Part 4. 1967 Six Day War. Miracle in Stuttgart. Yosef Ben Eliezer

Miracle In Stuttgart

I met the Rebbe for the last time a few years ago when, one Sunday, I came with a friend to receive dollars. At this meeting I experienced what the Chassidim like to call a ‘moffes’ (in Hebrew: ‘Mofet’), a supernatural sign. I told the Rebbe that I planned to visit Crimea the coming week; the Rebbe was aware of the trip’s purpose. He gave me an additional dollar and said, “Give this to tzedakah, charity, in Stuttgart“.  According to my plans, I told him: “But I am not expecting to be in Stuttgart.” But it was as though he didn’t hear me...

Royal Tombs of the Valley, Jerusalem, 1850's

He said only, “Hatzlachah rabbah” - his blessing for success, and was already giving a dollar to the next person in line.  Shortly after take-off from Frankfurt, the pilot announced he was making an emergency landing... in Stuttgart.  I remembered, of course, that dollar in my pocket, and on the surprise stopover I thought to myself: How can I fulfill what the Rebbe told me? Who is there to give a “tzedakah dollar” to?  As I sat thinking, an old man, one of the passengers, sat next to me and struck up a conversation - how long I thought we would have to wait, and so on. The dialogue wandered; three beers later I had a detailed account of his life. His parents were Jewish, and he was the family’s sole survivor of the Holocaust. Either from anger or depression or fear he had decided to convert and cut all ties to Judaism. Over the years he was spectacularly successful in business.  As we spoke a wild thought darted through my mind. 

Taking the dollar from my pocket, I told him: “Listen, in New York there is a very great rabbi. I visited him this week and he gave me a dollar ‘to give for tzedakah in Stuttgart,’ though I had no intention to be here. You obviously have no need for tzedakah, but since you’re the only Jew I met in Stuttgart and the plane will take off shortly, maybe the Rebbe’s intention was yourself...“ “But I’m not Jewish”, the man cried out, not imagining until that moment that I was a Jew.  “Listen, I don’t know,” I said, “But maybe the Rebbe wanted that, at the least, you would die as a Jew?” I have no idea how these words entered my mouth, nor do I know whatever became of that elderly Jew. But the tears that welled up in his eyes when I blurted out that last sentence might point to the mission’s success.  At any rate, the Rebbe as I learned, and not for the first time - was blessed with perceptive powers that soared far beyond our own vision.

From Book: “Our Man In Dakar” page 111.  By HaRav Aharon Dov Halperin 
Translated By Tuvia Natkin  Published by ‘Sifriyat Kfar Chabad’

How Israel knesset ministers will gain respect from the Gentile world

 A gentile has no respect for a man who is prepared to sell his religious values to hold on to his Knesset seat. 

A non-Jew wants to see a man who conducts himself in accordance with his Jewish values, that he is a man of faith in G-d and conducts himself accordingly; not that today he proclaims this, and the following day the opposite! 

But those ministers are prepared to sell out everything– their main concern being that he retains his seat [of honor], specifically when he is promised a seat of even greater honor! 

Tomb of King David

The Lubavitcher Rebbe declares his warning!

Ruins of the Roman Empire

From the Talmud we learn how Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai [Talmudic Sage, author of the prime kabbalistic work the Zohar] related to Gentile nations[in their dealings with the Land of Israel]. 

His argument was that one must not be naive. When we see a non-Jew doing good, building bridges and the like, one must realize that they built these for their own benefit in order to raise taxes. Rashbi [shortened form of name Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai] knew that since we are in exile we need to make efforts with the nations that they contribute to our welfare. The Talmud states that when there was a need to annul a decree, the Rashbi himself journeyed to Rome to make the effort to bring about its annulment.

 The Rashbi knew that Jewish people are reliant on G-d. Nevertheless he knew that it is the intention of G-d that we take natural precautions.

 Should however this would not help, the Rashbi was prepared to undertake the use of powers beyond the natural. The Talmud relates that when the Emperor of Rome refused to annul the decree, the Rashbi brought down an angel. When this also did not help, he went so far as to bring down a demon. 

In the first instance it is the desire of G-d that we operate in the natural way. If this does not help, other avenues are available...

This is a message also for our time. There are times when it is appropriate to travel to Washington as the Rashbi journeyed to Rome to make the effort with the Emperor. Yet at the same time it is vital that the ambassador be seen as a faithful Jew who conducts himself according Torah and Mitzvos. 

Should the gentile ask, ‘you believe in G-d, you can even bring down an angel or demon, then why do you need my help?’  To this, one replies: ‘since the Jewish People are in Exile, it is the Will of G-d that we act in a natural way (this is why we pray for the peace of the country).’  

However, if the natural approach does not help, we will bring down a demon, and it will do what ever has to be done, as was done by Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, since we walk with the power of the Holy One Blessed be He. 

The gentile continues to ask: ‘Are you really in exile? You find yourselves in the Land of Israel of which it is written in Scriptures, ‘continuously do eyes of G-d gaze towards her (the Land of Israel) from the beginning of the year till the end of the year?'  To which the Jew replies: ‘on the contrary, there in the Land of Israel the exile is far more severe. There, there is a Jew who considers that since he is Minister, he can do whatever he pleases.’ 

     This talk continues into the next posting. Public discourse Shabbos Parshas Emor 1974

Danger from Egypt! The Rebbe receives inside information. Talk by the Lubavitcher Rebbe after the secret ‘London Agreement’ to hand over further territories to the enemy.

The government of Israel is handing over to gentiles [Egypt] territories which belong to the Land of Israel, land which was given by G-d as an everlasting inheritance to the entire Jewish people from the generation who were present at the Revelation at Mount Sinai right up until the generation who will receive Moshiach. 

Such a transaction is very serious. More so: even according to the view of those who argue ‘we should be like all the nations’ [a nation defined by land-ownership], such a step creates a dire security risk for Israel and her inhabitants. Returning strategic territories to Egypt endangers the security of three million Jews [may they increase] dwelling in the Holy Land.
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In addition to all of this, the Israeli government returned to Egypt all of the oil wells after great efforts were expended by Jewish people in opening the oil wells and huge financial investments made, including monies donated by Jewish people in the Kol Nidre Appeal [on Yom Kippur]. For this they sullied the relationship with one of the Jewish magnates who invested huge sums of money. 

Even today it is not known if they healed the relationship, given that oil is the most basic commodity for Israel’s existence, including the four Holy Cities of Jerusalem, Hebron, Tzfas and Tiberius and all other towns where Jewish people dwell. 

We are speaking now from a purely economic point of view of dependence on oil even in times of peace and certainly from a security point of view when the need arises to activate weapons! Even more severe, they gave instructions that the return of the territories and oil wells will be no more than a loan to be proclaimed at a joyous ceremony and gatherings of happiness. 

What did they receive in return for this? A signature on a peace contract with two signatures of each side and an intermediary. They knew very well how little faith could be put on this signature. Today we see the consequential results.

At the very time that they were proceeding with signing this agreement, I received clear information of the proposed plan [not from those actually in the negotiations but from both Jews and non-Jews who have easy access in government circles in Washington, who did not hesitate to endanger their political positions by handing over to me this information]. I issued a most powerful protest against these proposed plans and explained my words in full, namely, that this proposition creates a serious threat to the security of the Jewish people in the townships of Israel. 

Essentially, there was nothing new here. Those who brought about the signing of the agreement knew very well the great security danger to the land of Israel tied up with returning the territories and the oil wells to Egypt. Yet, regardless, the representative of the Israeli government decided to endanger the security of Jews living in Israel putting their lives at risk, May G-d protect us, just in order to get a signature of a peace agreement. 

It is well known who lead these talks, those who decided to accept these agreements, and the reasons which motivated them to do this. Rather than initiating a policy of uniting Samaria now that Jewish people have merited living in areas of Judea and Samaria and surrounding them with protective walls and authorizing many new cities in Israel to draw down blessing; instead the government is running after [not just gentiles], but murderers and terrorists, in order to find favor in their eyes they should just agree to take from us areas of land in Judea and Samaria! 

And that’s not all. They have no shame in doing this openly and in public!  Such a downtrodden situation of bowing before a gentile in such a disgraceful fashion has never taken place even outside of Israel in the exile! And most shocking, they still argue that this is the beginning of the Redemption!  They announce: Arise and join us, we are ready for anything: a joint government, we will train together, autonomy, the main point being that we should be able to sit together round a table with those murderers and terrorists! 

They themselves know that they are murderers and terrorists, that after they will promise and sign, they are not to be relied upon; that even after they will have the signed document in their hands, it will have no more value than a bit of paper! This is analogous to a man sitting around a table with a murderer to come to an agreement, and at that very moment the murderer holds in his hand a dagger and stabs him! The staggering thing is that they will not learn from past mistakes. This is not the first time that they want to return territories in return for a peace agreement. There is a precedent with the signing the fateful Camp David contract [strangely the location is named after David, King of Israel!] where they returned to Egypt everything in return for a signature of peace. Today, everyone is in agreement what a terrible mistake that was. 

Yet, the government of Israel continues down the same path now in connection with Judea and Samaria. 

It is worthwhile that we make mention of some of the outcomes of that contract with Egypt in order to open their eyes. Jewish people who toiled, labored and sweated to build new towns in the Land of Israel were expelled from their homes and lands, men, women, and children! That is not all: the government forced soldiers who sacrifice their lives in order to protect the land of Israel and those who dwell there – to expel Jews from their homes in the land of Israel! Young soldiers who go with innocent and pure hearts to protect the land and those who dwell there, putting their lives at risk, are forced [using the fact that they are obliged to obey orders to men of flesh and blood] to do this! For what? To give these lands to gentiles, among them Egypt, the root of all Exiles. Every Exile which Jews have suffered, Babylon, Media, Greece, the West; the source of all of this tragic history was Egypt!

                                                                                             Public talk, Purim 1985

The last time Ariel Sharon came to the Rebbe...........

The last time Ariel Sharon came to the Rebbe... was for Sunday [distribution of charity] dollars, Erev Rosh Chodesh Sivan 5749, 1989. 

The Rebbe greeted him warmly, and Sharon asked for a blessing for the security and integrity of Eretz Yisroel. 

The Rebbe replied with the words of the verse, “And I will give peace in your land, and you shall lie down, and none shall make you afraid.” The Rebbe pointed out that the Torah doesn’t say “in the land” but “in your land,” meaning that it must be obvious that the land is Jewish. 

The Rebbe also quoted the saying of our Sages, “Whoever refutes idolatry is termed a Jew,” and explained that idolatry refers to anything that is contrary to the spirit of Judaism. 

In order for people to feel that the Holy Land is indeed Jewish, the observance of the Commandments must be encouraged and strengthened.