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Israel’s new Prime Minister is Naftali Bennett, and I sincerely wish him well. I will daven for his success and hope that Hashem will help him do good things for Israel and world Jewry. Yes, I would have preferred that the elections turned out differently, but they didn’t – and I’m okay with that. When you enter a game, you try everything possible to win, but you must also be prepared to lose. If you’re not ready to lose, don’t play the game.

 Jackie Mason made a joke recently that there are three things we can always count on: death, taxes, and antisemitism. While I consider Jackie Mason a very funny guy, that was not a joke; it was 100 percent true, and it brought a few questions to mind – profoundly serious and basic questions that I don’t want you to brush off: Yes, antisemitism is on the rise; so what are you doing about it? And how are you going to defend yourself, your family, and your property?

 The Israeli political world is making headlines every hour, and I’m sure you are confused. So, sit down, relax, and let me explain exactly what’s happening.

I have received many emails and phone calls from people all over the world asking me the same question: “What can we do, from where we live, to help our beloved Eretz Yisrael during this difficult time?” Here’s my answer. (Thank you to my daughter Nava for brainstorming these ideas with me and, by the way, 11 in g’matria is alef + yud = Eretz Yisrael!)

My morning minyan in Herzliya is similar to other minyanim around the world: Eighty percent of the people come to daven while 20 percent come to collect tz’dakah. Our shul has a very simple policy: Solicitations are permitted only after davening has concluded. Every now and then, an aggressive collector tries to avoid this one rule by telling me (I’m the gabbai, by the way) that he can’t wait, but I do not show him mercy. “Sorry, fellow, no walking around the shul until we’re finished.” One of my buddies once said the following to a guy: “Excuse me, I don’t bother you when you daven, so please don’t bother me!” Clever line, which works with some of those guys.

How do you feel when someone or something you love is attacked, maligned, or defamed? Obviously, your first reaction is to scream, “How dare they!” You immediately jump into your defensive mode while simultaneously preparing your revenge attack… and then reality sets in. You sit quietly for a moment and think, “Maybe they’re right? Do their words have any merit? Maybe I’m not seeing the whole picture?”