Jewish Post on the war in Gaza

I took the liberty to take this information from the Aish.com post, as I felt it was very touching. Please allow me to share this post written by an IDF Rabbi.

At the beginning of the Gaza ground offensive, I had the privilege of accompanying the soldiers of the Golani Brigade's Regiment-12. I am the regiment's rabbi, in reserves, and I was called up to serve just like all the rest, to "aid Israel at its time of tribulation."

We spent most of the week in "wet tents" with the terrible cold preventing me from sleeping at night. I wasn't working as hard as the other soldiers, because they fell asleep the second they hit the pillow.

When the Golani Brigade soldiers were about to go out to war, there wasn't a soldier there who didn't equip himself with a Book of Psalms in his pocket or combat vest. But the big surprise we had was when we gave out tzitzit. Usually only the religious guys take them, but this time, every soldier there seemed to want one.

"Rabbi, bring me some tzitzit, my whole tent wants." Here, achi (my brother), take one of these, it's better than the ceramic vest!" These were the type of calls we kept hearing over and over. Every package of tzitzit that we opened was snatched up within seconds.

There was one young fighter who came to the synagogue whose face fell when he heard that there were no tzitzit left. He was totally bereft, until one of the officers who wasn't going out to battle took off his own tzitzit and gave it to him, saying, "Take it, achi (in the Golani Brigades, you can't say something without achi), you need it now more than I do."

Friday evening Shabbat prayers were simply unbelievable. The Rabbinate realized that the synagogue was too small to fit all the hundreds of soldiers, and so it turned the soccer field into an impromptu synagogue, with prayer books, Holy Ark, and everything else.

Almost the entire Golani Brigade, officers and soldiers, yelling out the Kaddish and Tehillim prayers. If it wasn't for the uniform I was wearing, I could have almost thought that I was at a Yom Kippur service in a large yeshiva!

Our Father doesn't ask, "Where have you been until now? Why do you remember Me just when you go out to war?" He welcomes all His children and embraces them with love.

After the Shabbot meal, we were privileged to hold an Oneg Shabbat "social gathering" for the soldiers. We sat outside in the cold eating cake and sunflower seeds, but inside our hearts it was warm.

When it was time to go, the Regiment Commander gathered everyone for last minute words of strength, and explained about the "corrective experience" we were about to impart to the enemy.

Then the Deputy Commander read aloud the prayer before going out to battle. "Repeat after me," he ordered, and a whole regiment of hundreds of soldiers yelled out, "O God, save us! O God, grant us success!" After the prayer, the Deputy asked me to blow the shofar, just as thousands of years ago when we conquered the Holy Land.

Though I've blown the shofar in public before, this particular time was something that will remain with me my whole life. And then, in perfect coordination, the moment that I finished blowing the shofar, our IDF planes bombed the enemy area, as if to signal us to begin the ground offensive.

The soldiers lined up in two columns, & as I parted from them with handshakes, I thought to myself, 'What a special nation we have! This is how a Jewish army looks as it goes out to war - not with boastful 'We will win' stickers, but rather 'We will win with God's help.'"

Where I live in Modi'in Illit, we have a clever interpretation of the verse "God's voice is powerful" - the word for power (ko'ach) is spelled with the letters kaf and chet, which we say are the intitials of kova and chalifa - hat and suit, our usual yeshiva garb. But now I know they are also the initials of the kumta chuma - brown beret, worn by the Golani soldiers. There, too, the voice of God is heard. We are truly united as one nation, may the Almighty protect us.

I hope that you are as deeply touched by this first hand report as I am. I was among the very first outsiders (tourists) to be allowed to visit any military base in Israel, ever, in February of 2005, just as they were preparing to evacuate Gaza. I still have vivid memories of the young faces and how they told me that they hated to remove their own families from their own homes to be invaded by the enemies of God. I have photos of those faces and I can remember them without having to look through my album. How much more does YHWH remember not only their faces, but everything about them? I pray that none of the ones to whom I spoke have lost their lives. I still remember them sometimes and pray for them, where ever they are.

I shall never forget the shock of an experience there as I was about to depart. The Commander of the base at that time was a Druze. They are a branch of Islam, but they are faithful to Israel. He spoke no English. I had been asked to help a young soldier who had expressed hate for YHWH because he had lost his beloved father. The person who dragged me off the bus at the last minute to "help" the soldier thought that because I was the only Jewish person on the tour that I spoke Hebrew. The rush over getting to that soldier prevented that person from understanding that I do not speak Hebrew. I just prayed very fast that YHWH would help me. When I got to the young man, I realized that he did understand a very little of English. I mostly used hand language. I made him look into my eyes. When he looked back down, I would lift his chin and point back to my eyes to make him look. I references the Psalm about his father being in the palm of YHWH's hand and no man can snatch him from there. I added that he too was in the palm of YHWH's hand and that YHWH knows how angry he was, but YHWH is not angry with him. It worked! He collapsed in my arms. This was bringing much attention and gathering of other soldiers. Then I looked up and saw the Commander (the rough looking Druze as big as a grizzly glaring at me) because we are forbidden to witness to the troops. I had been very careful not to mention the Name of Messiah. Then YHWH told me to witnesses to that Commander! HOLY COW! Talk about being scared about being punished and all future tours being cancelled! I found myself unable to control anything. My body straightened with my back straight and my shoulders back. I could feel resolve on my face. I felt my boots hitting the ground hard and fast. I quickly was in the face of the Commander and he wasn't smiling. Other soldiers were looking at me in amazement at my boldness. All I could do was pray the same prayer I had just prayed before. When I got to the man, the soldiers told me he speaks no English. I asked for an interpreter and quickly a young man in the IDF, but from New York came. You should have seen all the looks and running to be there. With the interpreter, I told the Commander, "You see that man over there in the cowboy hat? He is my husband. I am a Jewish woman. My husband is a rubber manufacturer who does military contracts. That HumVee over there. When it takes a direct strike, you can survive. The windows can be kicked out with your combat boot. My husband manufacturers the rubber window seal that holds it in place, but allows you to kick it out." He looked at my husband who was unaware of all of this going on. Then he looked at me. He grabbed me up off the ground and bear hugged me so tightly that I almost couldn't breathe. He told me in my ear in perfect English, "I love you." As he did so, he kissed me on the check. I though he would never put me down. When he finally did, he was shaking and tears were running down his face. All the soldiers were standing around stunned by what they saw. I must explain to you that a Druze man MUST NEVER TOUCH A WOMAN IN PUBLIC, NOT EVEN HIS OWN WIFE. He just picked me up, hugged me, kiss my check and told me that he loved me.

Lesson: NEVER, NEVER, NEVER UNDERESTIMATE THE POWER OF A SIMPLE PRAYER AND THE ABILITY OF YHWH TO ANSWER IT IMMEDIATELY, OR TO MAKE YOU DO SOMETHING YOU CANNOT CONTROL, OR TO TOUCH THE LIFE OF SOMEONE NO ONE ELSE CAN TOUCH.

This is what Torah living is about. It is about being what you say you know in your head. It is about living on the edge. Torah is about more than hope, it is a profound and assured knowledge that you are in the kingdom of YHWH!

Blessings to all, Rivkah

Here are also 2 quick videos from the aish.com website showing the reality of what Israel (God's Chosen People) have to live with every day. Please stand up and show your support for them.
In the words of one my friends, "While there are thousands upon thousands of people may be protesting Isreal's actions, there are millions of Christians that are standing with you"
Go Israel.


If the video doesnt work follow this: http://sderot.aish.com/SderotPetitions/15Seconds.php


If the video doesnt work follow this: http://sderot.aish.com/SderotPetitions/MissilesFromGaza.php