At the edge of the storm: Listen for a moment to a 'Hardak'

Moti was on his way home. On the way to the bus, he passed the Talmud Torah. When the kids saw Moti coming, they ran quickly to the classroom, to bring the water tanks and the courtyard stones to throw at Moti. Fortunately, the teacher just arrived and stopped the party.

Fortunately for Moti, the teacher, the students and all of us.

Moti is not a Jew who lived among Gentiles abroad. Such a thing, if it were happening abroad, we would be at once outraged and cry "anti-Semites. Wicked. Come to Israel, where there are no gentiles." But no, Moti doesn't live in France today, Moti did not live in Europe in the last century, Moti lives here in Israel, and he's a G-d-fearing guy and wears a black kippa and serves in the army. And the kids are haredi children in a certain haredi concentration point. And why should Jewish children, sweet and cute, want to throw stones at Moti? Because Moti is a "Hardak".

Namely, because his kippa is black and he comes from a haredi family and serves in the army, he deserves to be stoned by members of his own sector. Not that he stole, not because he is not studying or praying, but because he is a soldier. They forgot he is a person, forgot he was Jewish. Where does one find the halachic source that kanoim may hit an observant Jew because of his work? Is it better that when Moti was drafted, he would change or throw his kippa? For that Moti could have stayed abroad.

Here he is ijn the state of Israel among Jews, could it be that he would feel haunted among Jews in the Holy Land?

The Mishna in Avot says: "Shamai says: make your Torah consistent say little and do much" and still "receive anyone with a warm countenance." "Everyone" is a soldier too, and maybe you'd be surprised to know that Moti sets times for Torah study.

During these weeks we read about the redemption from Egypt, part of the process of redemption, which they had to reach before the giving of the Torah, was "one man with one heart", that is, that Derech Eretz was in proximity to the Torah, that "one man with one heart" is not that they were all one group, they were 12 tribes, so of course there were various groups and sectors, there as well. So everyone should think for himself whether he anticipates the geulah, and how important it is to him.

And if you, the reader, will not agree with me, and you also would stone a Haredi soldier, think for a moment of the millions of Jews who underwent persecution by the odious anti-Semitic nations, can you as a Jew act as a gentile, and pursue other Jews, especially if they keep Torah and Mitzvos?

Shabbat Shalom

'בחדרי' גם ברשתות החברתיות - הצטרפו!