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Heart and Soul

15-year-old Adin Stanleigh cleans palm branches used to cover a sukkah, or ritual booth, used during the Jewish holiday of Sukkot, in Jerusalem, Israel, Oct. 11, 2019. Photo: Reuters / Ronen Zvulun.

JNS.orgDoes it always rain on Sukkot, where you live? Here in South Africa, the farmers say as soon as the Jews put up their booths, the rains will come.

Besides the sukkah itself, on this beautiful, joyous festival, we also have the “Four Species”—the lulav, etrog, hadassim and aravot (palm branch, citron, myrtle and willows.) We recite a blessing on them daily, except Shabbat. The etrog is the most expensive by far of these four items. In most communities, you choose and pay for the etrog and the other three come free. Why is this?

There is an interesting teaching that each of the “Four Species” looks like a different part of the body. The tall, straight lulav resembles the spine. The roundish etrog represents the heart. The leaves of the myrtle look like the shape of our eye, and the willow leaves appear like our lips.

Naturally, each of these is very important. We need all four to observe the mitzvah correctly and to recite a blessing on them.

Now, each of these body parts is essential and necessary for our well-being—not only physically but spiritually as well.

A spineless individual is a nobody. Anyone without principles, without the courage of his or her convictions, cannot be a person of worth. “I have my principles,” said one fellow. “But if you don’t like them, no problem. I have others.”

The lips play such a valuable role in our lives. We just observed Yom Kippur, and we recited the “Al Chet” confessional over and over throughout the day. I counted at least nine different sins there all to do with speech. “Lashon hara” (gossiping), bad-mouthing people, speaking foolishly, scoffing, swearing falsely or in vain, and more.

Then there are the eyes. Several of the transgressions in the confessional concern the way we view things and people. Do we have a “begrudging eye?” Do we have a proud, haughty look? Do we look at the wrong things? Do we always look at others critically?

I remember back in my yeshivah days in Montreal, there was an older man in the synagogue, which was in the same building as the school. Somehow, he always complained about the students. So, we gave him a nickname; we called him “Left-Eyed Sam.” Why? Because we were always taught to look at people positively and give them the benefit of the doubt. In Chassidic parlance, this is called to look at another with your “right eye.” So, seeing as this gentleman always saw us negatively, we thought the appellation of “Left-Eyed Sam” was quite appropriate.

But while the spine, lips and eyes are very significant, the heart—represented by the etrog—is indispensable. We can live with back problems, we can survive with speech or vision problems, but without a heart, we’re out of business. No heart means no life.

May I suggest that one significant message from the “Four Species” of Sukkot is that we Jews, in particular, need a heart. A Jewish heart. A heart that pumps, and is vital and full of Jewish vigor. A heart that feels, and is warm and compassionate.

We have been described as “merciful and children of the merciful.” Compassion is in our DNA. If someone behaves sadistically, we might want to check out their Jewish credentials. Before Rosh Hashanah and Passover, I always do a Yom Tov appeal to assist needy families in our community, and a very generous response from the congregation always follows. We are thus able to help dozens of families enjoy a happier holiday. Compassion and charity are in our Jewish blood. And it is the same in every Jewish community around the world.

Let me share a story I told in my shul in Johannesburg before Yizkor on Yom Kippur. I heard it in the name of an eyewitness.

Tragically, one of our brave soldiers lost his life when entering a booby-trapped house in Gaza. After his death, his father was seen frantically searching for his son’s phone.

When they asked him why it was so important, he said he didn’t have any pictures of his son that he could use for the media, who were asking him for a photo. In all the photos he has, his son is bare-chested and full of tattoos. His son was, apparently, quite a wild, rough young man. The father was looking for his son’s phone, hoping to find a photo of him wearing a shirt and looking more respectable.

Later, at the funeral, a religious soldier asked for permission to speak at the service. The family didn’t know him but allowed him to speak out of curiosity.

This religious soldier then stands up at the funeral and tells them the story of how this young man died.

“In Gaza, when the chayalim enter buildings, the Israel Defense Forces policy is that there must always be two soldiers who work together. And they take turns being the first one to enter the building. Because if it is booby-trapped, the first one in will most likely be killed. So, to make it fair, they alternate.

“I was his partner in entering the houses in Gaza. We always took turns going in first, as is the policy. When it came to this particular house the other day, it was my turn to go in first. But my partner here insisted that he should go in first. I said, ‘No. It’s my turn.’

“But he argued with me. He said I have a wife and children, and he is single. And he insisted on going in first. I said it’s my turn, and he said he wanted to go in anyway, and so it went back and forth until he just picked himself up and went in himself.

“And the building was booby-trapped, and that is how he died.”

There at the funeral, with tears streaming down his face, the religious soldier cried out: “He gave his life for me!”

This ruffian, completely tattooed, whose father struggled to find one normal picture of him, became a Kadosh—a holy martyr for his people and his land! This rough and tough young man, who was far from religious and seemingly not all that respectable either, suddenly went from zero to hero! He gave his life for his partner.

Do you understand what a Jewish heart is? What every single Jew is made of? Even the wildest among us is a rough diamond, but a diamond nonetheless.

During the Yom Kippur War, the Lubavitcher Rebbe—Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson—said that every single soldier in the IDF is a tzaddik gamur, “perfectly righteous.” Anyone who puts on a uniform is putting his life in danger for others, for us. If he or she is prepared to give their lives for our people and our land, how much more righteous can you get? They are the “holy of holies!”

May we all learn from our courageous chayalim, our brave soldiers, whose full-blooded, warm and vital Jewish hearts are there for all to see.

May they be safe, and may we have a heart.

Chag Sameach!

The post Heart and Soul first appeared on Algemeiner.com.

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World News Standing with Zionism Is Standing with Liberty and Justice

Theodor Herzl, considered the father of modern-day Zionism, leans over the balcony of the Hotel Les Trois Rois (Three King’s Hotel/Hotel drei Könige) in Basel, Switzerland, in 1897. Photo: Wikimedia Commons.

JNS.orgUnderstanding a two-sided conflict requires nuance. In almost all disputes, both sides have merit to their arguments; simultaneously, flaws can also be found in their position.

There are rare conflicts that require no nuance to understand them. These conflicts pit good against evil. One side is so obviously moral and the other so vile that even trying to understand the vile side doesn’t help a person understand the topic of dispute, but rather, runs the risk of demonstrating empathy for a position so objectionable that it deserves no space in a moral society. One doesn’t need to (and shouldn’t) study Nazi thought to understand why antisemitism and murder are wrong. The same is true of racism and rape. There aren’t many conflicts that are so obvious, but when they occur, it’s important to relate to them properly and not treat them as normal conversation.

Zionism is a modern political movement based on a 4,000-year-old ideology that maintains there is an intrinsic connection between the Jewish people and the Land of Israel. The modern political Zionist movement started in the middle of the 1800s and advocated for the rights of the Jewish people to self-determination in their historic homeland, the Land of Israel. Its founder is generally recognized as Theodor Herzl, but hundreds of Zionists came before him. The Zionist movement experienced success in its mission with the establishment of the modern-day State of Israel in 1948. Since its founding, the nation has remained loyal to its purpose of ensuring the Jewish people determine their destiny on their land.

Zionism was the modern age’s greatest liberation movement. For 2,000 years, almost every country the Jews settled in eventually turned on them, persecuted them and expelled them. The Jew was known as a wanderer—always a stranger in a strange land. The Jewish nightmare reached its lowest point when Nazi Germany, aided by antisemites throughout Eastern and Western Europe, murdered 6 million men, women and children. This evil was so singularly unique that it was given its own name: the Holocaust. Many opposed to Zionism or who had yet to understand its merits understood the need for Jewish self-determination and a Jewish state after witnessing the evils perpetrated against the Jews when they didn’t have their own nation to defend them and provide refuge to their persecuted. Zionism stands as an outline for every liberation movement that came after it.

On the Jewish festival of Simchat Torah on Oct. 7, the Jewish people, Israelis and the international community were given a harsh reminder of the violent plots antisemites plan for the Jews. Palestinians by the thousands stormed across the Gaza-Israel border and committed acts equally as heinous as the Nazis perpetrated against the Jews of Europe and North Africa. The barbarians who killed, kidnapped, raped, burned, beheaded and tortured innocent Jews that day targeted civilians. The atrocities weren’t acts of resistance but evil savagery. The acts that day were premeditated and committed out of antisemitism.

In the year since, antisemites around the world have felt emboldened to express their Jew-hatred in ways not seen since Nazi rallies. These rallies aren’t about a free Palestine, justice or human rights. In the past few decades, Palestinians were massacred by the tens of thousands in Syria, uprooted from their homes in Egypt and discriminated against in Lebanon. Not one rally was held anywhere in the world for these genuine atrocities committed against Palestinians in Arab countries. It was antisemitism that awakened the masses to scream vile hate-filled slogans like “Kill the Jews” in cities spanning from San Francisco to London to Sydney. The people at these rallies looked at a conflict that pitted the freedom movement of Zionism against the hate of antisemitism and chose to rally for evil. For shame.

The conflict that has sprung up since the Simchat Torah massacre pits the Jewish state against terrorists who wish for the demise of the one nation that protects the Jewish people. It doesn’t aim to win freedom or rights for the Palestinian people but to reverse global progress that achieved liberation for the Jewish people. The side of the conflict that waves flags of terrorist organizations intends to put the Jewish people back at risk of the extermination they faced throughout the Crusades, during pogroms and the Holocaust.

This two-sided conflict isn’t a normal conflict that requires nuance to understand it. This conflict pits good vs. evil. Israel’s enemies and their supporters use emotion instead of facts, demonization instead of history and victimhood instead of responsibility to trick society into confusing weakness for virtue and strength for misconduct, leading the public to support evil instead of standing up for a liberal and democratic state.

All great justice movements fought for the liberty and rights of their people. These movements weren’t built around fighting against others. They advocated for their people’s rights and used violence to achieve their goals when they were left with no other choice. Zionism followed the American Revolution, among other movements, to earn its liberty. Israel’s enemies have consistently chosen to leave the negotiating table or never join it in the first place and use violence as their first option.

A year after the Simchat Torah massacre, the world has become a more confused place. People who stand for justice are standing on the wrong side of a conflict between the liberation movement of Zionism and violent antisemites who march with terrorist flags, following people being paid by terrorists to disrupt Western, liberal and free societies. There must be a moral reckoning directed by global leaders who don’t try to kowtow to both sides and appease the most evil actors in today’s world. The world must choose—and declare Zionism and Israel just and its opponents the enemies of liberty, democracy and justice.

The post World News Standing with Zionism Is Standing with Liberty and Justice first appeared on Algemeiner.com.

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North Korean Soldiers Spotted in Russia, Fighting Against Ukraine

Russia’s President Vladimir Putin and North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Un visit the Vostochny Сosmodrome in the far eastern Amur region, Russia, Sept. 13, 2023. Photo: Sputnik/Mikhail Metzel/Kremlin via REUTERS

i24 NewsFootage has emerged showing approximately 1,500 North Korean soldiers receiving uniforms and equipment at a training ground in eastern Russia, confirming reports that North Korea is preparing to play a more active role in the conflict in Ukraine.

This development underscores the growing military cooperation between North Korea and Russia, particularly in the face of increasing tensions with the West.

The video, which aired on CNN, depicts long lines of North Korean soldiers waiting to be outfitted for service. Upon their arrival in Russia, these soldiers were reportedly asked to complete questionnaires providing their measurements for uniforms, hats, and footwear.

This organized effort suggests a systematic approach to integrating North Korean troops into Russian military operations.

In another video shared on social media, a Russian speaker can be heard commenting on the presence of North Korean troops, stating, “We can’t film them… There are more, there are millions of them here. Here are the new reinforcements. This is just the beginning.” This statement raises concerns about the scale of North Korean military involvement in Russia and, potentially, in Ukraine.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has expressed alarm over the alliance between Russia and North Korea, warning during a NATO summit this week that “thousands” of North Korean troops are reportedly en route to Russia. This revelation could mark a significant escalation in the ongoing conflict, as North Korea has one of the largest standing armies in the world, boasting 1.2 million soldiers. However, many of these troops lack combat experience, raising questions about their immediate effectiveness in a frontline role.

The burgeoning relationship between North Korea and Russia has been solidified through recent high-level meetings, including President Vladimir Putin’s visit to the North Korean capital in June. During this visit, both countries pledged to provide mutual military assistance in the event of an attack, signaling a historic defense agreement forged out of shared interests and mutual ostracism from the West.

The post North Korean Soldiers Spotted in Russia, Fighting Against Ukraine first appeared on Algemeiner.com.

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Sinwar’s Wife Seen Holding $32,000 Hermès Bag

The wife of recently eliminated Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar seen holding a $32,000 Hermes bag while fleeing through tunnel. Credit: IDF

JNS.orgThe Israel Defense Forces released footage on Saturday showing the wife of recently deceased Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar making her way through a tunnel carrying a $32,000 Hermès Birkin bag.

She is seen walking behind her husband and children the day before the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas attack on Israel, in which 1,200 were slaughtered and 251 taken hostage.

The footage was posted to X by Lt. Col. Avichay Adraee, head of the Arab media division of the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit.

“While the people of Gaza do not have enough money for a tent or basic necessities, we see many examples of Yahya Sinwar and his wife’s special love for money,” Adraee posted in Arabic.

IDF spokesperson Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari on Saturday said of the footage: “For hours, they go up and down, stocking up on food, a television, and other products for a long stay. He [Sinwar] only cared for his personal survival.”

According to the post, Sinwar’s wife was carrying a Hermès Birkin 40 Black Togo Gold Hardware.

It has “tonal stitching, two straps with front toggle closure, clochette with lock and two keys and double rolled handles.

“The interior is lined in black chevre with one zip pocket with an Hermès engraved zipper pull and an open pocket on the opposite side,” according to website Madison Avenue Couture, which sells it for the $32,000 price tag the IDF noted.

The post Sinwar’s Wife Seen Holding $32,000 Hermès Bag first appeared on Algemeiner.com.

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