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Musings on the Mayhem
By Alexander Zushe Kohn

Though we’ve bombed the daylights out of the Taliban and closed in on bin Laden’s suspected hideouts, intelligence reports have it that his royal horrendousness may very well have slipped thorough the talons of the great American eagle. Frustrating, eh?

Actually, I think there’s a real bright side to bin Laden’s elusiveness. Think for a minute: If G-d wanted to ensure that President Bush would do good on his promise to uproot all terror, wherever it may be, what better way to do it than to turn the President against the dictators of oppressive Arab regimes? If G-d wanted, once and for all, to put an end to the game of make believe in which the State Department pretends that countries like Saudi Arabia and Egypt are our allies in the fight against terror, wouldn’t it be just perfect if He arranged for the U.S. to discover bin Laden enjoying the warm hospitality of some "moderate" Arab nation?

And while we’re on the subject, a friend of mine brought to my attention the Malbim on Yechezkel 32:17. Malbim explains that at the time of the war of Gog U’Magog, Eisav and Yishmael together will ascend to Yerushalayim in order to wrest the land of Israel, and Yerushalayim in particular, from the hands of the Jewish people. Upon their arrival, the two peoples, ascribing to two separate faiths, will become embroiled in a war against each other. While we don’t have a clear picture as to the exact nature of the Gog U’Magog war - as the Rambam puts it, "No one knows how it will happen until it happens" - it is interesting to note that the current war between America (which includes, in varying degrees, all Western countries) and certain Muslim elements has greatly hampered their joint effort to take the land of Israel from the Jews. (The fact that the Israeli government has failed to notice, or more accurately, chooses to ignore, this amazing development, is of course, deeply troubling, but should come as no surprise.) No less noteworthy is the fact that this whole shenanigan has erupted at a time when the burning issue is the "question" of Yerushalayim. Add to the mix the Rebbe’s reference to a connection between events in Afghanistan and the war of Gog U’Magog, and we have ourselves an interesting, if somewhat vague picture to reflect upon.

To add to the special effects, G-d has hardened the heart of Arafat, causing him to disregard the advice of his own aids, who recommend, that for the sake of the Palestinian cause, i.e., his cause, he should (very) temporarily halt terrorist activity. This brings to mind Pharaoh, who rejected the cries of his servants when they begged, "Send out the men... Do you not know that Egypt is lost?"

Parenthetically, when written in Hebrew, the name Arafat is made up primarily of the letters Ayin, Reish, Fei, the primary letters of the name Pharaoh. As explained in holy books, these letters spell "oref," which refers to the back of the neck, the symbol of obstinacy. How can we overcome the evil stubbornness of Arafat-Pharaoh? With "holy iron," a term used by our Sages to describe Moshe, Pharaoh’s nemesis. More than anything else, Moshe represents Torah. By increasing in our study of Torah, we slice through the evil "orefs," decapitating the various Pharaohs and Arafats of the world. Moreover, a spark of Moshe’s soul inhabits the body of every Jew. Indeed, of all the phrases G-d could have chosen to describe us with He opted for, "You are a stiff-necked people."

So it’s us against them. We know what the outcome will be. What we need to do now is to make it happen sooner than later. In the Rebbe’s words (paraphrasing G-d), "You are a stiffed-necked people, in the positive sense; therefore, to quote Moshe’s appeal to G-d, ‘You will pardon our iniquities and our sins, and You will forgive us.’"

   

There’s a bright side to bin Laden’s elusiveness. If G-d wanted to...uproot all terror, wherever it may be, what better way to do it than to turn the President against the dictators of oppressive Arab regimes?

 


YECHI ADONEINU MOREINU V'RABBEINU MELECH HA'MOSHIACH L'OLAM VA'ED!

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