nuff said

i know that god prepeared moses from the birth to be a prophet to release the jews from their enemy and it was god will for the jews to enter palastine and i know that the jews at that time did not want to fight and asked moses to fight alone this was the judism god will ..but after the holocaust the jews did not fight the enemy and there was no prophets to guide them to peace so it was some body wanted them to be here on my land ,he was not a prophet sorry i want to tell he is not an evil but sure he was not better than hamass or the palastinians now it means he was worse than evile ,,it is your openion . now it is not the war of judism and islam nonono it is the rights of israili and the rights of palastinians to live on this lands and as a religion islam accept the christians as the jews but israil accept only the jews to return to the lands ,,note when judism was istablished on this land there was no islam islam is beyond judism 1500 years it is a fact and so at the first islam was not the enemy of judism and till now it is the israili palastinians conflects ,,i have the same rights as you on this land even iam not jew or rabi or sheihk salam

"We Jews were never known for being warriors." Sorry Rabbi. see subject line and 1948,56,67,73

...and not a general in the IDF. He thinks the average Israeli has lost the will to fight? What nonsense. Perhaps he doesn't understand the difference between tactics and strategy. Does he think Arik Sharon lost the will to fight?

The Torah preaches tolerance? Usually, yes. But tell that to the Hareidim in Israel. It wasn't always this way, but if Hareidim weren't so "in your face", breaking the law (stealing corpses, attacking police, rioting over cars driving on shabbat, writing Na Nachman... grafitti on walls, pasting pictures of rebbis on public property, etc., not to mention not standing in respect for our war dead with the rest of us, forcing us to wait for a bus while they enforce separate sex bussing, shouting at us about how we dress rather than looking the other way or gently requesting we cover up, refusing to serve in our army even in their own units with a few minor exceptions, refusing to contribute to our economy by working or working without paying taxes, refusing to recognize the methods available to them to make conversions and divorces less painful, abusing power in politics when they get it like for subsidizing large families at the expense of smaller ones, etc.), well, do you have any wonder why we can't hold enough unity to unite around Torah logic to face any enemy when we are so busy facing ourselves? It's because nobody looks to Torah for an answer when they see how its representatives behave! Nobody in Israel wants to buy soog bet, and that's how these representatives sell the product, unfortunately. To the rest of us, it looks like it's a product that doesn't do the job it's advertised to do. Had mashmait, Rabbi, if we behaved differently to each other (across streams, not just to those who are like us), if the very Jews who are supposed to set the example by following the Torah you cite were able to behave the way you describe, we'd be able to put together the wall to wall front we need to fight this war because we'd look for the answers where you think we should. But since divisions amongst us are so great, in no small part due to the repulsion large parts of our population feel to those you would think exercise the most Jewish of values, we can't fight this war the way you want us to. People don't look to the Torah for answers because of the behavior of those who cite Torah as their life guide. Their acts are a chilul Hashem, and they have undermined our ability to unite and fight for a common cause, because it is only when push comes to shove that these people feign common cause with the rest of Israel, and I say this because the common cause vanishes with the threat. That's simply not good enough anymore. People are interested in what's real and what is lasting, not just what's convenient. If nothing is lasting and real, then they'll unite around their own selfish needs. So, you may be right in your observations. And of course, the political atmosphere with our allies and in the UN also ties our hands because our leaders allow it to. But the place to look for the remedy is inside each of us, because that's where it is to be found if the Torah is to amount to any use in helping us see the solution to our problem and unite for an uncompromising battle.

the Jews enter back into Israel! and the Jews did not ask moses nothing. G-d told him to free his chosen people. the is no 'Jewish g-d" your moron! there is only ONE g_d, haven't you learn anything?? after the holocaust only more Jews came to Israel, there have been Jews there alway's and Jerusalem had in 1800 more Jews than arabs ! Learn the truth! you know why Israel only let Jews back into israel? Because if we will let everybody in we will be no Jewish land and we will be like euope and have a muslim state after 50 years! you all shoud "discrimination" but can I live saudi arabie? Can I live in Gaza? Can you get a Saudi pasport? so stop blaming others. And Jews are counting the year 5766, so we have been here a litle longer than any musim!

DEAR RABBI BRACKMAN (AND ALL OTHER CHABAD RABBIS LIVING IN EXILE) TWO YEARS AGO I WOULD HAVE AGRRED WITH EVERY WORD THAT YOU HAVE WRITTEN IN THIS ARTICLE. I STILL AGREE WITH EVERYTHING YOU SAY ABOUT THE SUBJECT MATTER,KNOWING HOW THE REBBE LOVED EVERY INCH OF ERETZ YISRAEL AND FOUGHT VIGOROUSLY AGAINST GIVING UP EVEN ON STEP OF THE LAND. HOWEVER,SPEAKING AS A 73 YEAR OLD I STRONGLY FEEL THAT ANY JEW NOW LIVING IN EXILE MUST SERIOUSLY THINK OF MAKING ALIYAH. IMAGINE WHAT HOLINESS WILL BE ADDED TO ERETZ YISRAEL IF THOUSANDS OF YOUNG "CHABADNICS" WOULD COME TO LIVE IN ISRAEL (ESPECIALLY IN YESHA SURELY THE OUTREACH PROGRAMME OF THE REBBE IS NOW COMPLETE IN EXILE. EMPHASIS IS NOW END OF EXILE AND BEGINNING OF REDEMPTION BY GATHERING IN THE JEWS FROM THE FOUR CORNERS OF THE EARTH. ALSO IN ADDITION TO THE HIGH BIRTHRATE OF THE HAREIDI POPULATION,A HIGH INFLUX OF CHABADNICS WILL SOON BE ENOUGH TO VOTE THE IMPOVERISHED SECULAR GOVT. OUT OF POWER. I STRONGLY FEEL THAT AT THIS CRITICAL TIME IN ISRAEL THE MAIN PRIORITY OF CHABAD SHOULD BE ALIYAH. WHAT'S THE USE OF SCREAMING "MOSHIACH NOW" AND AT THE SAME TIME BUILDING NEW EXPENSIVE SHULS AND MIKVAS ALL OVER THE WORLD,PLANNING FOR YEARS AHEAD IN EXILE. IT DOES NOT MAKE SENSE AND IS HYPOCRITICAL SHABAT SHALOM

The simple truth.

Yesterday I have read that even some posters thought that Yahalon (former Chief of IDF) was for so-called disengagement. He was always against it. Most people did not know that Sharon was a big time crook. People still don't know that Olmert living on the money from a crook from Virgin Islands. Peres getting checks from 3 crooks from US. The English newspaper "post" is owned by the Kadima organization, etc. People still think that they are dealing with Begin or Ben Gurion and not petty crooks.

"The Torah shall go forth from Zion, the Word of God from Jerusalem." Why is an American rabbi living in a boondock plains state writing for an Israeli newspaper? In a country saturated beyond belief with rabbis you can't find someone to write an article for you? Indeed, one of the Babylonian sages who moved to Eretz Yisroel remarked of his former colleagues: "Obscure Pronouncements From Obscure Men In An Obscure Land." (and babylon was a world power!). The Babylonian sages responded: "Any one of them [the sages in Israel] is worth any two of us!" Yosef Caro would not accept his Maggid until he moved to Israel because he believed the revelation it would give him would be flawed in the diaspora. And, of course, the Talmud teaches us: "one who lives outside the land of Israel [is like one who] has no God. I invite this Rabbi to fufill the mitzvah of living in the land - and of not giving us a view from the diaspora, which is a land of shadows and fun-house mirrors. Godliness is only seen clearly in the land. What's more - I hear my former American compatriots complain about "Israeli resolve" all the time. Put up or shut up. The only way to make a difference is to put your money where your mouth is and come to live here. Its not what you say, but what you do, that defines what your true desires, true character, and true nature are. Living in the diaspora to the shame of countless generations who longed for the land is a choice. Complaining about what Israelis do while not coming here to make a difference is also a choice. Sending money? Hah! A citizen living here puts more into the economy than donors to Israel do. A citizen living here can actually vote in our elections and make a difference. A citizen living here can create critical mass for the Torah view. We want you to live here and participate, not give us distorted and irrelevant advice from afar.

I think Jewish People's conflict in protect and defend themselves lays justly in what Bible teaches, when tell us "love the stranger". Because of this conflict ,people let strangers hurt us,offend us and try to dominate us. I see as the most import thing is to Israelis and Jews FIRSTLY protect them selves ,to after decide WHOSE STRANGERS let in our home. We must decide who are our friends and not the oppostite,by letting all kind of people joining us and after having the job to fight those want to destroy us. It is as when you are in a flight: you are taught to FIRST put the oxigen mask on your self for AFTER put in others,even your own children. Israel commited various errors. It should have kept firmly ,after winning 1967 war,by not giving up lands;it should NEVER have listened arabs and foreign powers on how to deal with its own problems. Unfortunatly,I think the People of Israel was betrayed for many of it "leaders",specially in the late years. These,"leaders" were seduced by material appeals devil powers offered to them,and they used their "power" towards a naive and good willing People which is Jewish People,cheating them. I can not understand how,using a recent example,Olmert went to Jordan recentely,and instead of trying to manage something really good for Jewish people -as a transfer( my point),he was there TO DEAL THE TRADE OF 3000 GUNS AND ARTILERY TO THE ENEMY!!!!! Was this "leader"just a plain unclever one,or he knew he was there to give munition to the enemy to try to destroy Israel? Rabin...was him seduced by the beatiful Clinton's face and his offerings and so brought disgrace to Israel? Was him just a blind wimp,or did he know what he was doing? These are question Israelis,and all of us,have been needing to face.Diificult and sad realities that may bring Israelis to a new level of maturity. As I read last week ,here at Ynet,the parsha that says that finally people started "singing(themselves) the song"not following the leaders's song anymore. It is time for Israel to DECIDE itself its beatiful future for ever.

I understand it is painful for you to read the truth. Most papers in Israel are in the hands of foreigners (who hate Jews). The current leaders have their handlers outside Israel. Parties, like Labor, is financed by people from US. The Kadima web site is a copy of the left wing organization in Texas. "Peace Now" is subject to US groups. Beilin is paid by EU. Olmert lives in the house owned by a guy in US, etc, etc. And you are afraid of one guy writing a story, and this guy has no influence on our Government.

Great article

I appreciate your directness and honesty. Shalom!

I loved what the Rabbi said, but I also agree, it is time for Aliyah. I hope to be able to go within the next 18 months.....and I wish I could do it now. We have been in exile too long, and there is no longer a need. I believe that we, from the diaspora, could be a stabalizing force in Eretz Yisrael. We must be one people in our own Homeland.

To those of you who say that this Rabbi should be living in Israel are you also saying that his point of view is wrong? From a Torah perspective his point of view is extremely sound and also (and therefore) sound from a political point of view. The source of weakness politically comes from not following the Torah correctly. Also, as Shai in Israel said, the errors and wrongdoing of those who are officially orthodox ALSO stems from not following the Torah correctly. And as Shai said, we must all - each and every one of us - search within, guided by the light of the Torah, the book of life, to refine ourselves and refine our task. It is obvious from the words of Muhamad in Gaza that in the face of this article his words are limited. Against the power of Torah no evil has any strength. Be it evil from within - from the Charedi, from the secular, from any kind of Jew - or from non-Jews. The Torah is eternal and in it are the answers to all of life's problems. All we must do is search hard enough and for the right reasons, (i.e. to serve the Almighty correctly which is to make the world into a better place) and then all the answers will be provided. You love your neighbour as you love yourself. Shalom P.s. In saying above that his views are 'extremely sound' I do not, for one moment, advocate the suffering of Palestinians. On the contrary, the Palestinian people suffer because of their leadership which offer death. Death will be strong as long as life is weak, so let life be strong and let the word of the Book of Life be known, starting from within!

Even so I lived in Israel for 15 years and served in the IDF (both regular army and reserves) I would never had the "betzim" to advise Israel on what military action to take or not to take. I presently don't live there or pay taxes there. This clown is typical of the type of uber American Jew who will fight to the last drop of Israeli blood. Ignore this bozo!!!!!!!!!!!