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<font size=3>The following is from pages 146 - 148 in Rav Schwab on
Chumash.<br><br>
In the Holy Land, a Jewish state was established by governing officials
and<br>
lawmakers who were heretics. flagrantly desecrating the holiness of the
Jewish<br>
People. Their laws are the antithesis of Torah, yet these officials
<br>
shamelessly called their medinah, their Jewish state, the name
"Israel," appropriating <br>
the holy name "Yisroel." Just as Samael, Yaakov's adversary,
called himself <br>
"Yisrael,", the sacrilege still persists today; the
use of holy names to disguise profane <br>
entities is a common subterfuge in the world of sheker."<br><br>
This is followed by quoting form Rav Schwab's essay A Parable on <br>
Redemption that appeared in the Jewish Observer in March 1974 and is
<br>
reproduced in the book Selected Writings. I have put the entire
<br>
essay at <br><br>
<a href="http://web.stevens.edu/golem/llevine/rsrh/parable_on_redemption.pdf" eudora="autourl">
http://web.stevens.edu/golem/llevine/rsrh/parable_on_redemption.pdf</a>
<br><br>
Even though this essay appeared in 1974 I thing it rings very true
today. YL<br><br>
In part it says<br><br>
A secular Jewish State, its remarkable<br>
accomplishments notwithstanding, even with allowances<br>
made for a thriving Torah life, is at its best a Golus<br>
phenomenon. It can be likened to a heavily fortified island<br>
surrounded by a stormy sea of unspeakable hatred, bloody<br>
intrigues and political conspiracies by hundreds of millions<br>
of sworn enemies.<br><br>
No, the Golus has not even begun to end as long as the<br>
ominous cloud of nuclear self-annihilation hovers over the<br>
human race. The Jewish people is still very deeply caught<br>
within the tragic grasp of the Golus and, by the way, so is all<br>
of mankind. The sovereign Jewish State is the most recent<br>
development of our 2,000 year old Golus history and by no<br>
means the answer to our prayers, let alone the self<br>
contradiction of a secular "Israel" with all its insoluble<br>
problems : Jewish identity (Mihu Yehudi), the religious<br>
educational dilemma, autopsies, conscription of girls,<br>
missionaries, to name but a few.<br><br>
The horizons of mankind are covered with black<br>
darkness and we still scan the heavens for the first faint<br>
glimmer of dawn.<br><br>
As far as we are concerned, the first sign that would<br>
initiate the end of Golus would be: the absence of<br>
bloodshed. Imagine, for the first time in 2,000 years no Jews<br>
are killed by Jew-haters! No Jewish blood will be spilled<br>
anymore, once and for all! But instead of the fulfillment of<br>
this basic requirement we face a stark, raving-mad alliance<br>
of sworn enemies busily turning their plowshares into<br>
swords and their scientific know-how into ever deadlier<br>
missiles.<br><br>
On the other hand, let us spell out some of the true<br>
characteristics of the ultimate Geulah, the promised<br>
redemption we yearn and pray for.<br><br>
It means the restoration of the Jewish people as a<br>
Kingdom of Priests and a Holy Nation.<br><br>
It means the supreme rule of the Divine Torah over Am Yisroel and <br>
Eretz Yisroel.<br><br>
It means the complete abolishment of all traces of<br>
G-dlessness, heresy and idolatry from the Holy Land.<br><br>
It means the pacification of mankind and the end of<br>
the reign of violence and terror.<br><br>
It means the unification of all men in justice and<br>
righteousness, to recognize the G-d of Yisroel as the<br>
Supreme Ruler of all human affairs.<br><br>
In short, it means: "Hashem shall reign as King over all<br>
the Earth."<br><br>
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