Despite my best efforts to ignore it, Israeli election time is upon us again.
And yet again, despite the wide choice of political parties, I feel there is no one to vote for.
Too bad about Eli Yishai, who is really cut from a different (and much better) cloth of politician.
Anyway, I have one son who makes a decent living and has been offering 200-300 shekels to anyone of us that votes for Likud.
(Not a snowball's chance on Venus of that happening, my son.)
My other kids are in institutions and belong to a society that all benefits from Shas.
The majority of the Sefardi Gedolei Hador say to vote for Shas.
So I considered going with a minority daas Torah which says, don't participate in anything run by this Erev Rav government -- meaning, don't vote at all.
The truth is that whether you vote or not, it doesn't matter. Hashem runs everything and the heart of the ruler is in His Hands. So I don't really sweat elections too much.
Yet when I mistakenly blurted this out to my family, I was met with scandalized faces.
Then my offspring rose up against me (not in a bad way) using their best lomdus-attack skills (though not in a chutzpadik way), awakening me to the realization that I might be setting a bad example by not voting at all when the Gedolim they listen to have said to vote.
My Moroccan-Israeli husband was more good-humored and gentler about encouraging me to vote for Shas. But like me, he also believes in Hashem too solidly to get really worked up about politics.
Then a man who once tutored one of my sons in Gemara called up and made a special plea for us to vote for Shas because Shas pays for him to tutor and all the help he's able to grant struggling 8th-grade boys comes from Shas.
That kind of pre-election plea never happened to us before, so I took it as personal direction from Shamayim.
So if you see a frum lady with sagging shoulders and a grim face dragging herself to the polls on Tuesday, that's me. (Or at least, someone who maybe feels like me...)
But if you want to know what's REALLY in my heart, you can read this Q&A from Toras Avigdor:
And yet again, despite the wide choice of political parties, I feel there is no one to vote for.
Too bad about Eli Yishai, who is really cut from a different (and much better) cloth of politician.
Anyway, I have one son who makes a decent living and has been offering 200-300 shekels to anyone of us that votes for Likud.
(Not a snowball's chance on Venus of that happening, my son.)
My other kids are in institutions and belong to a society that all benefits from Shas.
The majority of the Sefardi Gedolei Hador say to vote for Shas.
So I considered going with a minority daas Torah which says, don't participate in anything run by this Erev Rav government -- meaning, don't vote at all.
The truth is that whether you vote or not, it doesn't matter. Hashem runs everything and the heart of the ruler is in His Hands. So I don't really sweat elections too much.
Yet when I mistakenly blurted this out to my family, I was met with scandalized faces.
Then my offspring rose up against me (not in a bad way) using their best lomdus-attack skills (though not in a chutzpadik way), awakening me to the realization that I might be setting a bad example by not voting at all when the Gedolim they listen to have said to vote.
My Moroccan-Israeli husband was more good-humored and gentler about encouraging me to vote for Shas. But like me, he also believes in Hashem too solidly to get really worked up about politics.
Then a man who once tutored one of my sons in Gemara called up and made a special plea for us to vote for Shas because Shas pays for him to tutor and all the help he's able to grant struggling 8th-grade boys comes from Shas.
That kind of pre-election plea never happened to us before, so I took it as personal direction from Shamayim.
So if you see a frum lady with sagging shoulders and a grim face dragging herself to the polls on Tuesday, that's me. (Or at least, someone who maybe feels like me...)
But if you want to know what's REALLY in my heart, you can read this Q&A from Toras Avigdor:
Rav Avigdor Miller on Likud versus Labor
Q: What’s the Rav’s opinion of the Likud party versus the Labor party in Israel?
A: I must tell you my sincere opinion, I’m not interested in either of them. There’s only one party for us and that’s the party of those that are shlomei emunei Yisrael. That’s our party. The frum Jews, that’s our party.
The truth is that someday there’ll be a history, there’ll a Tanach written. The Gemara says that: אליהו כותב והקב"ה חותם - “Eliyhau Hanavi is going to write it and Hakodosh Baruch Hu will sign” (Kiddushin 70a). There’s going to be a great Tanach written. And in that Tanach, you’ll look in the back or in the front for references; who is mentioned in this book. Likud? No; no mention of Likud. Nothing! You won't find Teddy Kollek there either. You won't find Ben Gurion. No, nothing is mentioned of them. Nothing at all.
The history of Am Yisroel is being written by the frum Jews.
They’re the ones who make history, frum men and frum women.
Those who are raising families, they’re writing history. A mother brings up a family of sons and daughters, shlomei emunei Yisrael, she has made history and she’ll be in that history book. Yes. Women will be in that history book. Tzadikim and tzidkaniyos, frum men and women, not only gedolei Yisrael. ויד כל אדם בו – “Everybody’s hand will write in that history book something.”
Every person will someday be in the history book and it’ll be a very well written history. Eliyahu HaNavi knows how to write. And all the tzadikim will be there, but nobody else! Likud, Labor, all of them be left out.
Now some people think it’s not a real Jewish history unless it mentions also the names of this reformer, of that Zionist, of this other fellow.
No! These are just accidents of history, tragedies and they’ll be left out. Now, Hakadosh Baruch Hu will “take care” of them, don’t worry about that! He won't leave them out from getting what they deserve. He’ll “take care” of them! He has something in store for them! But they won't be in the history book of the Am Yisroel.
In that great Tanach, only the shlomei emunei Yisrael will be inscribed. And it’s very important to be there. That’s why we say: למה נגרע - “Why should we be absent?” It’s a great tragedy not to be there. למה נגרע. We don’t want to be absent from that book. So make it your business that you should behave in such a way that you’ll be inscribed.
Moshe Rabbeinu was willing to sacrifice everything for the Am Yisroel. He said מחני נא מספרך – “Erase me from Your sefer.” Moshe Rabbeinu was moiser nefesh for the Am Yisroel. “Erase me,” he said. Moshe Rabeinu knew that being erased from the history book of the Jewish People would be the ultimate sacrifice. And Hashem said, “Don’t worry, I won't erase you. You won't be erased. For saying that, I’ll write you in the chumash too.”
And therefore, anybody who wants to be an oheiv amo Yisrael, so he has to love the frum Jews. Amo Yisroel doesn’t mean you love the Jewish nation. No; you love only the frum Jews. That’s a very important lesson. You have to love frum Jews just like Hakadosh Baruch Hu loves them. As much as you can you love amo Yisroel, the frum Jews. And by loving frum Jews, you’ll be inscribed in that sefer too.
TAPE # E-55 (April 1996)
Political parties aside, just as one example: Are you a frum housewife?
And even if you're not a frum housewife ;-), do any of the following apply to you?:
Do you do your best to love the Am that Hashem loves?
Are you sincerely trying to internalize wholehearted Jewish emuna?
Then you're doing more for Am Yisrael & Eretz Yisrael than any politician or political party.
You'll be written up in Eliyahu Hanavi's book and affirmed with Hashem's Stamp.
Why? Because you are the only real "party" there is.
And even if you're not a frum housewife ;-), do any of the following apply to you?:
Do you do your best to love the Am that Hashem loves?
Are you sincerely trying to internalize wholehearted Jewish emuna?
Then you're doing more for Am Yisrael & Eretz Yisrael than any politician or political party.
You'll be written up in Eliyahu Hanavi's book and affirmed with Hashem's Stamp.
Why? Because you are the only real "party" there is.
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