do I have to wait in line like everyone else," she asked, and no one thought to answer her or get angry with her.
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The enormous human diversity gave rise to quite a few conversations, all of which dealt with the strong faith demonstrated by the parents of the holy children. Without exception, all drew encouragement from the wise, faith-filled words of the righteous mothers.
The line moved forward and stopped whenever an important person made her way inside. I saw Tel Aviv Mayor Ron Huldai who arrived with his wife to offer his condolences. The eyes of the Rais' wife were filled with tears. I could see that she was really crying, as she stood next to the bereaved mother. The entire Jewish people, in all their denominations and sects, stood united in the house of mourning.
A father and son arrived at the scene with a sheet-sized canvas on which was printed a beautiful picture of Eyal the Great, gently holding a bird in the palm of his hand. Iris – the dear mother – was unable to hold back her tears and they quickly rolled up the picture, so as not to grieve her further.
The investigation will answer, Amen.
It is not our job to do the accounting for the world. The responsibility for the lives of those boys was in the hands of the Creator, the Blessed One, just as He is responsible for our own lives. Hundreds of missiles landed on Israeli cities over the past week and no one was killed. Could it be?
How many times have we said thank you in the past week? How many times have we raised our eyes to the sky and seen the hand of God? The Israeli media continued its evil course this week. Not a word of faith. No hope. All of it is busy weakening Israel and sowing fear and despair in the hearts of the Jews of the Holy Land.
The same media that mobilized all its might to divert the fire from the terrorists and forget the shed blood of the three holy young men, while repeating hour after hour the accusation that Jews murdered an Arab boy in revenge for their death, and this before the police had time to investigate the matter.
Later, when several Jewish suspects were arrested, everyone rushed to condemn the killing of that Arab. Even the United Torah Judaism faction and the Badatz judges of the Haredi Eda were quick to condemn. It seemed as if everyone was rushing to condemn the murderous Jews, but look, it's a miracle, some of the detainees were released over the weekend. If it had only been a murder, certainly a brutal murder as the police reported, no judge in the world would have allowed himself to release the suspects from custody.
The fact that the announcement of the arrest, along with the announcement of the identity of the Arab terrorist who murdered Shelly Dadon, came just hours after the court allowed the publication of details from the new corruption scandal that was uncovered at the top of the police force, makes me think that eventually the mountain will give birth to a mouse and it will be revealed in retrospect that the Arab's murderers were not Jews. I am full of hope.
Although it is clear that the "Israeli" media will not bother to retract the blatant accusations it has leveled at the "avenging" Jews. This media, which operates against the will of the people and does not reflect reality at all but the desires of its editors and broadcasters, who continue to bow down to the Gentiles and hate the people from whom they came, needs a serious shake-up and change.
The continued growth of the ultra-Orthodox and religious public in the Land of Israel threatens the hegemony of these Israel-haters, and a day will come, and it is not so far off, when this reality will change and even an evil angel will say amen. Even this evil media will be forced to admit the righteousness of the path of the people of Israel.
The Jew will not succeed in pleasing the Gentile. Never! The Jew's role is to be a light to the Gentiles and nothing more. A people will dwell alone and will not consider the Gentiles. Anyone who tried to please the Gentiles brought disaster upon us. The Yom Kippur War will testify. The Oslo disaster will testify, and the many IDF "operations" in the Gaza Strip will also testify. The Jews must do what they must do to protect themselves without considering what the Gentiles may say. I know I am not innovating anything, but I must repeat these things that the Lubavitcher Rebbe said over and over again. A Jew should not bow down to the Gentile.
Innocent faith
Every year, when we come to the story of Pinchas, I remember the daughters of Zelophehad and how they were blessed with the fact that God, the Holy One, agreed with their words – "Yes, the daughters of Zelophehad speak." Those daughters were even blessed with something new in the Holy Torah. Millions of Jewish men and women were in the desert, how many of them were blessed with a Torah passage being renewed by them?
This year I found myself delving again and again into the story of those girls who insisted on inheriting an estate in the Land of Israel.
The story of the three women, the three mothers of Eyal, Naftali, and Gil, until God raises up his blood, reminded me of the devotion of the daughters of Zelophehad to the Land of Israel. This attachment to the Land of Israel (in Arabic, tzumud) stems from the innocent belief that it is God's will.
The shocking words of the Satmar Rebbe astounded me. There is no debate that Zionism is the mother of all sin and that the great victories experienced by the Jewish people in the last six decades are manifest miracles. There is no debate that the current government in the Land of Israel is contrary to the will of God and contrary to the Holy Torah.
But to accuse those righteous and perfect mothers in their pure faith of responsibility for the murder of their children is factually incorrect and does not bring Jews closer to observing Torah and mitzvot. Quite the opposite.
• The writer is the owner of "My Choice", an event host, lecturer and radio broadcaster: [email protected]
