Parsha Vayigash 5769: Jewish Unity, Still As Elusive As Ever

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by Moshe Burt

Parsha Mikeitz records the whole affair between Yosef and the brothers when they came to Mitzrayim to buy food and were accused by the Viceroy of being spies. We learned how after hearing their story and family history, Yosef demanded that they bring their youngest brother to him and incarcerated Shimon as insurance that the brothers would indeed return with Binyamin, their youngest brother. We learn that in the middle of Parsha Mikeitz, with the imprisonment of Shimon, the brothers recognized and attributed their predicament to the sin they had committed earlier by throwing Yosef into the pit and then selling him to the Mitzriyim. Yosef heard and understood their conversation and left their presence to cry silently. (Perek 42, posukim 21-24) read more

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Israel Launches “Cast Lead” Operation Against Terror Infrastructure, Weapons

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Commentary;

Israel has apparently launched a major operation, dubbed “Cast Lead”, against terror in Gaza. President Shimon Peres has announced that “measures will not include invasion” but Defense Minister Ehud Barak notes; “it won’t be easy and it won’t be short.” Over 200 were killed and over 300 wounded in today’s initial strikes targeting numerous Hamas locations as well as weapons and ammo storage areas.

“Israeli-Arabs” have reacted with rioting and, in one case, an Arab attempted to run-down an Israel polliceman in Jerusalem. read more

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Friday War News: 25 Mortar Shells Pound South as Barak Opens Gaza Crossings, 10s of Thousands of Rockets With 40km Range; Roadside Bomb Found in Central Israel; IDF Nabs Terrorist in Abu Dis

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The Puzzlement About Israelis and Chanukah

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by Moshe Burt

On Thursday, this blog commented on a Ynet opinion piece entitled “We Lost Our Killer Instinct.”

The piece dealt with what many have perceived for some time; How Israelis have become more “I”, “me”, individual-oriented and how this orientation change relates to an IDF basically controlled by the Attorney-General and the so-called “Justice (sic) Ministry, by fear of the media, by fear of parents and the streets of Tel Aviv rather than by the chief of staff and defense ministry. read more

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Has the IDF Lost its Instincts of Yesteryear?

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Commentary;

It used to be that the spirit, the credo of the IDF was unity, was “follow-me” commanders and command structure, was the collective security of the nation — in all of its regions and sectors. It used to be that the pain felt in the Negev, in Galil, in Jerusalem was felt in Tel Aviv, Haifa, or for that matter, Beit Shemesh. Ynet’s Guy Bechor writes of the change for the worst saying;

“We see excess of individualism, whereby only the individual is of interest to us, rather than the State or the army.” read more

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Thursday War News UPDATE: More Rockets, Mortars Near Ashkelon, Yad Mordechai, Kfar Aza, Sha’ar Hanegev as Kiryat Gat Prepares for Attack; Lebanese Army Defuses 7 Katyushas Aimed at Israel

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Wednesday War News Update: Over 60 Rockets, Mortars Bombard Ashkelon, West Negev, Islamic Sniper Fire at IDF at Nir-Oz, Security Cabinet Brands 35 Terrorist Groups — Banks Beware; Bus Stoned Near Bethlehem

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Bibi’s Tzomet Ploy Apparently Failed; Eitam Next in Attempt to Push Feiglin Down?

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Commentary;

Readers may wonder why this blog has stuck pretty much to three topics in recent days; Bibi, Likud and Feiglin, Jonathan Pollard and the daily Gaza (and Yehuda, Shomron) war news.

The reason is basically because these three issues most closely focus in on the ongoing political/spiritual (or lack thereof) war between the forces of darkness, apathy and stagnation and the forces of light and Jewish self-pride and spirituality for the minds, hearts and souls
of masses of Israelis. read more

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Wednesday War News: Waves of Kassams, Mortars Rain on South, Security Cabinet Meets, Plans Cancelled to Open Gaza Crossings; IDF Nabs 5 Terrorists

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Reminder: 28 Days and Counting — Call White House for Jonathan Pollard!

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The White House numbers;

In the US 202-456-1111

In Israel 077-566-4305

Commentary;

President Bush officially leaves office and turns the mantle of the US Presidency over to Barrack Hussein Obama on the 21th of January.

In the meantime, efforts aimed at Presidential clemency are being redoubled on Jonathan Pollard’s behalf.

Please note: The legal term is not “pardon” as pardon denotes expungement of charges or conviction. The correct terminology is to ask for clemency — to commutation of prison sentence to time served and Jonathan’s release from incarceration. read more

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