III: HAMAs’ Invasion

The HAMAs’ invasion on October 7, 2023 (10-7-23) was a surprise, and it was a sad event in terms of the Israeli lives lost.  But the HAMAs’ invasion also changed the mentality of Israel.  On October 6, 2023, the country was locked in a political battle that was divisive and led to a political civil war.  People were forced to choose sides.  On October 8, 2023, Israel put aside the political civil war and ALL people were accepted to help in every way possible. Volunteers managed all needed affairs including aid for the internal refugees, for the excess reserve soldiers, for the return of soldiers’ cars to their families, to harvest the crops, and for many other needs.  Soldiers who were not called to service still went to army bases. The transition was from political civil war to let’s help each other in every way possible. Interestingly, when one adds 10 + 7 +23, it equals 40.  Forty is associated with transition, as you can see in the examples below. Let’s make this transition stick!!

Forty                                     Transition

1.    40 days for the flood                  From non-civilized world to civilized world

2.    Marriage at 40 years                 From being single to being married

(Isaac, Esav)

3.    40 days on Mt. Sinai                  From no Torah to getting the Torah

4.    40 more days on Mt. Sinai        Due to Golden Calf, repentance days were needed so

God would directly lead the Children of Israel                                                                                               

5.    40 days for the spies              Time to confirm the land was fruitful (“milk and honey”)

6.    40 years of exile                      Much better than destruction. Time to repent and mature.

7.    40 days between Elul 1           Time period that repentance is more accepted

and Yom Kippur

8.    40 weeks for pregnancy           From no child to mature child

9.    40 lashes (really 39)                  To repent for one’s crime; from guilty to acceptable

BN 12-18-23; Rev. 1-22-24

Men’s Adult Learning Trip:

The Men’s Adult Learning Trip (MALT) to Israel for one week, arranged by Rabbi Tzvi Bernstein, from Stamford Connecticut, occurs once every two years since 1998 and uses Ohr Torah Stone in Efrat Israel to help plan the trip.  The trip was planned in summer of 2023 summer, and it had a theme, but the theme was cancelled after the onset of the HAMAs-Israel War.  Instead, it was switched to lectures about the War, and the group observed volunteer activities in Israel in the afternoon.  The trip began at midnight two days after Thanksgiving and ended one week later.  The 20 participating men visited the following:  1. The Jerusalem Civil Coordination Center; 2. Internal refugees at the Orient Hotel in Jerusalem; 3. Shur IDF Base (Burial Identification Center) in Ramla Israel; 4. The Center to promote hostage release in Tel Aviv; 5. The battle site at Kfar Azza near Gaza; and 6. A wounded soldier at Hadassah Hospital. 

BN 12-11-23