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CHIZUK ! IDUD Jewish People As a Fossil Civilization - Divrei Torah from the Weekly Sedra Not Dead but Not Really Alive

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CHIZUK ! IDUD Jewish People As a Fossil Civilization - Divrei Torah from the Weekly Sedra Not Dead but Not Really Alive CHIZUK ! IDUD Jewish People as a fossil civilization - Divrei Torah from the weekly sedra not dead but not really alive. In the with a focus on living in Eretz Yisrael course of the debate, Toynbee Chizuk for Olim & Idud for not-yet-Olim retracted this idea stating that perhaps he chose a wrong word and Balak 2013 instead of saying "fossil" he should "This is a People that shall dwell have used the word "frozen" as the alone and shall not be reckoned Jewish People were now being among the nations" (Bamidbar 23:9). thawed out. This verse reminds me of Rabbi Dr This debate lasted over an hour and Yaakov Herzog who wrote a book many in the media, not only the entitled "A People that Dwells Alone" Jewish press, declared Dr. Herzog containing his speeches and writings. the clear winner. For a young college [He was the son of the first Chief Rabbi of the student like myself, that great State of Yisrael - HaRav Yitzchak HaLevi Herzog; debate was a very uplifting brother of the sixth president of Israel - Chaim experience filling me with great Herzog, and uncle of the current president, national pride and, no doubt, Yitzchak Herzog.] contributed to my desire to study in Israel and ultimately to make Aliyah. I am also reminded of the historic debate between the British Historian In a book "Prime Ministers", by Professor Arnold Toynbee and the Yehuda Avner, an advisor to several Israeli Ambassador to Canada, Dr. Israel Prime Ministers, we are told of Yaakov Herzog in January 1961 at the the weekly Torah sessions hosted by Hillel House in Montreal. Prime Minister Menachem Begin. He opened a meeting quoting this same Professor Toynbee compared the pasuk "This is a People that shall Israeli treatment of the Arabs to what dwell alone and shall not be reckoned the Nazis did to the Jews. Dr. Herzog among the nations." PM Begin said clearly distinguished between the "Is not this verse a startlingly Nazi plans for extermination which accurate prophecy of our Jewish was premeditated, and the Arab- experience throughout History? Israeli conflict in Palestine which According to Nechama Leibowitz who came about as a result of the Arabs was in attendance, the pasuk should declaring war after refusing the 1947 not be translated as above, "it shall UN Partition Plan. not be reckoned amongst the Prof. Toynbee also referred to the nations", but, rather, that "there is a People that does not reckon itself amongst the nations" (reflexive verb), thus agreeing with PM Begin that Israel's isolation was of its own volition. Begin then quoted Yaakov Herzog as writing, "If one asks how the ingathering of exiles, which no one could have imagined in their wildest dreams, came about, or how the state of Israel could endure such severe security challenges, or how it has built up such a flourishing economy, or how the unity of the Jewish people through the Diaspora has been preserved, one must come back to the primary idea that this is 'a people that dwells alone'." Chief Rabbi Yitzchak HaLevi Herzog, Yaakov Herzog's father, left the position of Chief Rabbi of Dublin in order to make Aliya, becoming Israel's Chief Rabbi. Thus, his stature and reputation multiplied exponen- tially. Furthermore, because of their relocation to Eretz Yisrael, his two sons achieved renown and recognition. Yaakov as a diplomat and Chaim as a military strategist. Who knows what fame and 'fortune' awaits your children upon making Aliyah! Rabbi Yerachmiel Roness Ramat Shiloh Beit Shemesh.
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