"Jews are naturally a believing people. The Zionists took advantage of
our inbred beliefs and transformed belief in G-d into belief in country,
belief in Torah into belief in socialism, and belief in the supremacy
of talmideichachomim and mental giants into worship of those who work by
the sweat of their brow tilling the land and shooting enemies. They
rejected the traditional belief of a Yid who viewed himself as a
bechinasnukvah, being a mekabel from Hashem, and embraced the image of a
hardened, muscular body builder who espouses kochive’otzemyodiasu li
eshachayilhazeh. They present an attractive but inaccurate
picture. Our strength lies in our siddurim, Tehillimsand seforim, not in
yedeiEisov. Our confidence comes from our relationship with Hashem, not
from a well-stocked weapons arsenal?"
Rabbi Pinchos Lipschutz
Rabbi Pinchos Lipschutz, the editor and publisher of the American edition of the haredi newspaper Yated Ne'eman and Sholom Rubashkin's chief fundraiser, raising money for the convicted fraudster's legal defense fund, has never been known as a man concerned with truth. Indeed, his edition of Yated Ne'eman was for years known derisively in haredi circles as Pravda Ne'eman because its brand of 'journalism' closely resembled that of the Soviet daily Pravda – propaganda and lies, not facts, not truth.
Writing on Matzav.com today, Lpschutz calls non-Orthodox Zionists, the mayor of NYC, and the city's Department of Health and Mental Hygiene "Amalek," the biblical arch enemy of the Jewish people and the rabbinic paradigm for every antisemite who has tried to kill Jews from Haman of the Purim story to Adolf Hitler:
…This Shabbos, after the entire shulrises to hear the shirah read with its unique, festive ta’amim, the kriah continues with yet another central moment in our history. Klal Yisroel, a nascent nation, is confronted by Amaleik. We read about Moshe Rabbeinu raising his hands, inspiring his people to victory. When he lowers his hands, the Bnei Yisroel begin to falter. This story is written as a timeless lesson. Hashem tells Moshe, “Kesovzosbaseiferki macho emcheheszecherAmaleik - Write this down and write thatthe milchomah will endure, milchomahlaHashemb’Amaleikmidordor.“
Rashi and the Ramban quote the Medrash (Tanchumah, Teitzei 11) where Chazal teach that the existence of Amaleik prevents theKiseiHakavodfrom being whole and renders Hashem’s Name incomplete.
We have to understand, that since Amaleik has such a corrosive influence, why allow him to exist and battle him in every generation. Why keep him around? Why not just finish him off, once and for all?…
Amaleik is a reminder that we can never be at peace. We can never rest. We can never think that our jobs are complete and that we can retire. We can never believe that we have overcome every possible trial. Al taaminbe’atzmecho ad yommos’cha.…
Today, we don’t see Amaleik as we once did, but his seeds are ever-present. Amaleik is the voice that counsels compromise and advises us to be calmer about our beliefs. The modern-day adaptation of Amaleik’s credo of “Asher korchabaderech” declares to people, “Have no fear. Chill out! You don’t really have to listen. You don’t have to respect Klal Yisroel.”
The scoffers have changed their language and dress, but their goal remains the same. The Vilna Gaon taught that the baaleimachlokes are Amaleikim. RavElchonon Wasserman said the same thing about the secular Zionists.
The Gaon was referring to those who upset the communal equilibrium. Instead of allowing people to follow their proper leaders, a tough guy, or demagogue, or wordsmith, arises and preaches that disagreements are healthy. They convince people to battle someone who did or said something inconsequential with which they disagree and cause division amongst our people and derision of the good. The Gaon says that such people are the progeny of Amaleik.
Jews are naturally a believing people. The Zionists took advantage of our inbred beliefs and transformed belief in G-d into belief in country, belief in Torah into belief in socialism, and belief in the supremacy of talmideichachomim and mental giants into worship of those who work by the sweat of their brow tilling the land and shooting enemies. They rejected the traditional belief of a Yid who viewed himself as a bechinasnukvah, being a mekabel from Hashem, and embraced the image of a hardened, muscular body builder who espouses kochive’otzemyodiasu li eshachayilhazeh.
They present an attractive but inaccurate picture. Our strength lies in our siddurim, Tehillimsand seforim, not in yedeiEisov. Our confidence comes from our relationship with Hashem, not from a well-stocked weapons arsenal.
A talmid of MesivtaTiferesYerushalayim was driving the rosh yeshiva, Rav Moshe Feinstein, home from yeshiva when they encountered a rally blocking the street. Several youths were carrying signs that proclaimed, “Never Again!” Their message was that Jews would never again be victims and in the future would defend themselves from all enemies. Rav Moshe grew agitated, telling his driver that the slogan and the sentiments it represented were wrong. A Yid, he said,has a destiny mapped out by our Creator, not by generals or politicians, and we live, die and exist by His will.
Most writers and historians play up the image of the Jew in the ghettos and concentration camps as feeble and pathetic, submitting to their Nazi oppressors with nary a whimper. Yet, reading the accounts of Moshe Prager or the halachicshailosposed to RavOshry, the VeitzenerRov and others during the war years, causes one to be awed by the heroism of these individuals. Books by religious writers depicting the Holocaust era leave the reader astonished by the indomitable spirit of these Yidden. You are amazed, knowing that the Jews were stronger than any Nazi beast. Part of that strength was an acceptance of Hashem’s will, plan and design.
Similarly, books of lore depicting the modern-day settlement of Eretz Yisroel typically gloss over the First Aliya and concentrate on the Second Aliyah. This is because those who made up the first were largely religious and did not fit the narrative that the Secular Zionists sought to inculcate. The Second Aliyah immigrants were largely irreligious, or worse, and their Aliyah had nothing to do with religion and everything to do with nationalism.
What kept the early immigrants of the First Aliyah going in the face of what seemed to be insurmountable hardships? Sam Finkel in his new, exceptional book, “Rebels in the Holy Land,” quotes Avrohom Yaakov Gellman, who arrived in Eretz Yisroel in 1882. “Many difficult and terrible hardships befell us. So many people died… So many men and women became blind… because the air of this locale was unhealthy [and because of disease-carrying flies]. We could barely sleep at night without evading the malarial fever that struck us. We literally put our lives at risk. Through our efforts, we have improved the air quality of the settlement, but at the cost of the lives of our dear ones and with such pain and anguish.”
So how did they do it? “They coped and managed because they believed that they were the shelichim fulfilling a holy commandment.”
That is the true strength of the Jewish people; reflected in the YadHachazokah of the Rambam, not in the clenched fist of kochiveotzemyodi.
Today, in the city with the largest Jewish population, in the hub of American democracy, Amaleik mocks our mesorah and portrays our traditions as archaic. The mayor and his defenders who embody “asherkorcha” pour cold water on the enthusiasm with which every brismilah is still greeted and performed. Professing concern for our welfare, they vilify us using legalist and modern dignified language.
There are politicians who claim to be defenders of Israel, yet they accept overnight conversions from people who hate us. They enable our sworn enemies to attain positions in which they can act upon their animus of Jews and their state, all for political convenience.
At the conclusion of the parsha (17:11),as we battled the biblical Amaleik, Moshe Rabbeinu raised his hands, telling us to be strong, to stand tall and proud, and not to be buffeted by the prevailing winds. When Moshe’s hands were raised, the Jews were victorious, but when they were lowered, the Jews began to lose.
The only way to effectively battle Amaleik is by the Moshe of the generation raising his hands as a lighthouse for all to follow to safe shores and not become entrapped by the guile, demagoguery and sweet words with which the progeny of our most bitter enemy attempt to lead people away from Hashem.
We must maintain our fidelity to the truth, to Hashem, to Torah, and to the Moshe who raises his hands high and does not succumb to the pressures of the time.…
Here's the whole article as a PDF file just in case Matzav and Lipschutz decide to remove it:
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