L'Shana Tova

G-d is my Light. Whom Should I Fear?

A year ago, Charlotte had escaped my apartment. She was living outside. Sugar, my other cat was dying. He had been my mom's cat. When he finally warmed up to me, he was the sweetest tabby. I finally caught Charlotte the day before Rosh Hashana. On Rosh Hashana, Sugar died. I still miss him.

I try not to believe that the week before Rosh Hashana previews your next year, but the first time I heard that I had bounced a check before the worst financial year of my adult life. It's definitely a week full of preparation and trepidation. One tends to remember that week with more clarity.

“When the fuckers rose up to devour me, my enemies and foes stumbled and fell.” - Psalm 27:2

Last Shabbos, Israel forces killed Hassan Nasrallah. Under his leadership, Hezbollah has murdered tens of thousands – Muslims, Israelis, Americans, Syrians. With financial support from Iran, Nasrallah claimed that G-d was on his side. G-d finally revealed his intentions. This has been a terrible year for Israel. This has been a great week for Israel. In a few days, Israel has executed Hezbollah's leadership with bombs, pagers and walkie-talkies. All around he world, Hezbollah's intended victims celebrate.

Since October 8 Hezbollah has been shooting rockets at Israel. The Iron Dome has intercepted most, but not all. ON July 28, Hezbollah murdered 12 Druze children playing soccer. The usual suspects – CNN, John Steward, Democracy Now, etc – ignore these attacks because they contradict the “Israel the aggressor” narrative. Israel is fighting the war that Hezbollah began. The few leftists who actually know about the attacks whine that the Iron Dome gives Israel an unfair advantage. Particularly stupid ones don't even know that the Dome is a defensive system.

“If they gather against me, to attack me, my heart will not fear. If they war against me, I will maintain trust” - Psalm 27:3

You can fight against antisemitism and Islamophobia. You can like both Jews and Muslims. You can hope that Israelis and Palestinians work out their differences. Rightwing Islamophobia is basic xenophobia. They believe that all Muslims agree with the psychopaths who killed Theo Van Gogh and stabbed Salman Rusdie. Read enough “Muslims are destroying the West” articles and you'll think that Muslims have a monopoly on extremism and mass murder.

The antisemitic leftists are also Islamophobic. When Muslims in Syria, Iran and Lebanon celebrated Nasrallah's death. Columbia University Nazis held a rally for that scumbag. Both rightwing and leftist Islamophobes dismiss those Muslims and recognize only the Islamists. They only differ in their approach. Rightwingers fear Islamists. Leftist praise Islamists with all the buzz words – resistance, decolonization, etc. They don't care about Muslims. They care about virtue signaling. They are privileged white people who smash up things and and people and retreat back into their money and let other people clean up their messes.

“You can't depend on the goodly hearted. The goodly hearted made lampshades and soap” - Lou Reed.

In 1190, nobles showed Richard the Lionhearted that he wasn't all all-powerful by murdering the Jews of York. In 1492, Spanish Catholics conquered the few remaining Muslims and celebrated by exiling the Jews. Today, the right-wingers and leftists fight each other. One side claims to love Israel and fear Muslims. The other claims to hate Israel and love Muslims and sycophantic Jews. They don't care. Like the 1190 York Jews, we're pawns in their fight. If tomorrow, the evangelical Christians chose to hate Israel, the leftists would praise Netanyahu.

On Facebook, I posted “A Zionist is a Jew who doesn't believe in the good intentions of goyim.” Jeffrey Buford flooded my comment section with death threats. That's definitely the best way to change my mind about Zionism. In the 1910s, the Cossacks invaded Jewish communities, raped and murdered everyone they could find. Then they robbed us. Sorry Jeffrey, those days are over. You can't murder and rape Jews without consequences. Just ask Hamas.

“One thing I want from G-d, this I seek, that I may sit in the house of G-d all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of G-d and study in the Temple” - Psalm 27:4

On Rosh Hashana, we eat together. We pray together. We complain about long services. We enjoy the chazzan's chanting. We pray for forgiveness. We try to forgive G-d. We hear the old stories once again. Authorities cut off Rabbi Amnon's arms and legs off at the orders of a bishop who wanted him to leave Judaism. The ten Talmudic martyrs die all over again. Abraham binds Isaac to a rock. At the last minute, a ram dies instead. Remember that we are like Isaac, chained to a rock, under a knife. Hannah prays in the Temple and the high priest thinks she's drunk. She gives birth to Samuel, the prophet who ushers in the monarchy.

We give tzeddaka. We wish each other a sweet new year. We eat honey and pomegranates and dates. The food is symbolic. Much of the symbolism is pun-based. Dates (t'marim) will end (tam) our foes. We eat carrots (gezer) to invite a positive g'zar (decree). There's a head of a fish (or a ram) so that we are at the head and not the tail. Black-eyed peas (rubia) so that we increase (yirbu) in family, fortune and Torah.

“For he will hide me in his Sukkah in the time of troubles. He will conceal me in his secret tent. On a rock he will raise me.” - Psalm 27:5

On Rosh Hashana, the books are opened. On Yom Kipuur, the books are closed. Within this time, G-d decides who will die and who will live. Who by fire, who by drowning, who by famine, who by pager. Repentance, prayers and tzeddakah mitigate the harsh decrees. We sing. We listen. We go down on our knees for the Aleinu prayer.

We confess our sins. We confess our sins as a group. We confess everyone's sins. As Jews, we pray for all of us – the wicked, the virtuous, the kind and the cruel. We pray for the holy fools and nasty shits. We pray for ex-lovers, abusive husbands, confused teenagers and lonely widows. We pray for our parents and children and uncles and once beloved friends that we avoid. We apologize to those that we can apologize to. We pray for ourselves to become better people. We pray for the absent Jews – the Communists, atheists and apostates.

“Have you talked to Delenn. She has a very special relationship to the universe,” says Captain Sheridan.

“Don't we all?” says Ivanova.

L'Shana if you celebrate. If not, have a great week.

Speaking of Tzeddakah, work has been slow, so if you can help out, please contribute to my Gofundme.

There are also Jewish charities to give money to.

If you’d like to read more about the history of Judaism, I published a biography of Rashi. Order it now and you’ll have something to read for Yom Kippur.