Hashem Signals our Settlers 

On the surface, the news looks like one series of uppercuts to the head of Am Israel. Look deeper, and you will see Hashem’s blessings.  

In 1914, there was a convention of Sages from Agudat Israel in Switzerland. They wanted to discuss Zionism – were they for it or against it? 

They invited Rav Avraham Kook to come and speak. He resisted. His heart was in the Land of Israel, and to him, a mere moment outside the paradise God gave him was like an eternity in Gehinnom.  Reluctantly, for the sake of Israel, he left the Land to attend the conference. When he arrived, World War I broke out. As a result, he was stranded in Europe and couldn’t get back to Israel.  

On the surface, it was a nightmare.  

He made his way to England and became a powerful voice in the British Jewish community. By 1917, the British Parliament debated whether to declare the Land of Israel the homeland of the Jewish People.  

The loud voice of assimilated Jews lobbied the MPs to reject the proposal. They protested that they were English first and shouldn’t be branded as dual loyalists.  

Rabbi Kook was asked to present a counter claim in favor of the proposal before the House of Commons. He gave a passionate speech. When he met objections, the non-Jewish lawmakers stood up and said, “Look at the man. Head to toe, he lives in the service of God. He represents the Jews.” 

Had Rav Kook remained in Israel, would Britain’s Balfour Declaration that gave political backing “to establish a national home for the Jewish people in Palestine” become reality?  

A Hundred Years Later  

In November 2023, American President Joe Biden issued a statement which decreed that anyone in the “occupied territories who acts in opposition to peace will be denied entry into the US.” (The Caroline Glick Show In-Focus|Nobody is Decrying Jewish Genocide (@10:18-15:08) ). 

It doesn’t specify “violent settlers” or “Jewish extremists.” President Biden refers to anyone who lives in what is called “occupied territories,” which includes most of Jerusalem.  

On the surface, this is a disaster. The city of Efrat has thousands of people with dual citizenship who make their livelihoods going back and forth from America to Israel. Thousands of residents throughout Yesha are dual citizens who may be torn apart from their families living abroad.  

Think about how COVID-19 split families. How many tragedies did we hear about mothers not being able to see their daughters and fathers not being able to see their sons because of the pandemic?  

Major Miracles 

Hashem is bringing His children home. He is encouraging countless Jews outside of Israel to come here as often as possible.  

What about the residents of Judea and Shomron? Hashem is giving them the ultimate gift. He is keeping them in Israel. Could this be to protect them from catastrophe in America?  

Could Mashiach be HERE and Hashem doesn’t want His precious children to be anywhere else when He reveals His anointed to the world? Are these decrees a signal from God that everyone should be in Israel right now – that we shouldn’t leave, not even for a moment? 

The Tanna Rebbe Yehuda writes that just before Mashiach comes, Jews living along the borders of Israel will be without homes and will wander from city to city. (Sanhedrin 97a) Currently, 100,000 Israelis in Kiryat Shemona (near the Israel-Lebanese border) and in border towns along the Gaza belt are relocated in temporary living quarters throughout the land.  

Has the time come? 

From Woke to Awakening  

Whenever you hear “From the River to the Sea,” follow it up by saying “Hashem natan ha’aretz li” (God gave the Land to me)! 

Non-Jews can’t say that! 

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David Ben Horin lives in Afula with his family, millions of sunflowers, and Matilda, our local camel. David‘s Israeli startup, 300 Marketing Solutions, is a lean marketing agency for startups and small businesses that creates and promotes SEO-optimized ROI-driven to the right audience on LinkedIn to make your business the star of the show.