Finding Hashem

Some time ago I wrote a children’s book which has been sitting in a file on my computer. With everything that has happened in these past few weeks, I thought it was time pull it out and share with everyone. It is a very simple story but I think it speaks to a question that many people are asking right now: where is Hashem in all of this tragedy?

Simply put, Hashem is everywhere. Hashem is the light in this world. A light that is sometimes hard to see, sometimes nearly impossible to find, but He is always there. We may not always understand what happens in this world and why, but we must hold onto Hashem and trust Him. There is a greater picture, a fully realized canvas that we cannot understand or comprehend.

We must hold tight to Hashem during the good times and, more importantly, during the difficult times. We must stand with our homeland and embrace the people in Eretz Yisrael with whom we have a bond more powerful than blood. We are one people with one home and one G-d and we must always remember that Hashem is everywhere.

We have all tried to describe Hashem to ourselves but how do we describe Hashem to children? How do we explain Hashem’s presence in a simple, kid friendly way? This is my attempt to do just that:

Hashem is Everywhere

As Daniel walked home from synagogue with his father he asked, “Daddy, where’s Hashem?”

Daniel’s father answered, “Hashem is everywhere.”

“Is Hashem under that rock?”

“Yes.”

Daniel ran over to the rock and turned it upside down. “I don’t see Him! I just missed Him!”

Daniel’s father laughed.

Daniel continued walking with his father.

As they reached their house Daniel asked, “Daddy, is Hashem inside our house?”

Daniel’s father replied as he opened the door, “Yes.”

“I don’t see Him. Where is He?”

“Daniel, why don’t you look in the family room while I make us some lunch.” Before his father could finish his suggestion, Daniel began searching the room.

Daniel turned over all the cushions, crawled behind the couch, and peered behind the book cases. “I can’t find Him. I keep missing Him.”

Daniel stopped his search as he heard his father yell, “Come in and eat lunch. You can look later.”

Daniel bounced into the kitchen and sat down at the table.

After eating half of his sandwich Daniel asked, “Daddy, is Hashem in my sandwich?”

Daniel’s father laughed as he said, “Yes, Hashem is everywhere.”

Daniel paused and said with a smile, “He tastes good.”

Daniel and his father laughed as they finished their lunch.

“Can I start looking for Hashem again?”

“I think you should take a nap now. You can look again after that.”

Daniel yawned, “Looking for Hashem makes me sleepy.”

“You’re right. It takes a lot of time and energy. It can make you very sleepy.” Daniel slowly climbed the stairs with his father following him.

As Daniel got into bed he asked his father, “Daddy, can you check the closet for monsters?”

“There are no monsters in the closet, only Hashem.”

“Can I see?”

“You can’t see Hashem. He is everywhere at the same time.”

“Why can’t I see him?”

“Hashem is… invisible. He is always watching you and always protecting you.”

Daniel closed his eyes as he said, “Just like Mommy is always with me. Right?”

“Right. Just like Mommy.”

Terrorism Will NOT Deter Our Aliyah!

It has been a horrifying day. I have been frantically emailing and tweeting to check in with friends to see if they are okay after this morning’s cowardly and unspeakable act of terrorism. 31 people got up today expecting it to be like any other and it was until the bomb exploded. Dozens have been injured, one person was killed, and countless live have been effected (including my own).

My wife and I have been absorbed in the aliyah process for almost a year and, like clockwork, whenever something happens in Israel (and the Middle East in general) we are asked whether we are still planning on moving. Every time, including right now, our answer is a resounding YES! When someone attacks your home you don’t run away.

We understood at the onset of our journey that acts such as those over the past couple of weeks could happen. Do we pray for peace? Of course we do but we cannot stand on the sidelines and wait, we can’t expect others to stand in our place, we can’t say we support our home and our people with all our heart and soul if we are not there. This is our home and we are not going to run away!

I know I am not the only one who feels this way – I am not the first and I am not the last. I know that many people will not understand or agree with these views but they should think about the power that conviction in the face of terrorism can possess. We saw this in the US after 9/11 but these “smaller” events can have a similar impact. Take a couple of minutes to watch the following video and think about how many lives have been changed. Think about how many people have been able to go home thanks to Rabbi Yehoshua Fass and Nefesh B’Nefesh.  

The objectives of these acts of terror are to kill some and frighten, to get rid of, and prevent the rest of us from returning home. Have these events scared me? I would be lying if I said they didn’t. Will they prevent me from making aliyah? NO! Will they get rid of me? NO! I am going home!

 We are one people with one home. No one can take away our faith. No one can take away our home. Acts of terror should bring us together. These events should motivate us to change our lives and appreciate all that Hashem has given us. While these recent events have made me stop and think, they will never deter me from going home! 

I will continue to pray for peace, for the victims and their families, and that everyone will be able to find their way home!

Never Settle for Less!

International reactions to the heinous murder of a holy family in Itamar have been, for the most part, respectful but, if one reads the comments and reactions to the various articles, you can almost feel the hate transcend the screen and grab you by the throat. And the words that leave me gasping for air the longest are the disgraceful ramblings from other Jews.

Additional news out of Israel from Monday (new settlement construction in the west bank) and Tuesday (the interception of an arms shipment from Iran and Syria intended to arm Hamas in Gaza), has further demonstrated the disgusting lack of unity for our state, our home, and the legal and justified actions of our leaders. The accusations being bandied about such as “illegitimate” settlements and that they “should arm themeslves in case of any Israeli aggression” are not solely those of radical goyim. It makes me sick to have to write this but I have encountered numerous Jews who have supported those statements and some who even use them to launch into anti-Israel tirades (Thomas Friedman recently used the crisis in Egypt in the same manner). 

Why? Why do Jews insist on fighting against their own people? Why is there no connection to the land of Israel, to our home? Why is it always seen as Israel’s fault? Why are the people who give their lives in defense of our land disrespected? Why are victims of murder seen as the aggressors?

I can’t say that I have the answers to these questions but I can surmise a possible theory behind this thinking. I believe that there are three main factors feeding into the Jewish psyche that lead to such distorted and dysfunctional views and beliefs.   

·         Lack of Jewish knowledge and upbringing is the primary culprit. Without the foundation of heritage, tradition, and faith it is impossible to connect with something, someplace that you know little about. This also prevents the spark of desire to see our home and breathe the holy air that can feed ones passion to protect our place in this world and our homeland.

·         Selfishness is quickly breaking down the fibers that knit our community together. Everyone is focused on what is best for them, not everyone. They view others in this world, especially other Jews as hostile because they don’t subscribe to the same views, beliefs, and practices. They will question anything you say that they don’t agree with but will not allow you to reciprocate the query.

·         And where do they get these views? The media. This wouldn’t be so bad if it was unbiased but, to the dismay of all of us that try to find the facts and explore topics from multiple angles before forming an opinion, modern media is slightly west of the far left. Ironically, during an age when one can rapidly research any topic on line and find views from all sides, people take the media at face value more often than not (take a look at the comments section on most articles about Israel).

Yes, I realize that this is a very simplistic summary but I think it touches on the major points of contention which are feeding into the toxic views of Israel spreading within the Jewish community. These views continue to eat away at the public opinion slowly sinking the public stance beyond the point of return. Right now, the hope remains that things will change, that we, those who stand with Israel, will be able to reverse the insanity. However, the questions remain: How do we accomplish this? How can we change the Jewish world?