The Torah’s Path to Justice

Parshas Shoftim

Posted on August 31, 2011 (5771) By Rabbi Berel Wein | Series: Rabbi Wein | Level: Beginner

This is the ‘law and order’ parsha of the Torah, so to speak. Implicit in studying it is the realization of the delicate balance between an ordered society, with some restraints on personal freedom and expression, and, on the other hand, a society of complete personal freedom but also of anarchy and chaos.

The judges and police that the Torah commands and authorizes are to be the arbiters that decide the rules of society and the acceptable behavior of its citizens. But, they are merely the enforcers of the law. It is the citizenry itself that sets the limits and mores of the society.

As we have recently seen, thousands of police cannot, by themselves, stop looting, rioting and other forms of social mayhem. There has to be an agreed upon social imperative within the society to make for order. Traffic flows because there is an unwritten but nevertheless binding agreement among drivers to observe traffic signals and stop lights.

Police can be a deterrent to law breakers but police do not guarantee a civil or lawful society. Eventually all societies based purely upon police power falter and fail. Again, witness what is happening in the countries that surround us. Police states cannot control beliefs, ideas and human longings. These eventually rise to the fore, unfortunately many times violently and in revolution, and assert themselves to be stronger than the power of the police state. Police are only valid as the enforcers of the public will. When they overstep that boundary they can become a very negative force in society.

The Torah bids judges and courts to rule fairly, justly and righteously. There is no judge in the world that enters the courtroom without personal prejudices and preconceived beliefs. Yet, the Torah still demands that this judge, burdened by this weight, weigh the matters before him fairly and decently. The pursuit of true justice is a never ending one.

The rabbis of the Talmud advised us to choose a court that has the established reputation for being fair, just and wise. The Talmud lists for us courts and judges that met this description in the early centuries of the Common Era. Being a judge is always a lonely, difficult position. No one will be completely satisfied with a judge’s decision. There always are perceived slights and injustices that occur in all legal proceedings.

The Torah bids all of us – judges, litigants, witnesses and the general public – to somehow rise above these inescapable human failings and continue to pursue justice and righteousness as best we can. The prophet challenges us “to create justice.” All human creations have an element of imperfection incorporated within them. We should not allow the presence of this unavoidable imperfection to cloud our general view of the necessity for the pursuit of justice to continue.

Judges may falter and be found wanting, but the Torah’s insistence upon the rule of justice and right in society is never ending. Both judges and police when set upon the Torah’s path of pursuing justice and a moral society fulfill a vital role in society and government.

Shabat shalom,

Rabbi Berel Wein

The Real Question!

Parshas Shoftim

Posted on August 8, 2013 (5773) By Rabbi Label Lam | Series: Dvar Torah | Level: Beginner

You shall set up judges and law enforcement officials for yourself in all your cities that HASHEM your G-d, is giving you, for your tribes, and they shall judge the people [with] righteous judgment. You shall not pervert justice; you shall not show favoritism, and you shall not take a bribe, for bribery blinds the eyes of the wise and perverts just words. Justice, justice you should pursue, that you may live and possess the land the Lord, your G-d, is giving you. (Devarim 16:18-20)

Justice-justice you should pursue: Truth- truth you should pursue… (Targum Onkelos-Aramaic Translation)

The Sefas Emes vastly broadens the subject of pursuing justice. Since justice and truth are interchangeable then it is by definition and endless pursuit, because HASHEM is ultimate truth-reality-justice. “Therefore”, he adds, “a person needs to continually deepen his comprehension until it is the truth of the truth. Truth will not be wholly recognizable until all of humanity together are singularly devoted to HASHEM Blessed is He as Emes (the letter ALEF-MEM-TOF) stretches from the beginning of the ALEF BEIS to the very end.”

It seems the narrower the vision and perspective of the observer the greater the chance for living in and with deception. It’s known that the letters for the word lie-SHEKER (SHIN-KUF-REISH) are clustered together near the end of the ALEPH BEIS. Truth is much harder to grasp. It requires a longer and deeper view to know what’s happening today.

A story is told about a Rabbi who received an urgent call from one of his congregants shortly after prayers that morning. The man was very disturbed by something he had read in his prayers. The Rabbi listened intently as he explained. It seems he was reciting the many verses of Ashrei-Tehillim 145 and the verses were speaking about the righteous of HASHEM.

“HASHEM is just in all His ways and benevolent in all His deeds. HASHEM is close to all who call upon Him, to all who call upon Him in truth. The will of those who fear Him He fulfills; He hears their cry and delivers them” Then came the real difficulty. It states, HASHEM protects those who love Him and the wicked…” Why should HASHEM protect those who love him and the wicked? On his way out of Shul he could not believe what he had just read. He had to get a clarification from the Rabbi when he got to work.

As the Rabbi was absorbing the nature of his question, another phone line rang and it was a different congregant with a similar complaint on the same verse. He read when he came late to join the service in progress, “Those who love Him and the wicked he will destroy!” Why would HASHEM destroy all who love Him with the wicked?”

Now the Rabbi had the opportunity to address both of them simultaneously. He needed to inform them of the entirety of the verse first, “HASHEM protects those who love Him and the wicked He will destroy!” That’s the full context of the verse.

The Rabbi told them both, “Of course you had this serious question, because you left Shul early and you came in late. You saw only the first part of the verse and you read only the end without the beginning.” A lot of what we don’t understand in life is because we arrive late or we leave too soon.

From our myopic keyhole it is easy to misunderstand most of what’s going on and to be tempted to accept a distorted story. Anything seen out of context is open for misinterpretation. Only when something is perceived in the grandest of all contexts can it approach truth. Beauty may be in the eye of the beholder but truth requires a grand expansion of the mind’s eye to be beheld. To behold the truth or not to behold the truth… that may be the real question!

DvarTorah, Copyright © 2007 by Rabbi Label Lam and Torah.org.

The Biggest Possible Present

Parshas Reeh

Posted on August 18, 2017 (5777) By Rabbi Label Lam | Series: Dvar Torah | Level: Beginner

See I give to you today a blessing and a curse… (Devarim 11:26)

Of course the simple meaning is that there was a historical episode where a visual demonstration was displayed before the eyes of Israel and the images of blessing and curse were etched into the psyche of a nation. This was scripted as a teachable moment. Not only was it meant as a lesson then but it is equally applicable today. We say daily in our prayers, “Ki Hem Chayeinu”- “because they are our life” in reference to the words of Torah. Every word of Torah is therefore extemporaneous and aimed at us today, whenever today is.

The Sefas Emes writes in his quasi cryptic-poetic fashion, “See I give to you today…The explanation is that freedom of choosing is in the hands of man to opt for either good or bad. (Quoting his grandfather the Chidushei HaRim) “About this we make the blessing daily, ‘who gives the rooster (man) the intelligence to discern between night and day.’ The meaning of “today” is that man is granted renewed free choice every day. Because after Adam sinned free will was removed from the man as our sages stated, “the wicked are controlled by their heart”. Even still the Holy One bless is He “renews the creation every day constantly” and He gives renewed -fresh free choice to man so that he can have the opportunity to express goodness again.”

What does all this mean translated into useful English? The option to exercise free will is the greatest gift and the most uniquely Divine quality we humans possess. Unfortunately too much of what we do is relegated to inertia the forces of habit and our real power of free will is frustrated.

I observed a wondrous thing by a friend of mine who used to smoke three packs of cigarettes a day for almost two decades. One day, for some mystical reason, he decided and quit. Since then he never touched a cigarette. The next day and forever more he would have to find something else to do with his hands and mouth. I wondered how a person can pivot on a dime like that and make such a dramatic change.

I discovered where the Nefesh HaChaim quotes a Zohar explaining that accompanying a sincere decision is a holy power pack that gives the person the ability begin and drive into action. The volume of energy is in proportion to the size of the decision.” When I began to contemplate the power of this dynamic I started to appreciate why we make such a big deal about weddings. Why is everyone so willing to cross the ocean or the George Washington Bridge? What justifies spending so much money on such a brief celebration? What is so compelling?

Simply put it’s not just one person making a decision about one area of his life. It is two people making a commitment regarding everything. They are choosing to remain bound together forever. At that moment a huge fuel tank is granted that will enable them to remain constant and loyal for many decades in the face of millions of unforeseen variables: The economy, health, the in-laws, society around them, and the roller coaster ride called kids, testing “whether that nation or any nation so conceived and so dedicated may long endure.” The enormity of the energy available at that moment is staggering. People intuitively come to bask in the afterglow of that event like the launching of a rocket ship.

Now even the grandest of weddings is merely a faint echo of an original event from 3329 years ago. We cannot fathom the enormous superhuman energy that was endowed when the entire Jewish Nation declared “in a singular voice saying; ‘everything Hashem says we will do!’” (Shemos 24:3) That commitment unleashed and made available an enduring force that has allowed us to navigate the gauntlet of persecution “till the last syllable of recorded history”.

Now, “See I give to you today a blessing and a curse”. When we see clearly and appreciate the power of a pedestrian decision and that today-right now is a fresh opportunity to choose a new direction then we can become free immediately. That itself is the blessing. Not seeing that is the curse of remaining moored to past non-decisions and situations, to be stuck with the old. See I – “ANOCHI HASHEM” that we all heard thundering at Mount Sinai is giving you the biggest possible present.

Seeing Clearly

Parshas Reeh

Posted on August 17, 2012 (5772) By Rabbi Berel Wein | Series: Rabbi Wein | Level: Beginner

In this week’s parsha the Torah continues with the theme that runs through the previous parshiyot of Dvarim, that we are always faced with stark choices in life – either blessings or curses, good or evil. The words of the Torah seemingly offer little option for middle ground on these basic issues of belief and behavior. Yet, we are all aware that the events in life are rarely, if ever, all or nothing, one hundred percent blessing or curse. In fact, Jewish tradition and teachings instruct us that hidden in tragedy there is always a glimmer of hope and goodness, and that all joy and happiness contains within it the taste of the bittersweet.

Jewish philosophy and theology has taught us that evil somehow has a place in G-d’s good and benign world. We are faced with the problem of why the Torah addresses these matters without nuance, in such a harsh way which seemingly brooks no compromise, without a hint of a middle ground. After all, the Torah is not a debating society where one is forced to take an extreme uncompromising stand in order to focus the issue being discussed more sharply and definitively.

Many rabbinic scholars of previous generations have maintained that it is only in our imperfect, post Temple period that we are to search for good in evil and temper our joy with feelings of seriousness and even sadness. But in the ideal and idyllic world, where the Divine Spirit is a palpable entity, the choices are really stark and the divisions are 100 percent to zero.

Far be it from me to not accept the opinion of these great scholars of Israel. However I wish to interject a somewhat different thought into this matter. This parsha begins with the word re’eih – see. As all of us are well aware, there are stages in life that we can see well only with the aid of corrective lenses. Without that correction, we can easily make grave mistakes trying to read and see what appears before us.

If we have to read small print, such as looking up a number in the Jerusalem telephone directly – it is almost impossible without the aid of corrective lenses. Well, this situation is not limited to the physical world, of just our actual eyesight, but it applies equally to our spiritual world of Torah observance and personal morality.

Many times we think we are behaving righteously when we are in fact behaving badly because we are not seeing the matter correctly. We are not wearing our corrective lenses, with the benefit of halacha, history, good common sense and a Jewish value system that should govern our lives. Without this advantage, we see blessings and curses, good and evil, all blurry and undefined before our eyes.

The Torah wishes us to see clearly – to instinctively be able to recognize what is the blessing in our life and what is not. The Torah itself has been kind enough to provide us with the necessary corrective lenses to see clearly and accurately. These lenses consist of observance of Torah and its commandments and loyalty to Jewish values and traditions.

Shabat shalom,

Rabbi Berel Wein

All will be Set Right

Parshas Eikev

Posted on August 8, 2012 (5772) By Rabbi Berel Wein | Series: Rabbi Wein | Level: Beginner

The parsha ties together the observance of the Torah commandments, especially the warnings against paganism and idolatry, with the earthly blessings of longevity and prosperity. Over the ages this has caused great philosophic debate and discussion, for this cause and effect relationship is not always apparent in the national or personal lives of the Jewish people.

Many commentators hasten to add that these biblical promises refer to biblical times when the Divine Spirit was palpably present amongst the Jewish community and the spirit of prophecy was also present and prevalent in the Land of Israel. This means that it was applicable to First Temple times only, for in Second Temple times the spirit of prophecy was absent in the Jewish commonwealth.

Perhaps this is an insight as to why the rabbis attributed the destruction of the First Temple primarily to idolatry – a fulfillment of the cause and effect system of justice as outlined in this week’s parsha – while the demise of the Second Temple was attributed to social dispute and baseless hatred, an issue never specifically mentioned in this week’s Torah presentation.

It appears that different equations, moral gauges and causes affected the Jewish commonwealth’s spiritual status during Second Temple times than were present in First Temple times when prophecy and Divine Spirit were current and abundantly visible. In any event, it is apparent that the direct cause and effect relationship between observance of G-d’s commandments and blessings and prosperity and disobedience causing punishment and disaster has not always been evident in the annals of Jewish history and life, especially in our long years of exile and persecution.

The very fact that the Torah in this week’s parsha makes this cause and effect relationship so patently clear, and in fact repeats it a number of times, raises the age old problem of why the righteous suffer and the wicked are rewarded, in this world at least. This basic faith dilemma has its biblical origins in the book of Iyov where the problem is raised, debated and thoroughly discussed, but basically left unanswered.

Over the long Jewish exile with its attendant difficulties and pogroms this gnawing problem of faith has always accompanied us in every generation and circumstance. The events of the Holocaust, almost unimaginable in its numbers and horror, has certainly been a test of faith for many Jews, even for those who themselves were spared that actual experience. Yet the faith of Israel is that somehow in the unfathomable system of G-d’s justice, all will be set right.

In reality, this is the main message of this week’s parsha. It informs us that our actions have consequences and that there is a guiding hand to Jewish and world history and events that will eventually reveal itself. So our task remains, as it always was – to fulfill G-d’s commandments and to behave morally and justly. The whole system of G-d’s justice, opaque as it may seem to us to be, is simply to remind us of our potential and greatness, of the importance of our behavior in the grand scheme of things, and to reinforce our sense of destiny as individuals and as a people.

Shabat shalom,

Rabbi Berel Wein

Improving Our Character

Parshas Eikev

Posted on July 24, 2013 (5773) By Rabbi Naftali Reich | Series: Legacy | Level: Beginner

One of the greatest challenges we face in life is being trapped in the rut of our personal shortcomings. As time progresses, we become more alert to those flaws that despite our efforts, have resisted change. It may be a propensity to anger or a lack of organizational skills. It may be a tendency to be self-centered or jealous of others. These mindsets tend to lock us in a viselike grip; as much as we try we simply cannot escape.

One of the underlying principles of both the mussar and the Chassidic schools of thought is that we must never despair of improving our character, even regarding traits that are so stubborn they seem to be genetically embedded.

The saintly Yesod Hoavoda once told his disciples that he asked a professional horse jockey if his horse ever threw him to the ground. “Of course,” said the jockey. “Everyone, even the most professional rider, gets thrown from time to time.”

“What do you do when you get thrown?” asked the Yesod Hoavodah. “I hold on to the reins and jump back on to the saddle as fast as I can. If not, the horse will run away and I will be left with nothing,” the horse jockey replied.

“Our body too, pulls in different directions. While we try to harness its instincts, they are often times more powerful than we are, but that does not mean that we must despair of ever changing. Admitting defeat should be unthinkable-since striving for self-improvement and self-elevation is what our task in this world is all about.

King Solomon says in Koheles, “Sheva yipol tzadik vekam,” seven times the righteous fall, but they will stand. Simply put, a righteous person will fall seven times but will continuously struggle back to his feet and get back in the running.

There is a classical homiletical interpretation of this verse that provides an avenue to assist us in getting back on our feet after a fall. A great Chassidic sage said we may fall seven times but if we know that deep down, our most fundamental desire is to be virtuous, to cleanse ourselves of unsavory instincts and elevate ourselves to be moral moral, giving and unselfish, we will persevere.

Just as a child when severely criticized will tend to internalize the judgment and feel he or she is incurably bad, we adults may also become harshly self-critical and “throw in the towel” on trying to improve. Instead of giving more power to our nature’s darker side, however, our job is to reinforce the belief that a human being can reach for-and attain-the stars. We must stand erect and jump back in to the lifelong challenge of self-improvement, relying on assistance from Above to help us in the struggle.

This theme is echoed in a verse in this week’s Parsha. The Torah tells us, Vehaya, im lo sishmiun bekoli,” and it will come to pass, if you do not obey my voice and you stray after idols, I warn you today that you will be utterly destroyed and decimated, if you do not heed my voice. The word “vehaya” always precedes joyous tidings, the Sages say. Why then in so tragic a situation as the Jewish people straying from hearkening to G-d’s word should the Torah use the word “vehaya?”

Furthermore, the commentaries ask, why does this piece conclude with the verse that all these terrible punishments will befall you since “you do not listen to Hashem’s voice” (present tense)? Would it not be more apropos to write “since you have not listened to Hashem’s voice” (past tense)?

The saintly Bnei Yisaschar explains that the Torah is alluding to the very concept we have discussed above. Sometimes we stray very far from where are supposed to be. A little voice inside of us tells us that we are doomed and we might as well come to terms with our personal failure and embrace our diminished and compromised status. We will never be able to regain our footing and climb back up to spiritual heights.

It is that self-critical voice that is constantly buzzing inside of us, declaring we are doomed. Yet “vehaya,” -the joyous tidings associated with this word teaches that the way to arouse Hashem’s joy, so to speak, even as our inner voice condemns us, is to resist that voice with all our energy, and to choose self-affirmation instead. Bolstered by faith in Hashem’s helping power, we can boost our self-confidence and courage in tackling life’s ever-present challenges, and thereby succeed in realizing our inner spiritual aspirations.

Wishing you a wonderful Shabbos.

Rabbi Naftali Reich

The Formula to Achieve Contentment

Parshas Vaeschanan

Posted on July 18, 2013 (5773) By Rabbi Berel Wein | Series: Rabbi Wein | Level: Beginner

This Shabat is Shabat Nachamu, the Shabat that begins for us a cycle of comfort and consolation after the weeks of sadness and mourning over the past tragedies of the Jewish people. These next seven weeks of healing comfort will lead us into the bright, new year that awaits us. In this week’s parsha there is to be found, so to speak, the short course and synopsis of all of Judaism – the Ten Commandments, the Shema and the explanation of the Exodus from Egypt to be given to the wise son.

In a general sense, the entire structure of Torah and Jewish life is encapsulated for us in the parsha of the week. Since this Shabat is invariably also Shabat Nachamu, it is not difficult to see that the Torah is teaching us that comfort and consolation are spiritual values and attainments and not necessarily dependent upon material wealth or worldly success.

Our society, so rich in material goods and advanced technology, suffers greatly from all sorts of mental and social dysfunction. Depression is the “black dog” (Churchill’s words for his recurring bouts of depression) that affects over a third of the citizens of the Western world! True comfort and serenity within human beings are difficult to achieve and most precarious to maintain.

The Torah in this week’s parsha, in order to help and guide us, gives us a formula to achieve this elusive goal of contentment. And, it lies within the parameters of those three principles of Jewish faith outlined in the parsha of the week.

The Ten Commandments create for us a structure of belief and morality that every individual can aspire and ascribe to, no matter how decadent the society in which one finds oneself enmeshed in. The moral strictures that protect life, property and person are the basic rules of Jewish faith and life. The dysfunction between parents and children, a 24/7 commercial world, accepted robbery and corruption as a social norm, daily murders and a completely sexually dissolute society – how can one avoid being depressed in such a milieu?

All of civilization teeters on the fulcrum of those Ten Commandments. They point the way out of the social morass that sucks us down to destruction. The Shema is the vehicle of connection of our soul with the Creator Who fashioned us and gave us life. The belief in the one and universal G-d Who rules and is omniscient and omnipotent is the greatest gift of the Jews to the human race. It gives us discipline and security, purity and nobility, the whiff of immortality and the security in knowing that life is never in vain.

And finally, the understanding of the uniqueness of Israel in G-d’s scheme of things, as represented in the story of the Exodus from Egypt, gives structure and perspective to our national and personal lives. But it takes wisdom and knowledge – a wise son – to appreciate and treasure this memory of the distant past. Memory alone can also give us a sense of comfort and well-being and contribute towards the consolation and contentment we so ardently seek.

Shabat shalom       Rabbi Berel Wein

Only with Honest Work

Parshas Vaeschanan

Posted on August 4, 2017 (5777) By Rabbi Label Lam | Series: Dvar Torah | Level: Beginner

For what great nation is there that has G-d so near to it, as HASHEM our G-d is at all times that we call upon Him? And which great nation is it that has just statutes and ordinances, as this entire Torah, which I set before you this day? (Devarim 4: 7-8)

Why is the Torah telling us these things? There are no Mitzvos being promulgated here. Are these mere open declarations of certain facts? Perhaps we are being made aware of some great gifts!?

If so, this seems to be in violation of a profound truth I have discovered over the years. Really it’s a reality revealed by the Zohar. I am not disappointed not to be the first to have found this out. You can’t truly give anybody anything! Perhaps, the best you can offer someone is to show them what they already have. I know this is all begging for an explanation.

HASHEM created the entire world in order to bestow His ultimate essence and His endless kindness upon a deserving other or others, and they would have to prove their worthiness by navigating through the gauntlet of this world. The destination where this reward is realized in full is the “Next World”. The Zohar wonders why there would be a need for “this world” at all. Just plant a person right in the midst of the bliss of the next world and forgo all the struggles of this worldly life. The Zohar answers with a concept known as “Nahama D’kisufa”- “The Bread of Shame!” To get something for free is inherently painful and embarrassing. It is essential to the human soul to wish for the exhilaration associated with hard work yielding accomplishment, and to reject the reception of “something for nothing”.

I was in Israel a few years ago and hurrying to catch a cab to my Shabbos destination with only 20 minutes to spare. A driver screeched to a halt and I jumped in. I decided I was going to try to strike up a deep and meaningful conversation with my secular Israeli driver even if he seemed disinterested.

Time was working against me though. I asked him his name. “Uri” he uttered. One syllable. He was already annoyed by the length of the conversation. “Where do you live, Uri?” I asked him. Again, a one word response,”Yerushelaim!” I sensed a slight uptick of pride in his tone and maybe this was my opportunity. I told him in my best Mishnaic Hebrew which must sound like Shakespeare English, “Uri, ata kmo dag! Uri, you are like a fish!” He almost let me off right there, shooting an angry glance. I certainly had his attention. I told him I need to explain and his look told me I needed to explain.

As I made my meaning clear, he calmed down and he even started to shake his head in agreement. I explained as best I could that the most obvious thing about a fish is that he lives in water. The fish however does not realize that he is living in water. He is surrounded by it all the time and he cannot imagine what life would be without it. Water is his air. I told Uri, “You live here in Yerushelaim! I’m jealous of you! You are like a fish. You don’t know how fortunate you are. I traveled from America and I paid a thousands of dollars just to be for a few days in the Holy City of Yerushelaim. You are here all the time!” By the time we reached our destination he was elated. Now we can all treat ourselves to a chuckle at Uri’s expense. How can one fail to realize the real value of their location, where they dwell daily!?

The more I think about it the more I come to terms with the notion that we are Uri and Uri is we. The Torah tells us about two powerful entities that we have been granted. We have the power of prayer, the ability to invite G-d Almighty into the detail of our lives. We have a Torah so dense with wisdom and it is obvious no other nation could ever make a near claim. These cannot be mere gifts. It is an invite to employ these power tools and to explore the force of their functionality. They are not trophies to be placed on a shelf and admired from a distance. Rather they are the most incredible gifts a man can possess but only with honest work.

How Ironic

Parshas Vaeschanan

Posted on August 8, 2014 (5774) By Rabbi Label Lam | Series: Dvar Torah | Level: Beginner

For what great nation is there that has G-d so near to it, as HASHEM our G-d is at all times that we call upon Him? (Devarim 4:8)

Now I know that HASHEM has delivered His anointed. He will answer him from His Holy Heavens, with the mighty deliverance of His right hand. Some rely on chariots and some upon horses, but as for us, the name of HASHEM our G-d we call. (Tehillim 20:7-8)

That Talmud Brochos expresses curiosity about the above verse. When is the time that when HASHEM is near to us? It offers the answer that is at the time when the congregation gathers and prays together. There’s something about that group activity that excites Divine involvement. Sometimes though, what the community cries out for with all sincerity seems thwarted. What happens to those prayers? Was it an exercise in futility, G-d forbid! No! We know that no prayer goes unanswered. There have been a lot of gathering together and an intense focus on prayer these past few weeks. Not everyone is in the seat to see results. Sometimes, though, someone in a unique position is offered a clear window into how the power of the many, praying as one, manifests in the real world, and in ways that might otherwise go unnoticed. This all may be pure conjecture but it is certainly compelling and encouraging news for believing hearts. It is more than worthy of telling and retelling.

Here is a true and amazing story told by Ohad Shaked: I received a phone call on Sunday from “A,” one of the Iron Dome commanders who was a student of mine about 6 years ago. I was glad he called. “Where can a person learn Torah in Ramat Gan?” He asked me leaving me baffled being that he was far from Torah and Mitzvot. “I’m going to be released in a couple of months, and I want to learn in a Yeshiva – I saw the Almighty with my own eyes!” He said, “Nothing more and nothing less.”

“What happened?” I asked him. “A Missile was fired from Gaza. The Iron Dome can detect where the missile is going to fall within a 200 meter radius. This particular Missile was heading to the Azrieli Towers (the equivalent of the Pentagon in the USA), or to the busy railroad tracks. Either way, hundreds could have paid with their lives!

We sent the first “dome” and it missed. Then the second as well as the third dome missed, this is a very rare occurrence. To date, only two other such cases occurred. I was in shock! We had four seconds until there is no way back and the missile would hit. We had already informed and dispatched emergency services, the police and the fire department, to the location.” Then the commander spoke excitedly as I kept on listening. “Suddenly, without any preliminary design from the Iron Dome system (which calculates the possible wind currents, etc.) a strong eastern wind blew – a wind that we have no idea where it came from and cast the missile right into the sea. We were all in shock!!! I stood up and started screaming ‘There is a G-d’! ‘There is a G-d!’ ‘There is a G-d’!!! I saw this miracle with my own eyes. No one told me about it. It was not reported to me. I saw the Hand of HASHEM fling the missile into the sea!

Of course this was not reported for security reasons, but it’s enough to witness the miracles with our own eyes to know there is HASHEM (G-d). I ran to one of the religious soldiers and asked him to help me put on Tefillin. I took it upon myself to keep Shabbat, and that was the very best Shabbat I have ever had.” This is what he told me. I was so excited that it even brought a tear to my eye. “Ashrecha” (praiseworthy are you) I said to him, “that you merited to witness this incident and to understand that it’s from HASHEM (G-d)!”

Just in case we thought it was the iron dome alone that was protecting our people, now we find out that we have a supernal partner. “U’ Mi Doma Lach!?” Who is like You!? Who can be compared to You!? That may be the hidden meaning of the iron dome. How ironic!

DvarTorah, Copyright © 2007 by Rabbi Label Lam and Torah.org.