You may not have heard (it was hardly reported in the news) but over 70 rockets hit southern Israel this week. You may not know but this is hardly the first time it has happened this year. In fact, over 400 rockets have hit Israel in 2012. If this would happen here how do you think we would react?
With all the negative reporting about Israel and with all the movements trying to delegitimize Israel it’s easy for us to start to second guess our own right to the land. (Similar to the terrible experience of racism, when the victim begins to believe the negative things being said).
Tomorrow we will read the Torah portion of Lech-Lecha. In this portion the Torah describes the covenant that G-d forged with our ancestor Abraham, promising him that his descendants will inherit the land. A short while later Abraham purchased the area of Hebron, becoming the first area in the land to come under Jewish control.
Just to clarify, this was almost 4000 years ago. And we’ve been living there ever since. True, Jews have been in exile and for much of the time most Jewish people lived outside of the Holy Land, but through it all we retained the connection to the land. We face Israel when we pray; numerous prayers – said three times daily – emphasize our desire to return.
Our right to the land is not because of some decision by the League of Nations or the UN. Our claim dates back to thousands of years before the UN even existed. And don’t let anyone convince you otherwise.
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Learn about the uniqueness and holiness of Israel visit ww.jewishfolsom.org/israel. It’s our land but how do we attain peace? Click here for Eyes Upon the Land, a presentation of the Lubavitcher Rebbe's views on the Jewish people's connection with the Holy Land, the Arab-Israeli conflict, and the so-called "Land for Peace" issue.