The following popped up on my screen when I opened my laptop at 9 am...
KIDDUSH HASHEM: Anne Neuberger, Shomer Shabbos, Bais Yaakov Graduate Appointed As NSA Cybersecurity DirectorateMy initial reaction was to physically pull back in horror and my second reaction was to feel pain and sorrow over how differently we Torah Jews can view the same event depending upon which side we live on - HKB"H's side or the nations' side. Make no mistake about it. When you make your home in the Diaspora by choice, you have chosen to side with the nations of the world over HKB"H. Living in the Diaspora itself is a terrible Chillul Hashem. As the prophet says...
I scattered them among the nations, and they were dispersed through the countries. According to their way and their misdeeds did I judge them. And they entered the nations where they came, and they profaned My Holy Name, inasmuch as it was said of them, 'These are the people of the Lord, and they have come out of His land.'
But I had pity on My Holy Name, which the house of Israel had profaned among the nations to which they had come. Therefore, say to the house of Israel; So says the Lord God: Not for your sake do I do this, O house of Israel, but for My Holy Name, which you have profaned among the nations to which they have come. And I will sanctify My great Name, which was profaned among the nations, which you have profaned in their midst; and the nations shall know that I am the Lord - is the declaration of the Lord God - when I will be sanctified through you before their eyes. For I will take you from among the nations and gather you from all the countries, and I will bring you to your land. (Yechezkel 36.20-24)If our being forced into exile is a Chillul Hashem, how much more so when it becomes our preference and choice??? And the only "cure" for this massive Chillul Hashem, which every Diaspora Jew is perpetrating simply by his living and breathing among the nations of the world, is his removal from there. As the prophet says...
As I live, says the Lord God, surely with a strong hand and with an outstretched arm and with poured out fury, will I reign over you. And I shall take you out of the peoples, and I shall gather you from the lands in which you were scattered, with a strong hand and with an outstretched arm and with poured out fury. (Yechezkel 20:33-34)Setting aside the fact that the NSA is the very lion's den of an evil, corrupt, increasingly oppressive regime, the willingness of a Torah Jew to serve this master instead of HKB"H (because you certainly can NOT serve BOTH!) and their fellows bragging about it and presenting it as a gift to HKB"H is perhaps the greatest Chillul Hashem of all.
I agree. Religious Jews, especially because they attract more attention, in high up positions in the Diaspora make me very nervous and upset. I wish American Jews felt this is a chillul Hashem as is their living outside the Land.
ReplyDeleteSimilar to the Chareidi woman judge, these high power jobs are 24/6 psychologically filtering into Shabbos. A step on the road to assimilation.
ReplyDeleteHashem has put us where He puts us, not everyone can fulfill his tikkun in Eretz HaKodesh, and that is why some of us continue to cry to be given the zchus to make aliya, but it is abundantly clear from Hashem's messages to us that it is not yet our particular time. Some of us are NOT here by choice, but it is where Hashem puts and keeps us. So perhaps rising to prominence in government is an opportunity for this person to make a Kiddush Hashem? We don't know. I don't know. All I know is that Hashem is pulling all the strings. Strange things like this didn't happen just a few years ago.
ReplyDeleteWhat do you mean "strange things"?
DeleteTruth is 'religious' Jews today are not what our fathers and grandfathers, etc. were. Of late, there has been an upsurge of these religious Jews entering all kinds of government positions. Their religiousity, starts to go downhill, spinning it with all of kinds of excuses and explanations, because there's always been a mesorah where Jews stayed as far away from memshalot as possible. The rare great sages who entered or were brought into their respective governments were to be spokesmen for their fellow Jews (when Jews were harshly treated); it was never to seek any power or title, etc. These days these misguided frummies (many times women-the latest fad) feel safe and secure in the galut showing how they have lost their sense of real Yiddishkeit. Societies have great influence on everyone, including observant Jews. This can all come to an end when H' will wake them up and, hopefully, they wake up before then (hamavin yavin). For a people known for their 'smarts', when we lose the true Torah perspective, we also lose our smarts.
ReplyDeleteThe NSA directs part of its resources to monitoring Israel military targets.
ReplyDeleteI'll say it again. The NSA directs part of its resources to monitoring Israel military targets.
Is this information passed by the USA to friendly nations? foes?
The NSA also monitors AND STORES the electronic traffic of every human being on the united states in its massive server farm in UT.
That's only what we know about.
The power in the hands of the NSA has the potential to being the biggest dictatorship in the history of the planet if it goes into the wrong hands.
Snowden in a strange way had a very valid point about the NSA being a tremendous danger.
In my personal opinion, this is not a place for a frum person to work or be associated with.
Actually these high-powered jobs are 24/7. As the Director she will, at some point in time, face a difficult choice: Shabbat or her position. Sad.
ReplyDeleteI still don't understand how Jews, "zionists," can invest in the countries supposed to be only temporary dwelling places. It just doesn't make any sense. Yes, I know it's challenging to leave. The only thing I can think of is our poor education.
ReplyDelete