Yesterday I focused on the question of whether the residents of the communities attacked on October 7th would be able to return and rebuild. For some, the answer is yes: they are taking on the challenge in the face of danger and trauma. For others, moving on is the only option.
I started out with a sunrise run along the Ashdod shore, then visited the local museum of Philistine history and culture, where they have incredible artifacts, including real columns from a Philistine temple at Gath -- such as the columns Samson pushed over in the Bible.
From there, I drove to Kibbutz Nirim, where I met Adele Raemer, who is rebuilding her home and her community. It was incredibly inspiring to see the effort that is going into restoring a place that was overrun on October 7 -- including female army volunteers, all new immigrants.
I then drove to the village of Gedera, where I met with a long-lost relative who is one of the leading combat engineers of the IDF, blowing up tunnels and terrorist buildings in Gaza. From there, I visited the Rai family in Kiryat Gat, survivors of Kibbutz Nir Oz who may not return.
I ended the evening with dinner in Ashdod -- kebab on the grill, with vegetables and Israeli salad. There is nothing like the food in Israel -- fresh, healthy, fulfilling. I lose a little weight when I'm here, just because I'm so active... but truly, people here know how to enjoy food.
I should add that while all of this was going on, as interesting and positive as it was, Israel was under severe rocket and missile attack in the north and center of the country, and news came that Rabbi Tzvi Kogan, a Chabad rabbi in Abu Dhabi, had been murdered by Iranian terrorists.
In July, I visited Abu Dhabi and was told by Jews there how safe they felt in the United Arab Emirates. The horrifying murder of Rabbi Kogan is a reminder that Jews are never really safe.
Adele Raemer told me that Israel still felt like the safest place for Jews. I asked her about that feeling: how could she feel that way after losing so many people she knew on October 7th that the names filled four notebook pages? She thought about that contradiction, and answered: in Israel, we Jews are in control of our security. The army is our army. That's the sense of safety.
This is the portion that all journalists should love: the Torah tells the story of the 12 spies, only two of whom tell the truth when the other ten shade it in a negative away (perhaps to suit a political agenda that is opposed to Moses).
It's not that the ten "lying" spies misconstrue the facts about the Land of Israel; rather, they interject their opinions that the land is impossible to conquer, which strikes unnecessary terror into the hearts of the people.
We have many examples of such fake news today -- from the Iranian propaganda outlets spreading false claims that they are winning the war, to California politicians spreading false horror stories about ICE raids in L.A.
The people realize, too late, that they have been fooled, and once they are condemned to die in the desert, they try to rush into Israel -- only to be defeated by the inhabitants, as the spies predicted that they would be.
But as consolation, God gives the people new commandments -- focused on things they must ...
This week's portion discusses the procedure for lighting the menorah, the holy seven-branched lamp, in the Tabernacle (and later the Temple). It also describes an episode where the people crave meat, and God punishes them by giving it to them in excess. We also read the story of Miriam, Moses's sister, who is punished with the spiritual skin blemish of tzara'at for speaking about her brother, thus violating the prohibition against lashon hara (evil tongue).
I heard a fantastic sermon this week about the lighting of the menorah: that while only the priests were qualified to clean and purify the menorah, anyone could light it. A reminder that each of us can inspire others along the way.
This week we study the vow of the Nazirite; a reminder that sometimes trying to be too holy is excessive, and the best we can do is to be the best that we are.
https://www.chabad.org/parshah/torahreading_cdo/aid/2495720/p/complete/jewish/Naso-Torah-Reading.htm