OUR BEAUTIFUL ERETZ YISRAEL

Dear Family,

I hope that everyone is well, and have had a joyous Yom Tov.

Mommy and I thank the Families in California for hosting us in such a beautiful way, with splendid Yom Tovim and so much care. All the hard work has not gone unnoticed!

Mazal Tov to Avi for his birthday on Shabbos. Wishing you a year of much success in both gashmius and ruchnius, Avi, with much joy and contentment, and success with the education of your children. You and Penina should have much nachas from them BEH.

The unquestionable theme for this week has to be the tremendous trial that our whole Nation is facing all over the world, centered around the war which our brothers and sisters are fighting in ERETZ YISRAEL. And how our whole Nation is waking up, and coming together in so many different ways.

I was deeply touched by a forward that came my way, which I am attaching, but there are so many such reports of faith and courage emerging.

One simple and powerful point came out from a Zoom meeting we attended with 2 Chabad Houses in Ashkelon and Tel Aviv, and that was, that we should not under-estimate how much we can help, by doing even a small MITVAH. Especially if it is done WITH JOY.

And everyone can do this, adult and children, whether we can afford to donate or not. And our little individual effort can have the power to impact the war in a positive way, and beyond.

Chabad.org lists out some Mitzvot that we can do to help - https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/6120608/jewish/7-Things-You-C an-Do-for-Israel-Now.htm

The very first word in Torah, in Parshas Bereishis, which we read this week, is BERAISHIS - IN THE BEGINNING.

Rashi makes an amazing explanation about this in connection to EREZ YISRAEL:
(summarized):

He points out, that if the word Bereishis is coming to tell us the order of Creation, which it seems to be doing, then the grammar is incorrect. It should have said Barishonah (and there are other problems which Rashi mentions in this connection)

Torah is therefore hinting to us to look deeper!

In other parts of Torah the word Reishis refers to 1. Torah and 2. Yisrael - the People of .. (ie Be Reishis - 2 Reishis)

Ie Hashem created the world for the sake of His Torah and for the sake of Yisrael.

He then goes on to explain that Hashem gave us ERETZ YISRAEL. And in the future, if the Nations of the world will claim "You are bandits because you conquered the lands of the 7 nations of Kenaan", we should answer them " The entire earth belongs to The Holy One, Source of all Blessing. He created it and gave it to whom He saw fit.....

(Do we not see and hear this every day in the news!)

THE ENTIRE LAND OF ERETZ YISRAEL BELONGS EXCLUSVELY TO OUR JEWISH NATION (and we have no right to give away any part of it, especially when this involves our security)

Hashem should protect all our people in Eretz Yisrael, especially our brave army, air force, and navy, who are putting their lives at risk to protect us.

Gut Shabbos to all, and we should hear continual good news!