Shabbat Shalom everyone, as much as we can call it Shalom.
I imagine that we all had a very challenging week since Simchat Torah. Hearing what’s going on in Israel is terrifying and heartbreaking, and it looks like the world will change. We will no longer experience the world we experienced before this all started on October 6th. We all have to get ready and prepared. Incidentally, we are also starting now the Chumash from the beginning, as we also start this new era. There are so many insights we can learn from this Parshah that are relevant to our current situation, and I would like to share a few of them.
The first Rashi in this Parasha quoted a Midrash that writes the right to the Jewish people to live in Eretz Yisrael. The world is created by G-d, and He decides to who he deems fit to live in Eretz Yisrael. No nation can claim that Eretz Yisrael belongs to them. We never stopped living there. Wherever you dig in the Old City, you will find item and evidence from our ancestors from over 2000 years ago. This is why the Palestinians are constantly trying to destroy these items, to erase our clear and obvious history in the land, and supporting their false statements claiming the land for themselves. Other nations are either biased towards them, or always listen to there lies until it becomes their truth. This is why we start the Torah with the story of the creation of the world, to teach us that everything belongs to HaShem, and that HaShem gave us this land as it is really His, and he gave us the land through a covenant that he made with Yitzchak Avinu, and not with Yishmael.
The second point that we learn from the Parasha are the differences between good and bad, dark and light, what is forbidden and what is permitted, day and night, the water above and the water below, the dry land and the wet sea, and finally between the mundane weekdays, and the holy Shabbat. HaShem let’s us choose between good and bad, just as he gave this free will to Adam HaRishon. Sometimes the good is delivered through what appears bad for multiple reasons. We should always learn and ask for advice from people that have experience whether we are on the positive path or not.
The last point from this weeks Parasha is the murdering of Hevel. There were two brothers, with no lack of territory, or any occupation. Hevel was Kayin’s own brother, and yet he decided to kill him. It was out of his jealousy because Hevel's korban was accepted, and his was not. HaShem gave him a very clear answer how to fix this, that if he improves his ways, HaShem would accept his gift.
However, Kayin was blind. He didn’t want to listen. This is why he killed his own brother. This first murder in history teaches us a lot about our current days. The Palestinians don’t really care about territory. Their only motivation is to kill. They don’t want to move on. They are stuck in the past, and one of the reasons is their jealousy. Instead of using their money to help their people, they use it to fight, kill and destroy.
We, Am Yisrael, are not afraid. We will continue to be on the side of truth and of good. Am Yisrael is not afraid of a long journey. Am Yisrael Chai, Am Yisrael Chai.
Rabbi Eliyahu Tal