Menorah lighting at the Western Wall this evening.

            

When the Jewish People overwhelmed the Greek secular infiltrators in the Holy Land. Miracles in those days and in our times!

Government of Israel to the Rebbe: Send several hundred families to live in Hebron.

A Story:

Heard three days ago from Rabbi Yehuda Leib Groner, assistant to the Lubavitcher Rebbe.

Member of Knesset, Uzi Landau: I am coming as emissary of the Prime Minister of Israel, requesting that the Rebbe send several hundred families to live in Hebron.

The Rebbe: I am prepared to do that on one condition: that the Prime Minister promise me that these families will not be evacuated and not be told to go back home. I am not prepared to uproot hundreds of families unless I receive a firm assurance that this will not happen.

MK Landau: I cannot assure that.

The Rebbe: As long as I do not receive this assurance from the prime minister, I cannot request families to move.

The Holy city of Jerusalem, is the eternal capital of the Jewish Nation

Letter from the Lubavitcher Rebbe to the organization Bnei Brith.

Since the time of King David, Jerusalem has been the eternal capital of the Land [of Israel], much before the birth of any single world capital in our times. With the exception of the break of 70 years – the exile of Babylon, our nation had always dwelt in the Land for a period of 1340 years [2488 – 3828 since the time of the Creation].

Also, after G-d sent his People into exile, the current dispersion, there was always,even until this time, the presence of Jewish people living in our Land.

Throughout the time Jewish people lived in the lands of the dispersion, did they yearn and pray [three times a day] for our return to the Land of our birth, and to our eternal inheritance, - with these words – “ May our eyes perceive Your return to Zion in mercy”.

It happened: Israel P.M. Shamir phones the Lubavitcher Rebbe for a blessing to avert a multiple PLO terror attack

On the 28th of Nissan, 5750 (April 23, 1990) the Rebbe was notified that P.L.O. terrorists were threatening to attack various targets throughout the world.

Rabbi Binyomin Klein A”H, secretary of the Rebbe

                                                                   Former Israel P.M. Yitzchk Shamir A”H

Rabbi Binyomin Klein A”H, secretary of the Rebbe, tells the following story.

It was before Mincha prayers at 2 pm, the telephone in the Rebbe’s office rings, I pick up the telephone, Eliakim Rubenshtein is on the line who passed on the phone to Shamir, and says that PM Shamir wishes to speak to me. He tells me that information has filtered through that the PLO intends to carry out targeted terror attacks to multiple locations; not one location when protective action can be taken, but for multiple locations world-wide, so he is requesting a blessing.

I went and knocked on the Rebbe’s door, the Rebbe opened the door for me, I repeated the story, and the Rebbe showed no reaction whatsoever. I had carried out my duty by informing the Rebbe.

Mincha time came. No-body knew of this call, because no-one was in the office at 2 pm. After Mincha the Rebbe turned towards those present and began talking about the issue at hand.

The Rebbe: We received information about one hour before Mincha that the PLO has given out instructions to their cells around the world to attack targets G-d forbid to deadly harm which we will not elaborate. Therefore it is understood that we must increase all matters of holiness – since the power of the Jewish People lies in their words, beginning with increasing Torah study with great diligence; this will uproot all unwished for issues, and to the contrary, we will transform these so that greatly increased light will beam forth from the darkness, as wisdom overcomes folly.

Rabbi Klein continues: Everybody starts looking around, some gaze at me; “is this a private issue which the Rebbe is making public?” That’s what took place.

The Rebbe had spoken.  The plans were foiled.

The New York Times did not connect the foiled outcome with the Rebbe. The story in the NYT was only in the news the following day that there was a bomb threat which somehow came to naught, not mentioning the Rebbe [who had spoken of this publicly already the previous day at the time of the threat and who had given the spiritual preventive guidelines to prevent the attack].

The Rebbe continued: Since it is not the appropriate way in Chabad to call for fasting even when halachically one could suggest fasting, rather to increase in Tzedaka which will break the decree, and we have the rule ‘think positive and there will be a positive outcome’, but not to reduce the amount or quality of Tzedaka; rather one should give the value of three meals and to recite three additional chapters of Psalms, adding the last chapter which ends with the words ‘Every Soul should praise G-d, together that each of such should assess what one can contribute spiritually, in this direction and spirit, this, by men women and children, certainly not to cause fear to those around one, but to increase in both Torah and Mitzvos, amidst comfort and true trust in G-d. 

Crusader Nations of today who once again wish to destroy us, but this time under the mantle of "making peace".

One hundred and forty representatives of the nations [the UN] “gather and speak futility” arguing that they cannot tolerate the injustice. Just like those who marched in the Crusades, today these are their descendants following in their footsteps, not only in thought and speech, but also by their actions, as we saw in the past few weeks and in the attack, that took place last year and two years ago and they are doing the same now: “I sinned and I will continue to sin!”   

Crusaders Then

Words of Prophecy for our times by Rabbi Shlomo Yitzchaki [acronym - Rashi, 1040 -1105] 

Rashi begins his commentary, on the very first verse of the Torah, and this is the very beginning of all [our discipline and culture]. Quoting the Midrash that the day will yet come when “nations of the world will claim that the Land of Israel belongs to them”. They begin gradually, first claiming their right to one piece of land, then claiming that another piece of land belongs to them. Rashi therefore starts his entire commentary, “In the beginning”, that we should know a halachic legal decision of Torah, that the time will yet come when they will not openly claim that they intend to steal the Land, that they intend to harm the Jewish People, but to the contrary, they argue “We are an upright people! We are righteous people, we are in pursuit of peace. All we want is peace, but peace can only be built on justice: “you Jews are thieves, you stole the Land!!!” This we see before our very eyes. 

Today's Crusaders

Therefore, this is the very first thing which is told to a five-year-old Jewish child, and the Torah of Truth gives him the rightful response: “This is not an issue of theft, nothing was stolen from anybody”. To the contrary, if nations wish to spare themselves from an existential threat to their countries, one should guide them to stop their talk running contrary to the Will of the Creator, because it was by His Divine Will that He gave the Land originally to them [the Canaanite nations], and it was by His Divine Will that he took the Land from them, and bequeathed it to the Children of Israel His Sacred Nation as an eternal inheritance”.  

When is it that the Jewish response ineffective, when this response is not given. They [the government of Israel] begins to invent their own answers, knowing full well that what they are saying in not being accepted because their responses are not truthful; the truth would be accepted by people. “The Land of Israel sprouts truth”, and before truth everyone becomes submissive!  

We have seen something wondrous: all the [fake] responses [which the Israel government] have given, yet, this is the sole response which until this time they are ashamed to give! This is the extent of the darkness of Exile! Then come along those very same confused people and claim that they are walking along the path of justice and truth which will lead to peace; G-d says that by offering those responses you are turning a gentile into a thief, Heaven For-fend. These Jews are so personally insecure that they cannot bring themselves once and for all to publicize to all 140 gentile representatives and tell them: “We are telling you with absolute clarity the truth, which has been printed and published centuries ago, in one country, then in a second country, ongoing, and upon this truth we have been educated over the centuries that “In the beginning G-d created the world” - this has been first premise of our education given even to our children. 

Rashi wrote his commentary on the Torah even for a child of five years old to understand, for a child who then lived in the times of the Crusades, the terrifying slaughters which took place then as did in our times in Germany. The Crusades took place in Germany, in France and more. Comes along Rashi to tell a child “you intermingle with gentiles, that, should a gentile remonstrate to you, “You stole the Land”, Rashi points out - do not invent your own answers, but tell him as is written in Torah - “G-d, Who recorded His mighty works in the book of Genesis, bequeathed the Land [of Israel] to the Jewish People. 

Now, since the Torah states that this is the response you should give, there is no shadow of doubt that this response will be successful and will be accepted.   

Stand Strong with our rights over the entire Land!

 Halachic law states that ‘there can be no claim of overcharge on a land sale since even a small land-­plot can be of great value. The same ruling stands true regarding an estate in the land of Israel.  

Ancient Jewish Hebron

The Torah recounts that when Jacob our Patriarch lay down [the vision of the Ladder] on the ground of Israel, G-­d gathered together the entire Land beneath him [Rashi] telling him “the land upon which you are lying I will bequeath to you and to your children”. Therefore, does the land of Israel belong to each and every Jew.  

The message we have from the portion of the Torah we read this week is as follows: It is not sufficient to come out with grandiose proclamations. Rather the Jewish people need take down to earth action to inhabit the Land! It is not sufficient to view and move around in the Land of Israel; rather should he need to lie down to sleep, to relax and rest, he should be able to do so anywhere in the Land of Israel. He needs to know that he does not fulfil his obligation by being able to move around and dwell only on an area where there are no contestants; rather, when a Jew wishes to rest he needs to know that he can do so [as G­-d told our Patriarch Yaakov “lie down upon it”] anywhere he so wishes in the land since G-­d “folded the entire land under him [Yaakov]”.  

The Midrash enumerates three locations [which were purchased] against which nations cannot make any claim against the Jewish People by saying these came in your hands by means of theft: The Cave of Machpelah [Hebron], the Temple Mount, and Shechem, the burial place of Joseph. Now it is specifically at these three locations that vicious Jews stubbornly refuse to allow a Jewish presence, and should a Jew dare to enter these places they are forcefully evicted!  

The message for our times is as follows: Jewish People must stand with absolute fortitude over their rights to dwell throughout the Land of Israel. We must dwell here fearlessly so that G-­d will grant His blessing “And I will give peace in the Land”.  

At this time there are Jews who pursue gentiles begging them to make peace. The time will yet come [Isaiah 49.23] when “Kings will serve you as your craftsmen, and their princesses will be your child-minders”. Those very same gentiles who humiliated and subjugated the Jewish people, they will yet beg us ‘sign, let there be peace already, the quicker the better!’  

To see the fulfillment of this prophecy it is imperative that we conduct ourselves as descendants of our Patriarch Yaakov ­ “inhabit the Land”. There is no-­one to pursue or to whom we be subjugated; there is nothing to fear.  Rather, there is the assurance by G-­d regarding the entire Land “it will be easy for his children to conquer”.  

Only by inhabiting the [entire] Land will it be ‘easily conquered by his children’, and thereby will there be peace. On this basis how does it make sense the argument that by surrendering land will we ensure peace for our children and grand­-children; how, by surrendering land G­-d forbid, can this be the path whereby we achieve the fulfillment of the verse ‘the land will be easily conquerable by his children’??  

We have already seen the outcome of previous surrenders and concessions [of the Sinai desert, Gush Katif and more] and the wars which followed when G­-d gifted territories of Israel to the Jewish People. Yet regardless there come along primitive Jews who unjustifiably immediately began begging and running after the Arabs to take back the territories! This brought upon Israel mounting and increasing pressure to relinquish more and more land! In reality however, G-­d performed a miracle: the Arabs refused the offer! In addition, ‘a Divine spirit befell the Jews’ to refuse further give-­aways, but with the proviso that, what has been agreed they will not retract upon. 

The truth needs to be heard: whatever was agreed [even by a show of hands] is null and void! In the first instance, never did they have any legal right of surrender, since the land of Israel is not their personal property! The Land of Israel belongs to every single Jew each of whom hold legal ownership over the Land. It is sufficient for just one single Jew to state his objection to put a stop to giving away the Land! Only then will there descend and be revealed the eternal Word of G-­d ‘that the Land will be easily conquerable by his descendants’.  

This legal tenet stands true also in international law: should just one inheritor object to the handling by others of his inheritance, all agreements reached by others become retroactively voided and all agreements must be re-­examined afresh.  

The same stands true in our situation. A [Jewish] inheritor [of the Land of Israel] is not merely stating his personal objection, rather his right of ownership is empowered by the written Torah, Oral Torah, and Code of Jewish Law.  

                                                     Public talk Motzoi Shabbos Vayetze 1979   

Three Barbaric individuals came to deny Israel's ownership rights to Eretz Israel

This Shabbos which falls on the Jewish calendar date 25th Sivan when we bless the  month of Tammuz. There is a sefer entitled 'Event of Day" דבר יום ביומו, where there are compiled from Midrash and T'nach all events which took place each day. There it is brought that 25th Sivan [from Midrash 'Megilas Taanis chap.3] that this day was declared a festive day, as follows:

Three barbaric individuals came before Alexander the Macedonian [the Great], with arguments against the Jewish People. The Sages of Israel, after having conferred together, sent a representative G'viha ben P'sisa to respond to their demands. Actually G'viha ben P'sisa had presented himself saying, that since he is an ignoramus [of the high rank of the Midrash - not an ignoramus of today], that should he be successful in repelling their arguments - that would be fine, but should he not be successful, the Sages would respond that he is no more than an ignoramus.

The first to present his argument before Alexander the Macedonian was a descendant of Ishmael, arguing that the Land of Israel belongs also to them: Abraham had  two sons, Isaac and Ishmael they argued, therefore Israel belongs also to them.

G'viha ben P'sisa responded: since all of your claim is Torah based, that Ishmael was the son of Abraham; the same Torah also states that Abraham gave to the sons of the concubines gifts and sent them away to the land of the East. However regarding Isaac it written [Genesis 25.5]: 'He [Abraham] gave all of his possessions to Isaac'. Hearing this, the Ishmaelites had nothing to respond, and took hasty leave.

Next came the Canaanites arguing against the Jewish People: "You are thieves. The land upon which you dwell belongs to the Canaanites - Jews came from other countries and conquered the land".

G'viha ben P'sisa responded: "In the Torah it is recorded [Genesis 9.25] regarding Canaan "He will be a slave belonging to slaves; therefore any possessions you will have will belong to the Jewish People because your status of slavery will remain [even when the Jewish People will themselves enter slavery] - 'slaves belonging even to slaves'. When the Canaanites could find no response to this, they left their tents filled with valuables and took hasty leave.

Thereafter the Egyptians came onto the scene arguing that Torah itself records [Exodus 3.22] that when the Jewish People left Egypt "they borrowed vessels of silver and gold, valuable garments and veritable emptied out Egypt"; therefore now we want the money returned to us.

G'viha ben P'sisa responded: "To the contrary, Egypt enslaved and afflicted the Jewish People for a period of 400 years with no recompense. Come, let us make a calculation and see who is the creditor to whom. Even before completing the calculation of 100 years the Egyptians took to their feet and ran.

The message we have from this historic event is as follows: when telling a gentile that the Land of Israel belongs to the Jewish People, we should not base our claim because Henry Kissinger or Carl Marx said so or that Israel has sufficient military weaponry to respond. A contender will remain unconvinced by these arguments.

Only when the Jewish People state that the Land of Israel belongs to the Jewish People because this is recorded in the Torah - then will the contender be receptive and make his escape.

Actually one could ask: why should a gentile be affected by this argument; he could well respond - that is what is written in your Torah, but not in my scripture!

But since a Jew make his statement with absolute truth - the gentile will accept this as fact; same as took place on 25th of Sivan when G'viha ben P'sisa spoke with all the truth of his heart - that is why the antagonists took their hasty retreat.  

   
                                                                                   Public talk Parshas Sh'lach 1974  

Ariel Sharon.: His first encounter with Chabad

It was shortly after the Six-Day War in 1967 when a small group of Chabad Chassidim from Yerushalayim set up a t’fillin stand in front of the newly-liberated Kosel. Among the tens of thousands of Jews who would put on t’fillin, many for the first time, was Ariel Sharon.   

The Rebbe Saved Ariel Sharon's Life from a terrorist Hijack!

The little-known tale of how the Rebbe prevented Ariel Sharon from boarding an El Al flight hijacked by Palestinian terrorists.

It was on July 23, 1968, a year after Sharon successfully led a powerful division into the Six-Day War as a Major-General in the Israel Defense Forces. 

Before returning to Israel, Sharon came to Lubavitch Headquarters at 770 Eastern Parkway in Brooklyn to meet the Rebbe, with whom he had a unique relationship and countless encounters. 

While speaking with the Rebbe, Sharon periodically checked his watch, as he was scheduled to return to Israel that night, Sara Levy wrote about that fateful meeting. 

The Rebbe suggested that Sharon stay a little longer and take another flight. Sharon complied and they finished their conversation. 

El Al passenger flight 426 

Later that night, El Al passenger flight 426 was hijacked by three members of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), a Palestinian terrorist organization founded in 1967. 

Sharon was meant to be on that flight. 

The aircraft, a Boeing 707, was hijacked on the London-Lod leg of the flight and diverted to Dar El Beida (renamed Houari Boumedienne Airport) in Algiers, the capital of Algeria. 

All Jewish passengers were held for 5 weeks before being released unharmed. According to those released, the hijackers seemed to be looking for "someone important," and they were enraged when they realized that he was not aboard. 

It was later revealed that the entire incident was an operation executed to capture Ariel Sharon, known today as the greatest field commander in Israel's history. 

A while later, Rabbi Zev Segal of congregation Young Israel of Newark who served as President of the Rabbinical Council of America (RCA), decided to corroborate the story with the Rebbe himself. 

The story was so astounding that I decided to confirm it with the Rebbe himself. When I saw him next, I asked him, “Is it true that you stopped Sharon from going on the plane that was hijacked?” 

He said, “Yes.” 

So, of course I had to ask him the next obvious question, “Why didn’t you stop the plane from flying?” 

He answered me, “Do you really think I knew that they would hijack the plane? I didn’t know. But when Sharon came to see me, I had the sense he should not go. So, I told him to stay.”