Archive for the ‘Parsha 54 - V'zot Habracha’ Category

V’Zot HaBrachah 5770 – The Defense of Israel

Wednesday, September 30th, 2009

Deuteronomy 33:7  And this is the blessing of Judah: and he said, Hear, LORD, the voice of Judah, and bring him unto his people: let his hands be sufficient for him; and be thou an help to him from his enemies.

Referring to Abram and the great nation that would come from him, God said, “I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee…” Christian America has largely taken this as a directive to contribute to Israel’s national defense, but is that a good interpretation?

The political entity of Israel today is primarily made up of Jews, whether physically descended from Judah or adopted by custom or conversion, and Moses’ blessed Judah with the ability to defend himself with God’s supernatural assistance. Their survival does not depend on their possession of powerful military hardware or better tactics. Their relationship with God and obedience to his commands is much more to the point. There is really nothing we can do to help them militarily because any assistance we provide is superfluous. At times it might even be counterproductive.

The actual well-being of Israel is a secondary concern to most Christians. They don’t necessarily promote the idea of a military alliance with Israel because Israel needs it. They promote it because they need it themselves. They want the blessing that God promised to those who bless Abraham. That’s not a bad thing, but they should realize that there are many other means by which they can bless Israel. Justice in international courts, open trade, charity, and scientific cooperation, to name a few.

Our government in the United States (and pretty much everywhere else) is really only good at one thing: destruction. It seems to me that one good way to bless Israel would be to keep our government out of it unless something needs to be blown up. If Syria and company invades, then send the government to Syria where they can do some real good. Otherwise, let private individuals do whatever they feel led to do on Israel’s behalf. Pray, contribute to a charitable fund in Israel, join the IDF.

As one grafted in to the tree of Israel, an adopted child of Abraham, you can bless me (and therefore yourself) by not using tax money. Please.

V’Zot HaBracha 5768 – Undeserved Blessing

Tuesday, September 18th, 2007

Many of Jacob’s children had acted terribly enough to deserve complete disinheritance:

  • Reuben slept with one of his father’s wives.
  • Simeon tried to kill Joseph and, together with Levi, killed all the men of Shechem.
  • Levi went with Simeon to kill all the men of Shechem, and I would not be surprised to learn that the attack was his idea.
  • Judah sold Joseph as a slave, married a Canaanitess, and mistreated his daughter-in-law.
  • Most of the brothers participated in some way in staging Joseph’s death and selling him into slavery.

Yet here at the end of the Torah, we see blessings bestowed on all of them. Yom Kippur is coming up this weekend. It’s a time for purification and repentance. God has prophecied blessings for his people in the end. As the Day of Atonement follows the Day of Trumpets, so will the repentance of Israel follow the return of her King. Whatever came before, His blood washes it all away, bringing blessing in place of curses despite our lack of merit.

(If you’ve never read The Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs, I highly recommend it.)

Update October 10, 2007: I made a mistake. Simeon is not included in these final blessings. The most commonly profered reason is Simeon’s participation in the slaughter at Shechem. Levi is included despite that event because of their faithfulness in the matter of the golden calf.

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