Thoughts on a Unique Week

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Thoughts on a Unique Week

 

The news agencies have not been bored recently. They didn't have to come up with some story on a homeless cat, or a new study on why Coke is such a popular drink. There were enough 'breaking news' stories to keep them and all of us on our toes.

Take this week. Well we have the Gaza war on terror (oh please don't call it 'the Gaza crisis'. For it's a war on terror, plane and simple), and I sure hope they don't end it until the terror is done with. NASA claims there's life on mars, and an African American is becoming sworn in as the leader of the free world. And we have the highest unemployment rate in over half a century.

What a week. Here's a slice of good news, which all the media outlets call miraculous: A plane landed in the Hudson River and everyone on board survived. Thank G-d for that.

But you want to hear something really fascinating? Continue reading.

This week we open book two of the Torah, the story of the slavery and exodus.

What's fascinating about that? This: "Vayaminu" – and they believed. The Torah tells us that after 210 years of bloodshed and torture, where according to all logic the slaves should have given up hope; Vayaminu!

These people have never met Yosef for he's lived over 2 centuries earlier!

All news forecasts saw no chance that the Egyptian empire will or can fall!

Not one slave had ever EVER escaped Egypt!

Yet they believed. Fascinating isn't it?

For they had a promise from their grandfather Yosef, that one day will come a man with the words "I have remembered you" and that will be a sign that the time of redemption had arrived. And that kept them going!

In the end it worked out just like they believed.

Our sages tell us that "in the merit of our belief we were redeemed from Egypt, and in the merit of our belief we will be redeemed in the final redemption."

May it come to be speedily in our days!

***

The Israeli Ambassador at the U.N. began, "Ladies and gentlemen before I commence with my speech, I want to relay an old Passover story.

"When Moses was leading the Jews out of Egypt toward the Promised Land, he had to go through the nearly endless Sinai desert.

"When they reached the Promised Land, the people had become very thirsty and needed water. So Moses struck the side of a mountain with his staff and a pond appeared with crystal clean, cool water. The people rejoiced and drank to their hearts' content.

"Moses put down his staff and went to a solitary corner of the pond to drink, and meditate in prayer. But once Moses returned, he found that his staff had been stolen.

"I have reason to believe ladies and gentlemen that the Palestinians stole the staff of our great Prophet Moses.'"

The Palestinian delegate to the UN, hearing this accusation, jumps from his seat and screams out, "This is a travesty. It is widely known that there were no such thing as 'Palestinians' at that time!"

"And with that in mind," said the Israeli Ambassador, "let me now begin my speech."

 

Moshiach Now!

Shabbat Shalom

(Rabbi) Levi Avtzon