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4 HASHALOM August
2016
August 2016
HASHALOM
5
Is timing
everything?
MISHNA IMPOSSIBLE
T
he Talmud comprises the Oral Torah (the Mishna) that was
passed down orally from generation to generation and the
various commentaries on the Mishna, the Gemara. These are
the debates that define the Talmud – our greatest Rabbonim coming to
grips with what the Mishna meant, and how to apply it.
Berachot is the first tractate of the Talmud. It starts on page (Daf) 2,
discussing the commandment to say the Shema twice a day, when we
lie down and when we arise (in that order).
So, we start with two questions:-
1) From when can we say the evening Shema (ie, when does evening
begin?)
2) Until when can we say the evening Shema (ie, when does the night
end?).
To this, I add a third question: Why is it so important?
Many of our mitzvot are time-based, and cannot just be made up if
missed. Not just the Shema, but Shabbat, or hearing the shofar or
waving the lulav. So, just in case we didn’t know it, time is important –
and doing things at the right time is all the more so.
But think about the Shema – probably one of the most well-known
expressions of our faith! From when the first, immortal phrase was said
to Jacob (Israel) on his death bed, we remind ourselves that Hashem is
our Lord and he is One. That’s it, that’s what makes us Jews! We are
told to take this into our hearts (not just our minds – we need to feel
it!!) and to teach it to our children.
It makes sense that the Talumd opens with a debate about when the
evening Shema should be said, and until when the mitzvah of saying it
can be undertaken.
Similarly, we need to know the cut-off time as there is a separate
commandment to say the Shema when we arise.
So, we are told that our first and last thoughts each day should be about
an eternal truth: Hashem is our G-d and we need to love him with all
our soul and all our might (according to Billy Joel, it’s all about soul!).
I haven’t thought about this much before, but again, I am seeing the
sense in it: Love is a positive, powerful emotion. If we love Hashem,
then we must love what and who He created. If we do that, we can only
grow as people – recognizing that in everyone and everything, there is
a divine spark – a part of the eternal, a micron of the miraculous if you
will! This thought is also so different from our ordinary, daily thoughts
and concerns. It isn’t about the boss, or paying the bond or what our
kids or spouses did or did not do. It is a brief moment to stop and to
meditate on what really counts: We are not alone, Hashem is there and
we are part of something truly magnificent, created for a magnificent
and positive purpose.
By Warren Shapiro
MASADA’S
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A warmwelcome awaits you at Masada and we would like
to thank you for your support.
I am moved standing here as the Prime Minister of Israel, in this place
that brought endless pride to our soldiers, to the IDF and to our nation.
I am moved standing here, in the place where IDF soldiers liberated
the hostages in the heart of Africa, thousands of kilometers from Israel,
with the commanders and soldiers who took part in the operation. I
am moved standing here with the relatives of Jean-Jacques Mimouni,
Ida Boruhovitch, Pasco Cohen and Dora Bloch, who lost their lives at
Entebbe. I am moved standing here in this place, right in the place where
my brother Yoni, commander of the Special Forces unit, was killed while
leading the force that stormed the old terminal, overcame the terrorists
and freed the hostages.
Here, where the old terminal stood, our brethren were held hostage by
cruel terrorists, and this is where our soldiers came to rescue them in a
brilliant mission that is almost unparalleled in history. Entebbe is always
with me, in my thoughts, in my consciousness and deep in my heart.
The hijacking of the Air France plane to Entebbe touched a raw nerve
with the people of Israel. Thirty-one years after the Holocaust, Jews
again had to undergo a separation of Jews and non-Jews by those who
wanted to kill us. The terrorists freed the hostages of other nationalities,
but they condemned the Jews to the terror of death.
The Special Forces Unit, its commanders and its soldiers were tasked
with the mission of killing the terrorists, incapacitating Idi Amin’s soldiers,
grounding the MiGs and releasing the hostages. In less than an hour, our
soldiers were back on their planes, but this time with the hostages, on
their way home.
I wish to pay my respects to the Captain of the hijacked plane, Michel
Bacos, who is in France. He and his crew stayed with the hostages out of
an amazing sense of responsibility. For the families of the hostages killed
during the operation and directly afterwards, the price was unbearable.
The same is true for my family and for me. When Yoni died, our world
was destroyed.
At Entebbe, justice overcame evil, and for this simple reason, the
operation has earned the sympathy of the world and its praise. Operation
Jonathan at Entebbe has become the symbol of standing strongly against
terror. It set the rule that when the location of the hostages is known
– action should be taken to rescue them. It improved Israel’s standing
in the worlds and struck a deadly blow against terrorism. The battle
against terrorism continues today. Terror threatens all countries and all
continents, and we must stand against it united in spirit, a united front, in
the spirit of Entebbe. This is the only way we will beat it.
President Museveni, I want to thank you also for hosting the other
African leaders who have so graciously come to meet me. The historic
summit that will be held later today between the leaders of seven African
countries and Israel testifies to the dramatic changes taking place in the
relationship between Israel and Africa.
Africa is a continent on the rise. Israel looks forward to strengthening
ties with all its countries. Many African leaders visit Israel; and I am proud
to be the first Israeli prime minister in over 20 years to come to visit
sub-Saharan Africa. After many decades, I can say unequivocally: Israel
is coming back to Africa and Africa is coming back to Israel. All of our
peoples will benefit greatly from our growing partnership.
We have gathered here to mark an event that inspired the world and lifted
the spirits of my people. At Entebbe, international terrorism suffered a
stinging defeat. The rescue mission proved that good can prevail over
evil, that hope can triumph over fear.
Today savage terror is once again sweeping the world. We must
recognize that the battle against it is indivisible. When terrorism succeeds
in one place, it spreads to other places. And when terrorism is defeated
anywhere, it is weakened everywhere. This is why Entebbe was more
than an Israeli victory; it was a victory for all humanity in the fight against
those who threaten our common civilization.
The raid on Entebbe was a watershed moment in the life of my people.
For centuries, Mr. President, we were stateless and powerless to defend
ourselves. No one came to our rescue.Weweremurdered by themillions.
The rise of Israel changed all that. Time and again, Israel has successfully
defended itself against enemies committed to our destruction. But it was
perhaps at Entebbe where this fundamental transformation was most
dramatically seen by the world. On July 4, 1976, Israel launched the most
daring rescue mission of all time to save our captive brethren in the heart
of Africa. We were powerless no more. We would do whatever it would
take to defend our nation and rescue our people.
I learned from my brother and from others that two things are needed
above all to defeat terrorism: clarity and courage. Clarity to distinguish
good from evil; and courage to confront evil. Clarity is to know that
nothing justifies terrorism. Nothing justifies the deliberate murder of
the innocent, the systematic slaughter of civilians. We must condemn all
acts of terrorism, whether they are perpetrated in Paris or Brussels, in
Orlando or San Bernardino, in Tunis or Nairobi, in Hebron or Netanya.
And alongside clarity, courage is the other indispensable quality needed
to fight the terrorists and their sponsors, in order to defend our values
and our lives.
Today, in this place, where free people delivered a devastating blow
to the forces of terror, we and all the civilized nations must rededicate
ourselves to the spirit of Entebbe, a spirit of daring and resolve, a spirit of
courage and fortitude, a spirit that is determined as ever to defeat terror
and to secure our common future.
Thank you, thank you all.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke at a ceremony marking the fortieth
anniversary of Operation Jonathan in Entebbe, Uganda on Monday. Here is a
summarised transcript of his remarks:
PM speaks at ceremony marking
40 years since Entebbe rescue
operation.
ISRAEL