Words From Rabbi White

Dear mitpallelim

Things have been hectic the past couple of weeks, so I had to take a break from my “blog.” First, my granddaughter Shoshana gave birth to a girl, named after my wife. After that, I was admitted to the hospital for kidney surgery, a partial nephrectomy. For the past several days I have been recuperating at home. BH, the healing process is working. My post op with the doctor is in a couple more days.

As some of you may know, I participate in a weekly zoom group, where we read modern Hebrew Literature. Currently, we are reading a work by the well-known writer Mordecai Naor. In light of all the controversy surrounding Israel at it celebrated its 75^th birthday last week, it was an interesting coincidence that this past week’s passage described the feelings in 1958, as the country was celebrating its 10^th anniversary.

Here is what he wrote: [my abridged translation:] In the spring of ‘58, the general feeling in Israel was one of “we did it.” A year and a half had passed since the Sinai war, and even though Israel had been forced to retreat its forces from what we conquered in Sinai and Gaza, an optimistic atmosphere predominated… the length of the borders (except for the Syrian) was almost completely quiet. Moreover, one could summarize positively the accomplishments of the young 10 year old state: victories in 2 wars; absorption of 900,000 immigrants: survivors of the holocaust and olim from Asia and Africa; the changing of most of the ma`abarot-- those miserable temporary apartment blocks-- into built up neighborhoods; stabilization of the economy; increasing recognition throughout the world of the accomplishments of the “wonder girl” Israel; and all of this in the embroiled and problematic Middle East.

*******

The above paragraph, written by a staunch secularist, described the atmosphere in Israel at its 10th Yom Ha`atsma’ut. We pray that by the next Independence Day, the land be filled with the spirit of unity and justice. Indeed, doesn’t the torah say at the end of this week’s parasha, that there shall be one law for everyone: the rule of tsedek

Shabbat shalom.

Rabi Menahem White, Teaneck