If you can read and understand Hebrew, please look up Psalm 27.
You will get goose bumps. This Psalm is customarily recited every year daily during Elul, (the month preceding Rosh Hashana) and continuing the holidays of Tishrei following, for 52 days straight - through Sukkot/Shmini Atezeret. This means that the day of the massacre, October 7, was the last of the days this Psalm was said. You will find “Re’im” and “Hamas” in the original Hebrew words of the Psalm.
Reflections on the horror: What does G-d ask from us now?
Brucha Weisberger
BS”D
First, I want to apologize for my long absence. […]
There are so many things to talk about, so much important information I’ve read in the last few weeks and have been saving, hoping to share here - but at this moment the the horrifying massacre in Israel is everything.
The Jewish people has not seen such genocide in my lifetime. The blood-soaked history of thousands of years of pogroms and attempted extermination that we’ve gone through is a fact that I, and every educated Jew, are familiar with - but it never felt as real as it does now.
My Liberian friend called me, crying, on Monday. She had spent Sunday in a daze after hearing the horrific reports from Israel. Other lovers of G-d and humanity such as Dr. James Thorp, Attorney Thomas Renz, Dr. Paul Alexander, and so many more, make their pain for my slaughtered people clear for all to see.
To my disbelief, so many others stone-heartedly seek to deny or justify serial murder. I think that G-d has a self-selection opportunity in process. Each person is being given a chance to demonstrate publicly whether they stand for evil or good, with G-d or against Him, whether they condemn murder or enable it. Soon, Judgment Day will come, and G-d will settle the score. There will be no doubts about the justness of G-d’s punishments to those with evil hearts, because they have posted their positions for the world to see.
If we want to know what it felt like to live in America at the time of the Holocaust, this must be approaching it. To know that over 1,200 innocent people - including many babies and children, even entire families - were cold-bloodedly murdered a couple of days ago, is just mind-numbing. I don’t know how to process it.
There is much to talk about on the physical level about “why this happened,” and I’ve seen some very powerful articles which I may share later, but right now I want to focus on what we can do spiritually - because the danger in Israel is very far from over, and because we are ALL in danger, everywhere. For example, I saw information warning that there are likely Hamas sleeper cells in NYC, and also that Hamas has called for global Jihad and attacks around the world.
We must know that we are safe nowhere in the world - except with G-d’s protection- and now is the time that we have to try to clean up our act. And G-d is certainly sending us a very loud message.
Clearly the events unfolding at a dizzying pace are part of the birth pangs of the Messiah. Our tradition is very clear that the Messiah can come with pain or without pain. It depends on how much repentance and atonement the world needs.
Only G-d knows His reasons for causing events to unfold, but clearly He wants our prayers and increased closeness and observance of His laws.
He does not speak to people nowadays, but we have His words which He already gave us long ago, telling us what is good and brings life, and what is evil and brings death. Choose life!
We also have hints from stories that have recently transpired, as to what merits can save us.
Since the following stories transpired in Israel, they concern a commandment specifically applicable to Jewish people - but if you are not Jewish, you can accomplish something absolutely tremendous if you can encourage Jewish friends to do these things.
•Keep Shabbos (the Sabbath) properly.
The Torah tells us that “the Sabbath guards those who guard her.”
Look at this amazing example of how a community that guarded the Sabbath was saved from the massacre - specifically because of their Sabbath observance.
https://vinnews.com/2023/10/09/watch-terrorists-cant-infiltrate-shomer-shabbos-community-near-gaza/
“21 communities were overrun by Hamas during its barbaric attacks on Israel on Simchas Torah. In each of these communities there were unfortunately casualties, some of them suffering very heavy casualties. However there were two communities which remarkably remained unconquered by Hamas, as their gate was shut for Shabbos and the terrorists simply couldn’t get in.
“In an amazing video clip …. the terrorists can be seen arriving at the gate of Kibbutz Saad, a religious kibbutz which closes its gates on Shabbat.
“Arriving on their motorcycles, the terrorists first tried to find a way to climb into the community but then realized that they would be exposed and eliminated. After shots were fired they ran away. This occurred in Kibbutz Saad. In Kibbutz Alumim the terrorists fired at the local forces which consisted of a platoon of civilian defenders and soldiers. Once again the gate proved invaluable and the defenders were able time and again to fend off the attacks by tens of Hamas terrorists and to save their kibbutz.”
These communities weren’t the only ones clearly saved by Sabbath observance.
A young man was spared from the Re’im massacre because of his newfound commitment to the Sabbath, as well. See this testimony:
“SHABBOS SAVED ME: It was just a commitment to keep four Sabbaths, but it ended up saving his life.
“Amid the viciousness and darkness in Israel this week, a story of inspiration is making its rounds, of how a man who took upon himself to keep Shabbos, but just for the month of Tishrei, was thereby saved from the horrific massacre that killed an estimated 1,200 others.
“He is a young man from a religious family who years ago dropped all religious observance. To support himself, he became a driver and photographer, driving wealthy visitors from New York who want to meet Rabbis in Israel. He had three people in his car shortly before Rosh Hashana, whom he brought at their request to get a blessing from a distinguished Rabbi for a shana tova (good new year.)
“As they were leaving, the Rabbi turned to the driver and asked, “Don’t you, also, need a shana tovah?” He then noted that bestowing a blessing without merits for it to stand on would not be effective. “Accept upon yourself to keep Shabbos for the month of Tishrei,” he asked. The young man became emotional and agreed.
“This past weekend, the young man traveled to Israel’s south to participate in a music festival in the desert. On Friday afternoon, he realized that he would not be able to keep Shabbos there, so he bid his friends farewell and departed.
“The next day, this young man was among the millions of people who heard about the savage butchery that happened at the rave, and that his friends were among those killed. ‘As I guard the Sabbath, G-d will guard me.’ It was the small resolution he undertook — to keep just four Sabbaths — that saved his life.”
Rabbi David Ashear noted in a moving talk this week:
“Before Rosh Hashanah this year, the rabbis were quoting the [distinguished Torah scholar] Aruch LaNer who said that in a year that Rosh Hashanah falls out on Shabbat and [therefore] the shofar isn't blown, it is Shabbat itself who advocates on our behalf [for a good judgment for the coming year.]
“Shabbat has the same power [as the shofar] to accomplish that, but … it is conditional upon us keeping Shabbat properly. G-d has infinite calculations for everything that He does, and therefore it is not a coincidence that on the first day after this year's judgments have been finalized, Hoshana Raba, the attack on the Jewish people began on Shabbat itself.
“Perhaps if we can guard Shabbat better now, it will cause our Guardian to guard us.”
Please share the following initiative with any Jewish friends you have, if you aren’t Jewish yourself, and encourage them to join in keeping this Shabbos, October 13-14.
Please share this message with everyone you can, try to implement it or help others implement it, and pray hard. Let us all work on coming closer to the Creator and doing what He wants, living our lives in accordance with His will.
May we witness His blessings and salvation quickly and may we speedily see the beautiful day when all the world knows Him and peace covers the earth.
P.S. If you can read and understand Hebrew, please look up Psalm 27.
You will get goose bumps. This Psalm is customarily recited every year daily during Elul, (the month preceding Rosh Hashana) and continuing the holidays of Tishrei following, for 52 days straight - through Sukkot/Shmini Atezeret. This means that the day of the massacre, October 7, was the last of the days this Psalm was said. You will find “Re’im” and “Hamas” in the original Hebrew words of the Psalm.
It is comforting as well, because the Psalm promises G-d’s salvation from the evildoers.
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