6-Day War - Not a Miracle

"I was surprised that Nasser decided to place his troops so close to our border. He must have known the grave danger into which he placed his forces. Having the Egyptian army so close allowed us to strike and destroy at any time we wished to do so, and there was not a single knowledgeable person who did not see that. From a military standpoint, it was not the IDF that was in danger when the Egyptian army amassed troops on the Israeli border, but the Egyptian army." Israeli General Matti Peled, in the high command during the Six-day War in  Peled, Miko. General's Son: Journey of an Israeli in Palestine (pp. 67-68). Just World Books. Kindle Edition.

“The armies were extremely ill-matched. Israelis, through their history, have tended to see themselves as the “weaker side,” their army smaller and less well armed than their Arab enemies. The truth in 1967, as at other times, was different.” Benny Morris, Righteous Victims, p. 311. Benny Morris is one of Israel’s most prominent historians

“American intelligence accurately predicted that Israel would defeat any possible Arab coalition within a few days, perhaps a week….” p. 310

“The Arab armies were mostly professional forces, relatively poorly trained, and not properly mechanized. The Egyptian army suffered from a basic weakness owing to the politicization of its command echelons, which resulted in the appointment of incompetent and inexperienced senior commanders, and structural weaknesses that were to prove fatal in wartime.” p. 312

“The Six-Day War was in all essentials, a clockwork war carried out by the IDF against three relatively passive, ineffective Arab Armies….Throughout, the initiative lay with the IDF; occasionally the Arabs ‘responded’ to an Israeli move; most often they served as rather bewildered, sluggish, punching bags.” p. 313

And the Satmar Rebbe knew it all along:

Satmar Rebbe(Divrei Yoel Behaloscha page 304): Would you even imagine that there would be empty headed fools that while they call themselves religious but the smell of heresy wafts from their mouths and they fool the whole world with their announcements about miracles [during the Six Day War] – G‑d save us. If in fact these were miracles it would have been much worse. That is because there is bitter retribution to the Jewish people when G-d does miracles from the aspect of evil as the Maharal mentioned before stated. However in truth there were no miracles here at all [concerning the Six Day War]. It was simply a natural occurrence as can readily be seen from the discussions in the newspapers that it was assumed that [Israel] would be victorious. I have already stated that I am fearful – G‑d forbid – for the time when actual miracles are done for them. If at this time when in truth there were no miracles and yet this great evil befell them, then surely if there had been miracles done for them that it would have brought about severe suffering as we mentioned above. From this we see the extreme degree of their cruelty and evil. That even though it was reasonable that [Israel] was going to win the war, nevertheless the Jewish people were in great danger. Nevertheless they placed the Jewish people in this danger for the sake of their glory and for the sake of their governing. Because it was obvious to those with understanding that [Israel] had the ability to completely prevent the war. There were a number of alternatives and circumstances regarding preventing the war, but this is not the place to go into detail. Nevertheless someone who has eyes will see that there is no doubt about this. In fact it was the filth of heresy that blinded their eyes and made them act in an irresponsible and irrational manner.

The former minister of defense strikes again

Hashem keeps life interesting. To form a coalition, apparently, Netanyahu needs the 5 seats from Lieberman's party. And Lieberman reminds one of an informer from Roman times or, perhaps in a more direct imitation, Genrikh Yagoda (director of the NKVD, the Soviet Union's security and intelligence agency, from 1934 to 1936) or Nikolai Yezhov, who succeeded him until 1938. For those who don't know, both of those men were Jewish. 

Remember, all those stories you read in Lubavitch literature and elsewhere about Jews, particularly religious Jews, being persecuted by the Soviet police. Well, the head of the police for many of the worst years, and really the founder of the secret police methods, were Jewish. They hated God, Judaism, and religious Jews.

And we have Lieberman. His hatred of the Jewish religion and Charedim in particular are palpable. Look at some of the quotes from a recent Times of Israel article:

"we won’t allow for the whole country to become Shtreimel wearers” 

That's an amazing comment to come from the head of the most powerful office (Defense Minister) other than Prime Minister in the so-called Jewish state. Before the haskalah, half or more than half of Ashkenazi Jews wore streimels. And of course, he's not talking about streimels specifically. He means black hats too. 

Note that we live in an era where we pretend to have democracies, so this is a rather extreme comment. Multiply this times 50 to imagine what Lieberman likely would say and do if he were in good old communist Russia.

And what does it mean, "we won't allow"? People should become what they want to become. Does he aim to control everyone? Is his secret dream to become a dictator?

“Military service was always a top value in the worldview of the nationalist camp.”

Help me to understand. Is the military a necessity or a value? Once again, the man is imposing his values on others. We see that the military doesn't need the Charedim in any military sense. This is ideological. It's about values. Esav values militarism. Most Israelis value militarism. Charedim value religious devotion. This is not about security. It's a religious war. Because Zionists see the military as a value Charedim do not want to be part of the military. How about this? I value Toldos Aaron Chassidus and I declare that Mr. Lieberman needs to spend 2.5 years as a Toldos Aaron Chassid because I value it.

“Since the destruction of the Second Temple there has not been a leader who has given more to the ultra-Orthodox than Netanyahu, so the time has come that something be demanded of them in return for once,” 

The part about Netanyahu is pretty delusional but I'll ignore that and focus instead on the part about "something be demanded of them in return for once". Have we all become communist? Is the only way to give to a society through a government program. If I am a plumber, am I not contributing to society? Or do I have to waste 2.5 years on a military base staring at the walls to contribute? If an American bochur becomes a dentist? Is he only contributing to society if he first spends two years doing make-work for a Federal program? 

Clearly, Lieberman, like many Zionists, thinks of the government as some kind of spiritual entity that one serves regardless if there is any practical value to it. This man claims to be right wing but he sounds like a socialist to me. I guess that's the Communist fascist model, right wing extremist and left wing extremist all at the same time. Where do the two come together? Totalitarianism!

Just so you know, the Charedim contribute plenty to society. They are arguably  the most honest and trouble-free citizens in the country. Yes. rats like Harry Maryles like dig out and broadcast to the world every little scandal in the Charedi world. But if you go by the numbers, Charedim, comparatively speaking, don't abuse drugs, have unwanted pregnancies or abortions, or produce Israeli's crime and corruption. Relatively speaking. Charedim also don't produce the filth in the media that causes those expensive problems. They live far more simply than most.

They also help to give the country some semblance of actually being Jewish. You could walk for 5 hours in Tel Aviv, as I have done, and not spot a hint of Jewish anything. It's the Charedim that keep the Jewish imagery and feeling alive. 

They like to call us bums but you try waking up for Shacharis, studying for hours, wearing long coats in the heat, raising 7 kids, keeping Shabbos no matter the cost, and on and on. Charedim are THE most hard working people on planet earth. It's a different kind of work. It's not all done in an office or military base. The Charedim contribute plenty. You try keeping Shabbos Mr. Leiberman. It's not so easy. Lazy bums are not able to keep Shabbos or study Talmud. It is hard work. 

Moreover, Charedim bring in much more money than they receive. Few people know this but the Israeli government kollel stipend is $100 per month. Who lives on $100 a month? The cost of living in Israel is higher than in Chicago. Could you live in Chicago on $100 a month. Rather, yeshivas raise 5 dollars overseas for every dollar (shekel) given by the government.  Yeshivas are a profit center for the Israelis. The fund-raising and the tourism bring in far more money than the government spends. 

And if the government would allow Charedim to work, they'd bring in even more money. What do I mean by that? The sick rules of the military are that working even one day disqualifies a bochur from the draft exemption. Since the military is traife - look who headed it and may head it again (Lieberman) - Charedim stay out of it. And that means they cannot work until they get a permanent exemption, which can take decades. The main reason that many Charedim don't work is because the government won't let them! 

Consider the words of attorney Menachem Shtauber who was asked "Is there a real problem today of yeshiva bachurim who are in danger of being drafted by the Israeli army?" He answered:

There are hundreds of such cases in which a bachur has been stripped of his ma’amad ben yeshiva, his exempt status as a yeshiva bachur. I’m not exaggerating – as an attorney, I’m careful to speak with precision. We’re not discussing the talmidim of Rav Shmuel Auerbach or others who don’t cooperate with the military authorities at all. We’re speaking of regular yeshiva boys who went through the registration process but have been denied their exemptions.

 
For example: A boy comes from a family that has great financial difficulties and during bein hazemanim, he works a bit in order to help his family out, even just for an hour. When that boy comes to the draft office and they ask him if he’s ever worked, if he acknowledges working for an hour bein hazemanim, they tell him, “So you work. You’re not a yeshiva bachur. You will go into the army.”

One sees how manipulative and dishonest these people are. The draft exemption is removed also if a bochur goes overseas for more than 7 days. Can't visit your grandparents for more than 7 days. 

Here's more from Mr. Shtauber for all the Americans with their heads in the sand:

Question: What is going on currently with the drafting of girls? 

Mr. Shtauber: I am more involved with cases of bachurim than of girls. But I can tell you that just days ago there was a Supreme Court ruling in a case in which a young woman named Moriah Sheli sought an exemption despite having been late in submitting her tatzhir dat, declaration of religiosity. The court rejected her petition, and in the opinion, they stated that the fact that the number of religious girls entering the army continues to rise is proof that there is no intrinsic contradiction between a girl being religious and serving in the army. This is a very ominous development, because it undermines the entire basis for religious exemptions.

Ever since a Supreme Court case about three years ago in which a non-religious girl sought an exemption claiming she was religious, the army has begun giving even unquestionably religious girls – including very Charedi ones– a very difficult time. I represent girls who are regularly summoned to the draft office for a ra’ayon dat, an interview to determine their religiosity –something that never occurred in the past. At these interviews, they are bombarded with questions that even you and I might have a difficult time answering under pressure, seated before intimidating army officers. They are questioned about obscure points of Jewish law, such as which brachot to make on various foods and the order of precedence of brachot, or are told to recite tefillot by heart, starting from the middle of a paragraph. There are many girls who lead religious lives but don’t attend Torah shiurim and aren’t familiar with halacha, yet these girls are forced into the army as a result of such interviews.

And then this:

Can you describe a bit about the experience of being in the army?

Mr. Shtauber: I served in the army and I still do milu’im. The moment one enters the army, one’s hashkafa changes, he begins to feel himself a part of Israeli society. A charedi bachur who enters the army will not remain as he was – there’s no one who denies that.

The Gemara tells us that some people kill, most steal, and every speaks lashon hara. What armies do is make it so anyone can kill. Most people are not killers. Armies - presumably under national need like Genghis Khan or the Vikings are coming - turn them into killers. They do this by abusing the recruits, shaving their heads, erasing their identities, forcing on them a whole different kind of clothing, screaming at them, punishing them, and basically breaking them. Armies strip you of your values and identity. They are designed that way.

Armies are terrible things. Anybody who doesn't understand that is a fool. Anybody who glamorizes military life for the average man (I recognize that there are army types) is a big, giant fool who should keep away from normal human beings lest he pollute them.

Sometimes you need armies. And there are people who are more suited for it than others. In America, those people enlist. But to drag everyone in for that torture is problematic to say the least. It is destructive. 

Israel has not had a war in 50 years. Border conflicts with Gazan teenagers rolling flaming tires is not war. The Gazans have no planes and no tanks. The militants among them are like a South Side Chicago gang. You don't need the whole country in uniform to fight them. There is no need for any kind of draft and certainly not of Charedim.

The Israeli army is run by secular people, people like Lieberman who hate Charedim. It is run by people with an Israeli identity, people who don't believe in God, people who don't keep the Torah. And part of the purpose of the army is to turn Charedim into Israelis. Ben-Gurion stated that long ago.

So when Charedim say they want no part of the army, they aren't just being prissy or difficult. They are trying to tell you something. The army violates religious freedom. That Dati Leumi go there is no proof of anything because Dati Leumism is a whole different religion. When I walk through Dati Leumi neighborhoods, they don't look much different from Tel Aviv to me. I sit on buses in such neighborhoods and women grab the front seats even though there are seats in the women's area. Charedi men are standing, bouncing around, squeezing in to let people go by. Sometimes, one woman will occupy a four seat area by herself and across the aisle another woman will occupy a four seat area by herself. They don't even have the decency to sit together! These women don't think of the issue of separation of the sexes (or common manners). In a Charedi neighborhood this doesn't happen. It's two worlds. (I'm not saying there aren't Dati Leumi with good manners and Charedim with bad ones. But on this matter of separation of the sexes, the Dati Leumi for the most part have a completely different conception. Same with lots of other issues like I-Phones and engagement with the secular world and emunah in general.) 

Secular Israelis don't understand Charedi resistance to the draft because they are secular and the army is secular. Seems normal to them. Not pleasant but not life shattering. But it's not normal to us. It's a radical culture shift and a totally oppressive one. Does a secular Israeli feel uncomfortable shaking hands with a woman or driving on Shabbos? No. Would a Charedi? Of course. It would be traumatic. Different values. 

To me a Satmar beis midrash is a completely normal environment. It wouldn't be such a stretch for me to join them. To a chiloni, it's like going to Mars.

It's the same with the military. For a Charedi who has worn black suits his whole life and trained himself to obey God and the Torah, to follow the halacha, to look only to God for help -- for that person to wear green gentile clothing, to build his schedule around army manuals and commands, to hear endlessly about the power of the Israeli military and how it will stop any more Holocausts (heretical thoughts) is earth shattering. For chilonim it isn't so bad. They weren't following halacha and they worship the military anyway. That's their religion. The Israeli military is a religion. 

Lieberman needs to learn how to listen. He likes to talk. The military is an anti-religious environment. After all, he was head of the military and you see how anti-religious he is. He and the people who buy into his rants, keep repeating themselves, throwing around the word "service." That's the big word. It evokes guilt whether justified or not. How about you serve Hashem? Where is your service?

Sometimes in life you have to listen. The military is not a kosher environment. I'm not talking only about the food or the mixing of the sexes. The whole attitude in the military is a problem. The fixation on muscle, force, firepower, vengeance, and obedience to 22 year old abusive commanders is anti-Torah. I'll say again, the notion that the military will save us from Holocausts and God failed us for 2,000 years (Hashem save us from such heretical thoughts) is anti-Torah. Oh, you are Dati Leumi and you believe that. Well, you are a heretic in that way, in my view. Repent!

What is Lieberman's plan? Is it to take a young Chassid from Meah Sharim, to tear off of him his bekeshe and stockings and to plant on him goyish green European military fatigues, to march him in the desert for 20 miles, pointlessly, to break him down until his loyalty switches from God, Torah, and Sages to the Minister of Defense and his heresy? This is what the draft means.

And this is why Jews should stay in chutzeh l'aretz. Until Moshiach comes we are supposed to be dispersed so that the enemies of God cannot destroy us all. I'm not talking about Iran - although they could be a problem thanks to Zionist provocation - I'm talking the heretics who have run and have always run the Israeli government. 

Jews stay where you are. Don't come to Eretz Yisrael. It is not safe. 

Nikolai Yezhov

Genrikh Yagoda

R' Akiva Eiger's Wimpel

On Dec. 6, 2018, Inyan Magazine (of Hamodia) ran an article telling of the finding of R' Akiva Eiger's Wimpel.


I'll post one page of it. 

Also there's an article about a new CD of songs of the Chasom Sofer that have never been heard before.