{"id":387491,"date":"2011-11-08T22:01:08","date_gmt":"2011-11-08T22:01:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/breslev.com\/%d7%9c%d7%9c%d7%90-%d7%a7%d7%98%d7%92%d7%95%d7%a8%d7%99%d7%94\/land-of-the-holy\/"},"modified":"2023-10-17T15:45:54","modified_gmt":"2023-10-17T12:45:54","slug":"land-of-the-holy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/breslev.com\/387491\/","title":{"rendered":"Land of the Holy"},"content":{"rendered":"

Now that I live in Israel, I\u2019m slightly more sensitive to discussions about wars and bombings. I know, it\u2019s hard to understand why. But seriously, there is constant awareness I sense from people in general- at any moment, anything can happen. Needless to say, this is not a place in which one can live a carefree life- though I don\u2019t \"\"think it\u2019s possible anywhere these days. Lately, as a result of my heightened awareness of the potentially explosive situation in Israel, I have asked myself (and Hashem) what the message is.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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More specifically, I am referring to the ever-growing threat of war and takeover from our hostile neighboring countries. To me, it seems absurd. Their own countries are huge, vast expanses of land. They have more than enough space for everyone to live. Now if it were just the oppressed masses wanting to live in Israel because they are trying to escape their oppressive leaders, this would at least be an understandable motive. However, we know that this is not the case. The leaders, along with their people, want Israel for themselves. Does a 35-mile-wide piece of land really make that much of a difference for them? What\u2019s really going on here?<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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Obviously, there is a spiritual message that many of us may not be aware of. Let\u2019s try to view this issue from a perspective that is above the political realm. From a spiritual point of view, we can understand the message Hashem is trying to send the Nation of Israel. First, let me preface the following with this: no matter where you live, if you are Jewish, then you are part of Israel. Your actions, positive and negative, have tremendous impact on the fate of the entire people of Israel, whether you are aware of this or not.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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To understand the answer, we must look at the promise Hashem made to Avraham our Forefather. It was only after Avraham underwent the covenant of circumcision that Hashem promised him that his descendants would be as numerous as the stars in the sky and the grains of sand on the earth. It was also after the circumcision that Hashem promised that Avraham\u2019s descendants would inherit the land of Israel. So we must ask the obvious question- what\u2019s the connection between circumcision and Israel? Is it really that important? <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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First, we must understand why Judaism places so much emphasis on the mitzvah of circumcision to begin with. The Rambam teaches that a person must elevate the body\u2019s lusts from an animalistic level and channel them to a higher, spiritual desire and purpose. We are not animals, but especially when it comes to physical matters, we forget this simple fact. The word \u201cbrit\u201d actually means \u201ccovenant\u201d. By the action of circumcision, we are bringing G-d into our lives in the most intimate way. We are making Him our partner in an area that will be tested throughout our lives. By doing so, we have a greater chance of success. We help our souls to control our bodies, and not vice versa.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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Okay, but what in the world does this have to do with the other countries\u2019 desire to annihilate Israel? Rebbe Nachman explains in his discussions on Israel. There are two ways a Jew is entitled to the land of Israel- one of them is the concept of circumcision. However, upon deeper understanding, it is not just the fact that one is circumcised that entitles him to live here. It is the associated morality <\/em>that earns him his rightly place in this holy land. If the people of Israel live a morally upright life, they will be free to live in Israel in peace. However, instead of G-d taking the land away from the Jewish People if they break the covenant of morality, He has put us into exile. Is it starting to make sense now? <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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We can clearly see the spiritual big picture now. How many of us can say we are living morally upright lives? Even in Israel, all a person needs to do is go to Tel Aviv, home of the nightclubs and far-from-righteous behavior. All over the world, as a whole can us Jews honestly say we are a moral people? Do young, single Miami and New York Jews frequent bars just as much as non-Jews? You bet! I used to be in that young, single crowd, way back in the day. Do we text and flirt and have illicit relationships just as much as others? We sure do!<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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Hashem is screaming in our collective ears! \u201cMy children,\u201d I imagine Him saying, \u201cWhat else do I need to do to get you to live in a righteous way?\u201d The Arab world is closing in on us, and the rest of the world doesn\u2019t seem to care much. Let\u2019s stop looking for political \u201csolutions\u201d, because there are none. \u201cBomb \u2018em all\u201d isn\u2019t a practical or a humane solution, though many think this is the answer. Until we realize that they are just the stick in Hashem\u2019s hands, as Rabbi Brody puts it, we are missing the message. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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So what can we do to fix this problem? One solution is to work on overcoming our animalistic desires. Men, that means you. If you are regular visitors to adult sites, by all means, STOP. You cannot imagine the spiritual ramifications of your actions. If you live your lives looking for the next cheap thrill or one-night-stand, STOP.\u00a0 Aside from all of the broken hearts you leave by the side of the road, you are also doing tremendous spiritual damage to yourselves, your \u201clady friends\u201d, and all of us collectively. For a great perspective on this issue in general, <\/span><\/span>read Rav Arush\u2019s \u201c<\/span><\/span>The Garden of Peace<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/a>\u201d. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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Ladies, don\u2019t think you\u2019re off the hook so easily. If you dress and\/or act provocatively, you are just as much a partner in crime as your partner of the evening. Hanging yourselves as cheap bait waiting to be swallowed up and spit out by the piranha on the prowl is just asking for trouble. You are worth infinitely more than that. Hold yourselves to a higher standard-\u00a0 you are The King\u2019s daughters, worthy of a man who will cherish you and treat you like the princesses that you are. Don\u2019t settle for anything less.\u00a0<\/span><\/span> \u201c<\/span><\/span>Women\u2019s Wisdom<\/span><\/span><\/a>\u201d is also a must-read if you are serious about reaching your spiritual potential as a woman. By the way, I must reiterate- modest dress does not mean ugly. And the bottom line is, if you feel good about yourself, you\u2019ll look good, too. All the makeup in the world can\u2019t hide a low self-esteem.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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If we are serious about reclaiming the rights to our beloved Israel, a moral lifestyle is the primary way to do this. May we all collectively merit to bring about an end to the threats that surround us, and may we welcome the era of peace and tranquility this year, Amen.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Now that I live in Israel, I\u2019m slightly more sensitive to discussions about wars and bombings. I know, it\u2019s hard to understand why. But seriously, there is constant awareness I sense from people in general- at any moment, anything can happen. Needless to say, this is not a place in which one can live a … Continue reading “Land of the Holy”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":62109,"featured_media":1129382,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_joinchat":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[83792,15745],"tags":[20024,28530,20658,22432,19846,34505],"author_post":[15157],"new_serie":[],"class_list":["post-387491","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-holiness-for-men-and-women","category-israel-and-aliyah","tag-addiction","tag-shmirat-eynayim","tag-shmirat-habrit","tag-land-of-israel","tag-personal-holiness","tag-pgam-habrit","author_post-racheli-reckles"],"acf":{"intro_text":"

All of the problems in modern-day Israel, particularly the threat of imminent war, is directly associated with the level of personal holiness, both of men and women\u2026<\/p>\n","breslev_id":"20721","post_views_count":"174","help_field_to_import_order_in_category":"346","updatetime":"01\/01\/0001","special_content_in_the_post":"none","meta_title":"Land of the Holy","meta_description":"All of the problems in modern-day Israel, particularly the threat of war, is directly associated with the level of personal holiness, both of men and women\u2026","landing_form":false,"paragraph_first":"","paragraph_second":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/breslev.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/387491","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/breslev.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/breslev.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/breslev.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/62109"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/breslev.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=387491"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/breslev.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/387491\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/breslev.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1129382"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/breslev.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=387491"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/breslev.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=387491"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/breslev.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=387491"},{"taxonomy":"author_post","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/breslev.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/author_post?post=387491"},{"taxonomy":"new_serie","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/breslev.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/new_serie?post=387491"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}