Passover 2488

11 Nissan 5773

The slave (galut) mentality of fearing man more than fearing God is what has brought us to the impasse known as "the peace process" which has only brought us more death and destruction, but never any peace.

The political reality of the 21st century could be called a "kick-the-can" philosophy whereby problems deemed intractable by current standards are delayed til some future time at which conditions will (hopefully) be more suitable for their resolution.  It's a western invention which Israel adopted.  It was thought that we could safely pay lip service to a "two-state solution" knowing full well that the Arabs were never going to cooperate into the foreseeable future.  But that subterfuge is turning around to bite us in the ass since it created expectations across the globe that cutting out the heartland of Israel for a 'Palestinian' state is a given.

It's going to be a lot harder to take back now that the expectation has been given credence by every administration since Oslo, but that's exactly what has to be done.

And it's not as many try to explain to the world that it would be used to launch a war of annihilation against us, although that is true.  For, even if the Arabs were to lay down every weapon today and be satisfied to reside quietly and peacefully in 'Palestine,' there simply can never exist an Arab country in the area which contains the cities of Shechem, Yericho and Hevron. These cities are inextricably linked to the Jewish people and their historic land.

Allow me to take you back, not to the first Passover in 2448 in which we gained our physical freedom, but to the one which came forty years later at the end of desert wandering when we finally gained our mental and emotional freedom as well:

One month and one week before Passover - 7 Adar 2488

And Moses went up from the plains of Moab to Mount Nebo, [to the] top of the summit facing Jericho. And the Lord showed him all the Land: The Gilead until Dan,and all [the land of] Naftali, and the land of Ephraim and Manasseh, and all the land of Judah, until the western sea,and the south, and the plain, the valley of Jericho, the city of palm trees, until Zoar.And the Lord said to him, "This is the Land I swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, saying, 'I will give it to your offspring.' I have let you see it with your eyes, but you shall not cross over there." And Moses, the servant of the Lord, died there, in the land of Moab, by the mouth of the Lord.

A week before Passover 2488 (after 30 days of mourning Moshe Rabeinu)

...And it was after the death of Moses the servant of the Lord, that the Lord said to Joshua the son of Nun, Moses' minister, saying: Moses my servant has died; and now arise cross this Jordan, you and all this nation, to the land which I give the children of Israel. Every place on which the soles of your feet will tread I have given to you, as I have spoken to Moses. From this desert and Lebanon to the great river, the Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites to the great sea westward shall be your boundary. No man shall stand up before you all the days of your life; as I was with Moses, so shall I be with you. I will not weaken My grasp on you nor will I abandon you.

Be strong and have courage; for you will cause this nation to inherit the land that I have sworn to their ancestors to give to them. Just be strong and very courageous to observe and do in accordance with all of the Torah that Moses My servant has commanded you. Do not stray therefrom right or left, in order that you succeed wherever you go. This book of the Torah shall not leave your mouth; you shall meditate therein day and night, in order that you observe to do all that is written in it, for then will you succeed in all your ways and then will you prosper. Did I not command you, be strong and have courage, do not fear and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go. And Joshua commanded the officers of the nation, saying: Go through the midst of the camp and command the nation saying: Prepare provision for yourselves, for in another three days you will cross this Jordan to come and inherit the land that the Lord your God is giving you to inherit.

...And the people came up out of the Jordan on the tenth day of the first month, and encamped in Gilgal, in the east border of Jericho.

Eve of Passover 2488

...And the children of Israel encamped in Gilgal, and they made the Passover sacrifice on the fourteenth day of the month at evening in the plains of Jericho. (See photo above - click to enlarge it.) And they ate of the grain of the land on the morrow of the Passover, unleavened cakes and parched grain on this very day. And the manna ceased on the morrow when they ate of the grain of the land; neither had the children of Israel manna anymore; and they ate of the produce of the land of Canaan that year.

And what was the conclusion of the festival that year? We went out and conquered the first city with the power and blessing of G-d Almighty!

And Jericho had shut its gates and was barred because of the children of Israel; none went out and none came in. And the Lord said to Joshua, See, I have given into your hand Jericho and its king, the mighty warriors. ...And they completely destroyed all that was in the city, both man and woman, young and old, and ox, and sheep, and ass, with the edge of the sword. ...And they burnt the city with fire, and all that was in it; only the silver, and the gold, and the vessels of copper and iron, they put into the treasury of the house of the Lord. But Rahab the harlot, and her father's household, and all that she had, Joshua saved alive; and she dwelt in the midst of Israel to this day; because she hid the messengers, whom Joshua sent to spy out Jericho.

There will yet be a future Passover, hopefully within my lifetime, when the land will be whole and at peace because of our obedience to the commandments of the L-rd our G-d under the leadership of a future Moshe or Yehoshua. And no mention will ever be made again of 'Palestine.'