The Flowering of Redemption

Today The 2 Spies would like to share with you from the Israel365 website. Thier posting is so appropriate to the theme of redemption that we have been focusing on... we felt we must share with you their thoughts. Also... while on their site be sure to sign up to have beautiful photos and inspiring words delivered to your email daily... 365 days! (You can also sponser a day's posting! What a neat thing to be part of) Enjoy....

“Your servants cherish her stones and favor her dust”

PSALMS (102:15)

כִּי רָצוּ עֲבָדֶיךָ אֶת אֲבָנֶיהָ וְאֶת עֲפָרָהּ יְחֹנֵנוּ

תהילים ק’’ב:ט’’ו

Hebrew Lesson

kee RAH-tzoo ah-vah-DE-kha et ah-vah-NE-ha ve-et ah-fah-RAH ye-kho-NAY-noo

Today’s Bible Lesson: Special Guest Writer

Rabbi Shlomo Riskin,

Chancellor and Founder of the Center for Jewish-Christian Understanding and Cooperation.


While the Bible is full of God’s promise to redeem the Jewish people, many have asked what the Jewish people have done to deserve His redemption. After all, too many Jews are far from a Torah lifestyle. Today’s verse demonstrates that our redemption will begin through our commitment to the Land of Israel. Even if the Jewish people demonstrate an insufficient commitment to Torah and acts of loving kindness, as long as they love the “dust and stones” of Israel, it will be considered sufficient by God to allow for the redemption. The Torah would like us to begin with commitment to our Land and then to progress to commitment to loving kindness and eventually to total involvement in Torah. Many of the early twentieth-century Zionists may not have been observant, but nevertheless, it was their love of the land which paved the way for our period of the beginning of the flowering of our redemption.

Photograph of the Negev Desert by Galit Trager.

Thank You

Today’s Israel365 Scenes and Inspiration is sponsored by Wendy Finch McCusker of Columbus, Ohio.
For sponsorship information Click here.

Come be Part of the Miracle

The main purpose of our blog is to encourage Aliyah. The miracle of the Jewish people being returned to our ancient homeland, the resurrection of Hebrew as a daily language, the barren wastelands producing lush green life, the obvious outpouring of blessings from G-d.... all part of the Aliyah experience. All products of the miracle of God to fulfill His promise to our Father Avraham. A destiny complete. The words of this song say it all:

The Call

 

Scattered throughout the world,
our temple was destroyed.
Our land lay barren and fallow,
in our hearts we felt the void.
But we held on to the promise,
to the message of our L-rd.
One day we would return,
our dignity restored.

Do you hear the whisper, of a faint and gentle call.
G-d is beckoning his children to come home, once and for all.
For the land of our past is where our future lies as well,
joined together as one people in the land of Yisrael.

Thousands of years we've waited,
in our prayers we've always yearned.
To be brought close once again,
for our souls to be returned.
Only once her sons came back to her,
did the land begin to bloom.
A dead language came to life again,
now the bride awaits her groom.

Do you hear the whisper, of a faint and gentle call.
G-d is beckoning his children to come home, once and for all.
For the land of our past is where our future lies as well,
joined together as one people in the land of Yisrael.

"The"The

"The Call"

 Lyrics: Rivka David
Composer, Guitar & Vocals: Yehuda David
Keyboard & Vocals: Ariel Isaacson
Vocals & Recorded by Baruch Bergenfeld
Video by Dovid Yehoshua and Rivka David

The Miracle of Hebrew part 1

Years ago, The 2 Spies had the privileged of visiting the F.S.U. ~ Former Soviet Union. The Iron Curtain had not been torn as yet and we were closely watched as we 'toured' the cities. There were guards on each floor in our hotel who kept an eye on our comings and goings and we are sure searched our possessions when we were gone. Our tour guide expounded daily on the glories of Russia~ most of which we agreed with her but of course there were major differences between us and our countries at the time. It was nearing the time of glasnost and perestroika and the Russian citizens were restless with what they felt was the approaching freedom. Still, there were police, prisons and punishments.

Moscow Synagogue

One of our main objectives on our trip was to visit the Jewish communities and encourage them that there would come a day when the doors would be opened. We spoke to them of Aliyah and of G-d's promised Land. We visited the Great Synagogue of Moscow that Pesach~ the first time it had been used in years. There were so many people that there was not enough room and the streets outside were filled. We shared the matzah that we had brought with them and once again reminded them that, like in Egypt, the day was coming soon and they could go Home. Hopefully, one day we could meet again in Jerusalem~

Sadly, there were many refusenics. Two of the men in our group (one of us and a friend) made a clandestine 2AM trip to visit some of them. They spoke of their lives and punishments they had suffered but also of their hope that one day they would be victorious. One of the men had been imprisoned for teaching Hebrew. That was his crime. It was illegal to teach Hebrew. He did it. He got caught. He went to Siberia.

Inside the Synagogue

Kremlin

It is hard to imagine that there once was a day in Moscow when Hebrew was illegal. As we listened to the concert in this video,this thought came to mind. As well as the thought of how completely life has changed. This concert piece is a medley of Hebrew songs done with the strength and beauty of the Russian creative soul. It was the  Turetsky Choir, the male choir of the Moscow Synagogue,  who performed this piece at the Kremlin. A rather remarkable and mind-boggling event. Years ago, we had walked the grounds of the Kremlin and past the KGB offices, praying~ pleading with G-d~ for the government of oppression to fall. To hear these songs sung in that place.... what can we say? We stand amazed at all that G-d has done in this place in our lifetime.
Enjoy the music.