AUGUST 2021 Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is that Levitt they might be saved. LETTER — ROMANS 10:1 Naftali Bennett in February 2020 (credit: James K. Lee for U.S. Department of Defense) Lee for U.S. James K. 2020 (credit: Naftali Bennett in February Naftali Bennett inside: Commitmentp.4 Israel’s to God’s Word To New Index Leader By Joseph Krauss APNews.com IDF Pounds Arson Back to p. 9 Naftali Bennett, who was sworn in as Israel’s Terror Squads new prime minister in June, embodies in Gaza many of the contradictions that define the Tazpit Press Service 73-year-old nation. Israeli Air Force He’s a religious Jew who made millions (IAF) fighters in the mostly secular hi-tech sector; a bombed Hamas champion of the settlement movement who terror targets in the lives in a Tel Aviv suburb, and a former ally Gaza Strip in mid June in response of Benjamin Netanyahu who has partnered to dozens of arson balloons launched with centrist and left-wing parties to end at Israel by terrorists from Gaza. Netanyahu’s 12-year rule. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) His ultranationalist Yamina party won just stated that its air force attacked seven seats in the 120-member Knesset Hamas military complexes that in March elections — the fourth such vote served as camps and meeting in two years. But by refusing to commit places for terrorist operatives in to Netanyahu or his opponents, Bennett the Khan Yunis and Gaza brigades. photo by Major Ofer) Force, Air Israeli in flight (credit: “Sufa” A F-16I positioned himself as kingmaker. Even after “The terrorist organization Hamas is one member of his religious nationalist party responsible for what is happening abandoned him to protest the new coalition in the Gaza Strip and will bear the deal, he ended up with the crown. consequences of its actions,” the Here’s a look at Israel’s new leader. IDF stated, adding, “The IDF is (continued p.2) prepared for all scenarios, including (continued p.31) Naftali Bennett … continued from cover An ultranationalist with a head of the Israel Democracy Institute. moderate coalition Plesner has known Bennett for decades and served with him in the military. He Bennett has long positioned himself to expects Bennett to engage with other the right of Netanyahu. But he will be factions to find a “common denomina- severely constrained by his unwieldy tor” as he seeks support and legitimacy coalition, which has only a narrow as a national leader. majority in parliament and includes parties from the right, left, and center. Rivalry with Netanyahu He is opposed to Palestinian indepen- The 49-year-old father of four shares dence and strongly supports Jewish Netanyahu’s hawkish approach to the settlements in the West Bank and East Middle East conflict, but the two have Jerusalem, which the Palestinians and had tense relations over the years. much of the international community Bennett served as Netanyahu’s chief see as a major obstacle to peace. of staff for two years, but they parted Bennett fiercely criticized Netanyahu ways after a mysterious falling out that after Netanyahu agreed to slow set- Israeli media linked to Netanyahu’s tlement construction under pressure wife, Sara, who wields great influence from President Barack Obama, who over her husband’s inner circle. tried and failed to revive the peace Bennett campaigned as a right-wing process early in his first term. stalwart ahead of the March elections and signed a pledge on national TV saying that he would never allow Yair Lapid, a centrist and Netanyahu’s main rival, to become prime minister. To When Netanyahu was clearly unable Index to form a ruling coalition, Bennett did credit: Mati Milstein/The Israel Project credit: exactly that — agreeing to serve as prime minister for two years before handing power to Lapid, the architect of the new coalition. Netanyahu’s supporters have branded Bennett a traitor, saying he defrauded voters. Bennett has defended his decision as a pragmatic move aimed at unifying the country and avoiding a fifth round of elections. A generational shift Bennett at the pre-election foreign-policy debate at Bennett, a Modern Orthodox Jew, will The Hebrew University of Jerusalem in 2013 be Israel’s first prime minister who regularly wears a kippa, the skullcap He briefly served as head of the West worn by observant Jews. He lives Bank settler’s council, Yesha, before in the upscale Tel Aviv suburb of entering the Knesset in 2013. Bennett Raanana, rather than the settlements later served as Cabinet Minister of Dias- he champions. pora Affairs, Education, and Defense in Bennett began life with his American- various Netanyahu-led governments. born parents in Haifa, then bounced “He’s a right-wing leader, a security with his family between North America hard-liner, but at the same time very and Israel, military service, law school, pragmatic,” said Yohanan Plesner, and the private sector. Throughout, (continued next page) 2 AUGUST 2021 CONTENTS LevittLETTER Teaching 21 Fabulous Castles 4 A Commitment to in Israel (part 1) God’s Word 4 (Psalm 119:1–24) 22 Letters to ZLM Studio Co-host 25 Crossword Puzzle 6 Political Idolatry Science On the Ground in Israel 6 26 Bringing “Red Gold” 8 Iran and Hamas’s to Israelis Drone Threat to Israel Medicine Classic Zola 27 Fighting Bacteria 10 The Last Battle: Armageddon 10 Resistant to Antibiotics Ask the Chaplain 28 Teenage Sisters 12 Repentance (part 1) Killed Nazis in WWII OJR Production Update 31 Select Media Briefs 13 August 2021 at OJR 12 Archaeology Wise As A Serpent 32 1,300-Year-Old Church 14 Still Trying to Say Found Near Site of Goodbye to E*Trade Transfiguration 15 ZLM Bulletin Board 14 Muslim Focus Parsons: Hebrew Lesson 34 Palestinians 16 Our Duty to Truth Revere Hitler 18 ZLM Order Form 35 Jewish Humor 16 ZOLA LEVITT MINISTRIES . PO BOX 12268 . DALLAS TX 75225-0268 . (214) 696-8844 . WWW.LEVITT.COM he’s curated a persona that’s at once the country’s tense early years marked modern, religious, and nationalist. by repeated wars with Arab states. After serving in the elite Sayeret Matkal “He’s Israel 3.0,” Anshel Pfeffer, a commando unit, Bennett went to law columnist for Israel’s left-leaning school at Hebrew University. In 1999, Haaretz newspaper, wrote in a recent he co-founded Cyota, an anti-fraud profile of Bennett. “A Jewish nation- software company that was sold in alist but not really dogmatic. A bit 2005 to U.S.-based RSA Security for religious, but certainly not devout. A $145 million. military man who prefers the comforts Bennett has said that the bitter ex- of civilian urban life and a high-tech perience of Israel’s 2006 war against entrepreneur who isn’t looking to the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah make any more millions. A supporter drove him into politics. The monthlong of the Greater Land of Israel but not war ended inconclusively, and Israel’s a settler. And he may well not be a military and political leadership at the lifelong politician either.” time was widely criticized as bungling If the latest leader of the Holy Land the campaign. is only “a bit religious,” let’s fervently Bennett represents the third gen- pray that he develops a miraculous eration of Israeli leaders, after the and resonating passion for the “apple founders of the state and Netanyahu’s of God’s eye.” — David 1 generation, which came of age during 3 Tony Derrick Theologian for A Commitment to Zola Levitt Ministries God’s Word — Psalm 119:1–24 I invite you to join me in a survey of Psalm 119. This reassuring psalm brings an emphasis on God’s Word and the comfort that it gives during difficult times. The overall (Wikimedia Commons) www.obraz.org credit: theme of Psalm 119 can be summed up in verses 7–9, “I will praise You with uprightness of heart, when I learn Your righteous judgments. I will keep Your statutes; Oh, do not forsake me utterly! How can a young man cleanse Back to his way?” Cover We see a definite yearning to follow the precepts of God’s Word woven throughout this psalm. The author’s identity is unclear, To but most scholars agree Index that it could be David, Ezra, or Daniel. Each of these men was ridiculed for his beliefs and suffered Prophet and King David (Orthodox Christian icon), early 17th century unending efforts to make Back to tempera on wood from the iconostasis of the Miracle Church in p. 17 him deny his faith in the Khonekh Chudova Monastery of the Moscow Kremlin one God — Yahweh. Psalm 119 is the longest psalm as well as the longest chapter in the Bible. Written in an acrostic, or alphabetical arrangement, it comprises 22 stanzas — the number of letters in the Hebrew alphabet. Each eight-verse stanza begins with a letter of the Hebrew alphabet. Verses 1–8 begin with “Aleph.” Verses 9–16 begin with the letter “Bet” (also “Beth”) and so on — you get the idea. Most modern English translations have the Hebrew letter printed just above each stanza. Let’s look at a few stanzas and how the writer focuses on the Word of God. 1. The Psalmist Commits to Obedience (119:1–8) He recognized that those who walk in a life of obedience are blessed. He under- stood that if he committed himself to being more obedient to God’s commands, he too could have those blessings.