"Darkness Is Dispelled Through Truth"

I've been away over the last few days. Shabbat was quickly followed by Yom Kippur this year. I, and many more in the Jewish community are still a bit overwhelmed by the speech given by Bibi Netanyahu at the UN General Assembly this past week. Though it's weight has yet to be backed by much in the way of action regarding a full rejection of a freeze on settlements, it has sparked a flame among Jews.

On Sunday evening, right before the Kol Nidre service which opens Yom Kippur, a man from my shul introduced me to his wife for the first time. They had come over here and watched Bibi's speech that I had posted. After seeing him rub the Assembly in the rotting stink of its own hypocrisy, while defiantly standing up for the Jewish people and Israel, a flame was kindled, and they decided to make aliyah to Israel.

Jews who had felt beaten down by the weight of the attacks and racism of the international community are now holding their heads up and are embracing defiance, embracing truth. The Land of Israel is the home of the Jewish people, and no other. Bibi talked about the how the Falacstinians also live there, and that they "want a home of their own." They can want all they like, but Eretz Yisrael is the home of the Jews, not the fiction created by Arafat and the Arab League.

Bibi told the truth. He told the truth in a building that turns a declaration of human rights into a complete sham. He told the truth to an institution that allows innocent people in Israel and Darfur die at the hands of Arabs because standing up for them does not suit its agenda. When asked about his speech by the Israeli media, Bibi made the following statement:

Every Jew who cares about our people, who cares about our land, and our unalienable rights to live free in our ancestral lands must take this year to stand up and speak the truth. Our rabbi spoke eloquently and passionately about Jewish leadership; that we cannot simply rely on rabbis or politicians, or prime ministers. We must be inspired to stand up and lead. We must be inspired to help drive the times in which we live. It is our choice to be carried along on the waves of history, or to be strong and make history.

The history of the Jewish people is filled with the stories of ordinary people who stood up and did extraordinary things. It's up to us to write new stories, to speak up and tell the truth, to ignite flames to dispel the darkness.