Blue and White: Shmuel Sackett

During this past week, over 100 different fires were started in Jewish communities near the Gaza border. Please read these three quotes – from three different media sources – on three different days – from last week:

Let’s be honest. How many shuls in your neighborhood celebrated Yom Ha’atzmaut this past week? There was a time, not too long ago, when 90% of shuls in America commemorated this awesome day… but now? What happened?

I have been a Jewish activist for 45 years, and every time I speak to people about what must be done to bring true and lasting peace to the State of Israel, they always ask, “But what will the world say?” I must admit that this question has always bothered me. After all, isn’t our priority saving Jewish lives and property? Shouldn’t this be our only concern, regardless of what the world thinks, says, or how they vote in the UN? Of course it is! The IDF needs to worry about its soldiers and how to return them home safely. Obviously, if that can be done without harming civilians, then great; but in most cases, Hamas (which stands for: Hides Amongst Mosques And Schools) makes that impossible. Therefore, do we put our holy IDF soldiers in harm’s way to save a Gazan civilian? Absolutely not! Yes, the world will scream, protest, and call for inquiries when an Arab stubs his toe or gets a splinter. The media will give these protests tremendous coverage, far more than they deserve, and liberal Jews across the globe will – once again – be plagued by a horrific anxiety disease called Jewish OCD: “Opinion Compulsive Disorder.”

We are all busy preparing for Pesach: shopping, cleaning, learning the Haggadah, packing for the hotel in Aruba… Trust me: We are all doing something for the upcoming holiday. So while you are getting ready, I want to ask you a question: If Hashem wanted us to be slaves in Egypt and then free us, why did He wait 210 years? Why weren’t we slaves for “just” 42 years… or 133 years… or 209 years, 51 weeks and three days? That wouldn’t have been enough? Why the enslavement for a full and back-breaking 210 years… and not a day less?