Haredim on the Hill | full interview

 

Haredim Hill: A Conversation About Idealism, Land, and the Housing Reality What used to be a modest four-story building across the street is now slated to become a nineteen-story tower. “I’ll see nothing but buildings,” he says matter-of-factly. “When that sages said that the ‘air of the land of Israel makes one more wise,’ living in 19 story towers is not what they meant.” He feels that such civil engineering gives people the sense that this place was ever meant for families like his. Isn’t urban renewal supposed to solve the housing crisis? Ephraim doesn’t dismiss the idea. He acknowledges the pressure Israel faces—too many people, too little land, soaring prices. But he describes the lived reality behind the policy language. For large families struggling to survive on modest incomes, density often means smaller apartments, higher costs, and a quality of life that steadily erodes. He explains that “People are dying, trying to survive.” Although people generally don’t wear their personal financial struggles on their sleeves, it is clear to anyone with their eyes, ears and hearts open that the struggle is real. As the conversation shifts, the film cuts from the crowded city to open hills. The contrast is intentional. Standing in the open landscape, Efraim’s tone changes. “Hashem gave this to us,” he says, gesturing toward the land. “Not to one group. Not to people who dress a certain way. To all of Am Yisrael.” Why does this matter so much? Ephraim explains, housing is not just about shelter. It is about dignity. It is about whether families raising many children—often with limited means—are given a future that is livable. They’re not looking for villas, they’re looking for space to breathe. Light. Stability. A place where raising children doesn’t feel like a daily emergency. The conversation deepens. Ephraim situates the housing crisis within a broader national struggle over land. “People think the war is only in Gaza, or on the borders,” he tells the interviewer. “But the real fight is over every inch of this land.” Who gets to live where? Who gets to expand? Who gets boxed in? Is this ideology or survival? Efraim pauses and explains that idealism comes first—the belief that the land of Israel belongs to the Jewish people as a whole. Torah comes to life when you’re building gardens and setting up neighborhoods together with your neighbors. Property law and shmita and halacha have been discussions with his neighbors in Ramot neighborhood in Jerusalem. However, there is a practical necessity of pioneering new communities in Judea Samaria as well. Large families face an impossible equation: wages that don’t keep up, housing prices that soar, and planning policies that assume vertical living is a universal solution. For Efraim, that assumption ignores cultural and economic realities. High-rises work for some people, but when you have many children, when your life is centered around family and community, it becomes unlivable. What if nothing changes? Families will fall deeper into poverty. Communities will fracture. And resentment will grow—not because of ideology, but because of neglect. When people feel there’s no place for them, they don’t disappear. They suffer. What makes Haredim on the Hill striking is the absence of slogans. Efraim does not speak in anger. He speaks in practical terms—about rent, space, sunlight, and children sharing bedrooms. His idealism is grounded in necessity. Is this only about the Haredi public? According to Efraim, this is about what kind of country we’re building. If we can’t plan for families who are struggling the most, then the system is broken.

As the conversation comes to a close, the open hills remain in frame. They are not presented as a demand, but as a question. Can Israel reconcile its ideals with its planning? Can a nation built on continuity make room—literally—for those trying to carry that continuity forward? Efraim doesn’t claim to have the solution. But he leaves the interviewer, and the viewer, with a challenge: affordable housing is not a favor. It is the difference between survival and collapse for families living at the edge.

Hityashvut Chareidit: First Torah Dedication — Mitzpeh Leah

 

 

 ברכות מהיישובים למצפה לאה ותושביה

Tribe Journal: The Real Cause of Israel's Housing Crisis

[They Hype is created ONLY to sell those Unliveable "Towers"!]

How is it possible that Israel can shoot an intercontinental ballistic missile in outer space, blow the pants off of 3,000 terrorists with their beepers, but for some reason can't figure out how to solve housing? People are shocked to hear there are 85,000 units on the housing market (3 years of supply) because the media, the agents and the streets all say there is a shortage and you'd better grab a house while you still can.

This analysis by JP Katz takes a closer look at the stats and facts and systemic factors that drive the real housing crisis which is a severe shortage of affordable housing for the working class, housing which ordinary people can afford. Sign the petition: https://www.tribejournal.org/housing-... Fill out the survey: http://tribejournal.org/israel-housin... Susbscribe to the TRIBE: www.tribejournal.org/subscribe

The Pioneers of Israel: Then and Now

 

 

 In this interview, we discuss the meaning of modern-day pioneering, making Aliyah, building and strengthening yishuvim, living on the hilltops of Judea and Samaria, and why many believe the mission of settling Eretz Yisrael is still unfolding. 

 If you've ever wondered how you can get involved in building the future of the Land of Israel, this conversation is for you. 

 Learn more and get involved: Website: https://yishuvim.org/en/ 

 Phone: 02-313-7911 

 Email: Y023-13-7911@gmail.com 

 Check out or new MERCH! https://homeboundmerch-shop.fourthwal... 

 For questions or comments, you can reach us at Homeboundisrael@gmail.com Check out our website at Homeboundisrael.com

Shalom Pollack: Changes

 In Israel today, there is an accepted and growing industry focused on obtaining certain desired passports ( nostalgic places such as Germany, Spain, and Portugal ).

In contrast, it brings to mind the days when Jews came to Eretz Yisroel by any means, enduring severe hardships to remain and build the land of our dreams.

The iron will of the Exodus ship "illegals" were my heroes.
That book and movie spoke to my generation.

Today, in some parts of Israel, audiences would respond with detachment or ridicule to the film.

In a similar vein, there is now a popular advertisement for a unique shopping opportunity.
The ad focuses on an individual suffering withdrawal symptoms because of an obsessive and understandable need to have frequent vacations outside of  Israel.

The inability to leave the country for an "overseas" vacation is portrayed as understandably unbearable.
The emergency treatment suggested is shopping in a "duty-free airport-like store" - the next best thing to  an out-of-Israel experience
After all, how long can one remain in Israel and remain sane?

When I made Aliyah to Israel in 1977, it was a different country.
Pride and love of the land and country were still the norm.

Who did not share those feelings then?

There were fringe groups like the Communist party led by Moscow puppets or the tiny pro-Arafat "Neturei Karta", an embarrassment to the Torah-observant world.
Of course, there was the  Israeli Arab population, who were never happy about failing to annihilate all the Jews in 1948, but did not dare express this disappointment then (as opposed to today, with the encouragement of the Israel Left).

So what has happened since I arrived? How, why, did things change?

Israel today is often described as a collection of "tribes", each with its particular set of values  and identity.
Israel is indeed a fractured society, as one group in particular increasingly shoulders the burden or the privilege of its defence.

Perhaps the communication revolution has given voice and accelerated the tribal process, which has truly always been there.
Still, the kinds of commercial ads described above were unthinkable in the 1970's when I arrived.

Which "tribe" creates these ads and consumes them today?
Typically it is the higher socio/economic, secular, Ashkenazi  Left.

It has been suggested that Israel today  is   divided  into two broad groups: the "mobile" and the "rooted"

The mobile group is secular and socially and professionally mobile.
They can "relocate" to any modern country and succeed professionally / financially. They don't seek a particular "community"
Many places can be home, at least temporarily.
This group has weakening ties to Israel and to their Jewish identity.
The idea of a permanent homeland - certainly one that is becoming "too Jewish ", is archaic.

For the "rooted" group,  the words home and Jewish are fundamental to their  identity

Israel's demography has been changing.

Most  Israelis who choose to try their luck abroad are mobile, and those who stay are the rooted.
The latter is a growing percentage of the population, a fact that feeds the growing feeling of isolation of the mobiles.
Jews from the Diaspora who decide to make Israel their home in effect join the stationaries in the homeland of our dreams. For them, their mobile days are over. They are home, they are rooted.
For the mobiles, these new "rooted" are a contribution to making the country even more Jewish.

For them, when non-Jewish Russians and Ukrainians were allowed in, it was a hope that briefly burned bright.  The proliferation of non-kosher butchers and churches brought hope for a more "normal" society.
The appearance of Christmas trees warmed the hearts of mobiles who felt like they were in a normal country.
Similarly, the illegal border crossings of Eritreans and Sudanese Muslims were cheered by the mobiles who defended their right to remain. More non-Jews are a good, progressive thing.

Unlike Torah Jews in the diaspora, assimilated Jews rarely consider the impractical move of relocating to a tiny, unpopular,  embattled country. Why would they?
They are joined by "practical"  Israeli mobiles and together, fade out of Jewish history in the sweet, painless Exile.

The demographics in Israel are indeed changing.

Is it "good for the Jews"?


The historic/societal question: what caused the sharp change in Israeli society from the time I came and today is still unanswered.

I welcome suggestions.
shalompollack613@gmail.com

A Sign of Life | Rabbi Yitzchok Fingerer

 

Journey to Har Hazeisim 2026: The Kever of the Mother of the Chazon Ish & Grandparents of Netanyahu

 

Rebbetzen Tziporah: Colors of Light

 Dear friends,

WHAT A VACATION

Bein hazmanim (summer break) is adventure time for most of the country. Adventures have many shades.

You may remember from your childhood what having a rainbow pinwheel was like. When it doesn’t move,  you see each color distinctly. As it gains speed the colors flow into each other until it looks like it is only one color.  This year’s bein hazmanim had a color of its own, which I find myself comparing to the color of bein hazmanim three years ago.

MORE ABOUT COLORS, AND BLESSINGS AND CURSES

All colors come from light.

• A red apple absorbs most colors of light but reflects red light to your eyes, so you see it as red.
• A green leaf reflects green light.
• A white shirt reflects almost all the colors, so it looks white.
• A black shirt absorbs almost all the colors, so very little light reaches your eyes.

So the "source" of all the colors you normally see is light, especially sunlight or another light source like a lamp.

The Kabbalists refer to Hashem’s relationship to our reality as “Ohr Ein Sof” – light without end. We see many colors, but their source is always light.

 "See, I place before you today a blessing and a curse” and then later, “life and death." He tells us to choose life. Sometimes our reality sees darkness, curses and death and other times light and blessing. The source is One. Hashem, the source of all light, energy, illumination, power, and love, made a world in which there is both the gift of His light and another gift – the free will and responsibility that let us make choices.

THE HISTORY OF BLESSINGS AND CURSES

When you talk about Hashem’s blessings and curses, the Torah guides you by giving you insight into the very beginning of our history as humans in Parshat Bereishit. The first blessing Adam, our universal ancestor, received was to be fruitful and multiply – to fill the earth and conquer it. The meaning of blessing is very clear: it means maximization. Be you, and more.

Conversely, when you look at the curses given by the same One after Adam and Chava sinned, what you see is a spectrum of difficulty, hard work, and pain. The end result is life as we know it, in which meeting challenges is the way back to maximization.

The colors all come from light.

Three years ago, we spent some time with my grandson Tzvi, who lives not far from Har Gerizim (which is the location of a yishuv called Har Bracha), and its negative parallel, Har Eival. He had a friend who showed us the physical reality that tells you about what blessings and curses mean to us as a people.

The story of Har Gerizim and Har Eival is one of the most dramatic moments in Jewish history. These two mountains, standing opposite each other with the city of Shechem (modern Nablus) between them, represent the words:

"See, I place before you today a blessing and a curse... These shall stand upon Mount Gerizim to bless the people... and these shall stand upon Mount Eival for the curse."

Moshe gave more detailed instructions: The nation was to cross the Jordan. Large stones were to be erected and covered with plaster. The Torah was to be written on them. An altar of unhewn stones was to be built on Har Eival.

One of the many miracles that characterized those times was that Yehoshua was able to accomplish all that was required in a very short time:

• Building the mizbe'ach.
• Offering olot and shelamim.
• Writing the Torah on stones.
• Reading every blessing and every curse.

Our guide took us to the ruins of the ancient mizbe’ach, which actually looks like the pictures of the mizbe’ach that you may find in illustrated Mishnayot. We walked on it and touched it. We were back there as much as you can ever be back there.

We were with the people who offered korbanot and who affirmed by their commitment. The commitment that required a mass circumcision for the men who had not been circumcised in the desert – and by what the Torah calls circumcision of the heart: getting beyond the emotions that lead you away from spiritual maximization and toward the never-never land of "I want" and "Make me feel important," which blocks the pure emotions of "I want to give" and "I want to live a life that is important."

The mountains of blessing and curse are not far apart. They look physically different –one is green and the other is rocky and barren. It’s easy to picture where the blessings and curses were given and to envision the Leviim in the middle.

WHERE WAS THE REST OF THE WORLD?

The simple answer is: "Elsewhere."

Try Zanzibar, Vietnam, or even exotic LA.

The light of the blessings and curses was only given to us. The Torah was written by Moshe at the end of his life under Hashem’s direction. According to Chazal, the Torah was written on the stones in seventy languages. The nations know of the Torah (when they choose to), but they have shades and colors that are filtered by their essence and defined through their cultures.

We are different. "You are children of Hashem your God." The original image of Hashem remains with us, in the merit of the Avot, unchanged and unfiltered.

HOW DO YOU ACCESS THE BLESSINGS AND CURSES?

The Torah tells you to remember who you are. You can self-actualize and discover the light that is there inside you and outside you.

Your soul is holy, and so is your body, its loyal servant (at least ideally – we have to at least try not to have them reverse their roles). You aren’t allowed to defile it – no tattoos, no mutilations.

There will be times when the light is very evident, and times when you have to struggle, but they are all means of access to the Light itself.

The summer of the trip to the mizbe’ach was pure light. It was joyous and full of the "something more" that we all love to experience.

This bein hazmanim was something else.

My husband had an infection of still unknown origin, which led to serious, life-threatening moments when his bloodstream was affected by acidosis that initially was undiscovered. A trip to the emergency medical center did not reveal the condition and we were told that it was a bad flu.

A friend suggested that we have a doctor – a marvelous Bostoner chossid who was head of emergency medicine in a major American hospital before his retirement – look over the test results from the emergency center. He discovered that a major test had been omitted.

This led to a trip to Hadassah and to the happy ending that is still only in process. B”n, I will let you know when it is time for him to “bench gomel” the blessing said in shul after a life-threatening situation. 

This is the kind of situation that is still light, but it was hidden by struggle and pain. It forced me to recognize that my focus on the medical side of things (which, of course, is the responsible way to go) does not have to cut out the light. They are made to coexist.

Hashem was there every step of the challenges He set before us.

Light has many "colors," and as children of Hashem we can find them when we look for our Father’s presence.

What a bein hazmanim!

Love,

Tziporah

Reb Ginsbourg: Re’eh – Today and Every Day

We need to make the choice between blessing and curse, and by our ethical conduct, we decide for ourselves which way our faces incline.

SEE THE STAND AT MOUNT GERIZIM AND MOUNTAIN EBAL - TODAY: AND EVERY DAY.’ 

 

Our Parasha continues relating the final admonition of Moshe Rabeinu to his beloved flock:(11:26-32) ’See, אנכי: i present before you today a blessing and a curse. 

‘The blessing that you hearken to the commandments of Hashem, your    G-d, that I command you today. 

And the curse: if you do not hearken to the commandments of Hashem, your G-d.

‘It shall be when Hashem, your G-d, brings you to the Land to which you come, to possess it, then you shall deliver the blessing on Mount Gerizim, and the curse on Mount Ebal.

‘Are they not on the other side of the Jordan.. in the land of the Canaanites.. near אלון מורה:?the plains of Moreh?

‘For you are crossing the Jordan to come and possess the Land that Hashem, your G-d gives you; you shall possess it and you shall settle in it. You shall be careful to perform all the decrees and the ordnances that I present before you today.’

The events at the two mountains, is described in detail in the later Parashat Ki Tavo, where the curses - but not of the blessings - are brought.

Rav Zalman Sorotzkin comments :’Query: Why here - in our Parasha - the Torah mentions the matter of ‘blessings and curses’, and goes no further, and only in Parashat Ki Tavo does it set out their details?

‘If we reflect on this chumash being called משנה תורה: ‘the repetition of the Torah’, we will note that it is replete with mussar and rebuke, combined with the events that befell Israel, from the time of the exodus from Egypt till the departure of Moshe from this world - and only from our Parasha onwards, does Moshe repeat some of the mitzvot.

‘Just as the mussar and the rebukes are said at the outset of the repetition of the mitzvot - and at its conclusion - so too, the blessings and the curses are set out in Parashat Ki Tavo, after the mitzvot, and the admonition to observe them, at the beginning of our Parasha.

‘Meaning: only after the warning to observe the mitzvot - that the blessings and the curses, are dependent on their observance - does the Torah return to go over the mitzvot, and when it has completed doing so in Parashat Ki Tavo, it sets out the blessings and the curses, and the manner of their giving and of their acceptance, by Bnei Israel’.

Adds the Rav: ’In mentioning אלון מורה: the Plains of Moreh - which might appear at first glance, as superfluous - the Torah alludes to the place where Avraham Avinu first erected an altar to Hashem, when he entered the Land, and where Hashem promised that He would give the Land to his descendants ( Lech Lecha 12).

‘Therefore Hashem commanded, that as soon as they crossed the Jordan and entered the Land, they should go there, to thank Hashem for fulfilling His promise, and to erect there an altar - as described in Parashat Ki Tavo - and to accept upon themselves the blessings and the curses of the observance of the Torah, as only on that condition, did Hashem give them (Ps’ 105)’the land of the nations’.’

Abarbanel expounds:’After saying that the mitzvot in themselves are a blessing or a curse - depending on the recipient, in hearkening or not hearkening -in addition, blessings and curses will be given verbally on mount Gerizim and on mount Ebal.

‘This is what is said:’And it shall be when Hashem, your G-d, brings you to the Land which you are coming to inherit, and you will give the blessings on Mount Gerizim and the curses on Mount Ebal’ - they being two mountains, after you have crossed the River Jordan , to the west - and ‘by Elon Moreh’, where Avraham Avinu sat, as when they come there, they are to make in open display, the ascent of six tribes to the peak of one of the mountains, and six to the peak of the other, with the Leviim in the valley, with the Ark of the Covenant.

‘They will then say aloud :’Blessing - to whoever will observe the words of the Torah, and an awesome curse, to whoever will not uphold it’. All the people will answer:’Amen’ - loudly and clearly.

‘As the manner of this mitzvah and its subject, it will be brought after the mentioning of the mitzvot, in Parashhat Ki Tavo, its proper place being there, in the relating of the mitzvot and the strengthening of the observance of the Torah.

‘This is why that it is only brought briefly in our parsha - to teach that, apart of the mitzvot being a blessing in themselves, there will further be given on them blessing actually and verbally in the place that is mentioned.

‘Moshe apologized, as to why these blessings and curses, were not said now, in his presence - but that he commanded that they be given later, on Mount Gerizim and Mount Ebal - by saying: ’Because you are crossing the Jordan, to come to inherit the Land..and you shall observe and keep all the decrees and all the ordnances.. - meaning: because you are entering the Land, and there you will keep and observe all the laws and ordnances that I commanded you, it is therefore proper that there, when you have entered, you shall make this covenant, and give the blessings and the curses, on Mount Gerizim and Mount Ebal - and not here, in this place.’

The Alshich Hakadosh elucidates:’It should be noted, that the Torah here, chose to use the word:אנכי, ‘I’, and this being from the mouth of Hashem Himself, whereas what was said on the two mountains, was said by Bnei Israel.

‘This may be likened to a king who says to his subjects: ’Till now I did not benefit you, though I commanded you to serve me - so now I will not burden you by harsh punishment, on whoever does not serve me, but - rather - I give you advice, that if you perform my will, it will be to your benefit - though I will not afflict you with harsh punishment, if you should transgress my will - there is no need to say that this merits harsh punishment, as you, from yourselves, know that harsh punishment, is merited, and, from yourselves, yoo will be punished, if you transgress my will.

‘For this reason, I give before you blessing and curse, not by oath or swearing - this because it is היום: today, when you have not yet crossed the Jordan and inherited the Land - therefore, I am not burdening you, but only placing the matter before you, the blessing not being:’If you uphold this Torah’, but that ‘you hearken’, and the curses; if ‘you do not hearken’.’

The Kli Yakar posits:’One suggestion provides an answer to all that troubles us, that is that the blessing and curses - those that were said on the two mountains -in Parshat Ki Tavo, - why were only the curses mentioned, and not the blessings?

‘However, the blessings here, were principally in the world-to-come, as it is there that Hashem confers His blessings - and the Torah spells out the blessings, in saying ואת הברכה: ‘AND the blessing’- that is the blessing: ‘That you hearken’, in the future, ‘to the Mitzvot of Hashem, your G-d’ - because, in this world אנכי עומד בין ה' וביניכם: ‘i stand between Hashem and you’.

‘This is what he said: ’Which I command you today’: in this world - but in the future, you will merit to hear them yourselves.

‘In the curses, he didn’t want to say that there is no other curse, only that they will not achieve completeness, as this is not sufficient - but, rather, that the actual curse will fall on the head of the wicked, the curses being those set out in Parashat Ki Tavo, which will fall on the head of those who do not hearken and accept the mitzvot of Hashem.

‘As to why he said: ’אשר אנכי מצוה אתכם היום:’ which אנכי commands you TODAY - because they heard from the mouth of Hashem the first two commandments: ’אנכי’ and 'לא יהיה': he therefore made two divisions, and said that the curse should fall ‘if you do not hearken to the mitzvot of Hashem, your G-d’, meaning the two first Dibrot: אנכי and לא יהיה לך, which they heard from Hashem - as on these plainly the curse should fall if you do not hearken to observe them: but even should you stray from the way ‘which I command you today’, and delude yourselves that I made this up, this will not exempt you from the punishment - and, as he had not yet specified what were the mitzvot that they had heard from Hashem, he now said: ’To follow other deities’ - which is against אנכי and לא יהיה לך, which alludes to the opening words:’if you will not hearken to the mitzvot of Hashem, your G-d’.

‘This addresses all the queries that troubled the commentators.’

Rav Shimshon Raphael Hirsch expounds: ’Hashem here gave them the choice between blessing and curse, and when they entered the Land, it was given publicly to the entire nation - say, therefore, it expresses that this choice is given to the decision of each person, and, thereby, the nation declares, that the observance of the mitzvot by all is the task of the entire nation and that the success of the nation is dependent on its achievement.

‘As we read in the later Parashat Ki Tavo, the whole nation gathered on the two mountains - one half on Mount Gerizim and one half on Mount Ebal, with the Kohanim and the Leviim between them, in the valley - the Kohanim and the Leviim saying the blessings and the curses, and the saying of ‘Amen’ by the people, will be their acceptance.

‘We find that the nation stood there - on the two mountains - and accepted and committed itself and all its generations, the choice between blessing and curse.’

‘At the time of the saying of blessings, the Leviim turned to face Mount Gerizim, whereas at the time they said the curses, they turned to face Mount Ebal, because the blessings and the curses were seen from the appearance of the two mountains, which were opposites in their nature.

‘Whilst both of these mountains were amongst the mountains of Ephraim, they were visibly different:

Mount Gerizim lay in the south of the mountain of Shechem, and was covered with verdant greenery, whereas Mount Ebal lay in the north, and was bare and desolate. Mount Gezirim was slightly higher than Mount Ebal, and therefore these two mountains that stood side-by-side beautifully expressed the blessing and the curse, both arising from the same earth and both receiving the same rainfall and dewfall and sharing the same air - yet Mount Ebal remained barren and frozen, whilst Mount Gerizim was covered by greenery to its very peak.

‘So, too, blessing and curse are not dependent on external factors, but on the internal ability to accept this or that - by their relationship to that which brings the blessing

‘When we cross the Jordan, we will plant our feet on the holy earth, and turn our gaze to these two mountains - their appearance will instruct us that we need to make the choice between blessing and curse, and by our ethical conduct, we decide for ourselves to which mountain our faces incline.

‘Avraham Avinu reached this very place when he entered the Land, and here he erected the first altar to Hashem Who appeared to him - and it may well be that the name of the place: מורה, alludes to the teaching that it gives to us.’

Rav Yosef Salant, a lengthy parting gem: ’We need to note several matters: Why does the Torah use the word ‘see’, which alludes to the senses and not to speech - where ‘hear’ would seem to be more apt? ; Why does it open with the singular ‘see’, yet conclude with the plural:לפניכם: before you’? why does it say;’the blessing and the curse which I give before you TODAY, when it is not given till later, after they have crossed the Jordan?; what was the reason that the people were divided into two camps, half on the one mountain and half on the other mountain, rather than they all being together and that the blessings and the curses said to the whole nation - instead the Torah choosing to separate them, and to give the blessings to one half, and the curses to the other half?

‘It can be said, that the division into the two halves, was to teach that which the Gemara says;(Kid’ 40;)’A person should at all times see himself as if he is חצי חייב half liable and חצי זכאי: half entitled - perform one mitzvah, and blessed is he, as he has determined himself to the side of merit; if, on the other hand, he commits a transgression, he determines himself to the side of obligation.

‘Rabbi Elazar ben Shimon says:’ As whole world is judged according to the majority, if you do one mitzvah - fortunate are you, that you have determined yourself and the whole world to merit - do one transgression and, alas, you have determined yourself and the whole world, to be liable.

‘To demonstrate this matter, the people were commanded to divide themselves on the two mountains in the manner specified, so it should look as if half merit blessing, and half deserve curses - as if they have not observed the Torah, to awaken and warn every person to his responsibility now - and at all times - to always see himself as half meritorious and half liable, as if his fate and that of the whole world is dependent on him.

‘This is why the Torah chose to use the word: ’See’ - at all times to see before him this picture, of the nation divided into two equal halves, and that it is in his hand to determine the outcome.

‘This, too, is why the Torah opened in the singular - and said ‘Today’, as every minute of our lives, this picture should be before our eyes - and concludes in the plural: Before you’, to remind us that our decision may well determine the outcome of the whole world.’

Rabbi Freund: Re’eh

The Assault That Changes its Form

For generations, some tried to frighten Jews away from their faith. Others tried to argue them out of it. The Malbim finds the strength to prevail prophesied in this week's Haftorah.

Not every attempt to uproot Judaism begins with persecution.

Some announce themselves openly, through decrees, threats and violence. Others arrive dressed in the language of reason, insisting that Jewish belief is outdated, irrational or unworthy of continued loyalty.

The method may change, but the aim remains the same.

That is the penetrating insight offered by the Malbim (Rabbi Meir Leibush Wisser, 1809-1879) on a verse in this week’s Haftorah (Isaiah 54:11-55:5).

Isaiah declares: “No weapon formed against you shall succeed, and every tongue that rises against you in judgment you shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is from Me, declares the Lord" (Isaiah 54:17).

The Malbim explains that both parts of the verse refer to attempts to turn the Jewish people away from their faith.

The first person seeks to do so “with the sword and a strong hand." He relies on force, hoping that suffering and fear will compel the Jew to surrender his beliefs.

The second seeks to prevail “through arguments and claims." He employs no weapon and issues no threat. Instead, he tries to persuade the Jew that his faith is mistaken and should be abandoned.

Isaiah promises that neither will succeed.

The Malbim’s formulation is precise. He is not merely contrasting physical persecution with intellectual disagreement. Both attackers are pursuing the same objective. Each wants to separate the Jew from his Emunah, or faith; only their tactics differ.

Jewish history has witnessed both approaches.

In the Hannukah story, Antiochus prohibited circumcision, Shabbat observance and Torah study, seeking to use the power of the state to crush Jewish loyalty. In medieval Europe, rabbis were forced into public disputations before hostile audiences in an effort to discredit Judaism and weaken the confidence of those who practiced it. Soviet rule combined both methods, suppressing religious life while portraying faith as a primitive obstacle to human progress.

Violence is easier to identify. When a regime outlaws a mitzvah, no one doubts that Judaism is under attack.

But an argument can be more difficult to recognize because it may sound respectable. It does not demand that the Jew renounce his identity. It asks him to reconsider one belief, set aside one obligation or treat one mitzvah as a relic of another age. The process can unfold gradually, until Judaism remains as an affiliation but no longer governs the way a person lives.

This does not mean that Judaism should fear questions. The opposite is true. The Talmud is built on challenge, debate and disagreement, and some of the greatest works of Jewish thought were written in response to difficult philosophical claims.

But there is a difference between questioning in order to understand and arguing in order to uproot. The Malbim is speaking about the latter: the deliberate attempt to use disputation as a means of loosening the Jew’s attachment to Torah.

The end of the verse explains what enables Israel to withstand both forms of pressure: “This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord."

According to the Malbim, this protection is their reward for being servants of G-d and for their righteousness and good deeds.

That final point is essential. The strongest defense of Judaism is not a clever slogan or even a successful argument. It is a life shaped by Torah.

A Jew who observes Shabbat, studies, prays and performs mitzvot possesses more than a theory about Judaism. He has experienced its sanctity, discipline and meaning. His faith has entered the rhythm of his life and become part of who he is.

That does not answer every question automatically. But it ensures that questions arise within a living relationship rather than in an empty space.

The challenge, therefore, is not merely to teach Jews how to defend Judaism. It is to give them a Judaism substantial enough to cherish. We must give them knowledge rather than catchphrases, commitment rather than nostalgia, and an understanding that Torah is not simply an inheritance from the past but a guide for the present and future.

For generations, some tried to frighten Jews away from their faith. Others tried to argue them out of it.

Based on Isaiah’s prophecy, the Malbim tells us that neither method will prevail.

The surest way to vindicate that promise is to live as the verse describes: as servants of G-d, strengthened by righteousness and good deeds.

https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/431366