By Naftali Silberberg
 | We try to explain away evil as "misunderstood good." Often times, the only people that "enlightened" minds choose to label as evil are those who have the courage to identify evil for what it really is.
32 Comments Posted
yay Rabbi Silberberg. Always shooting straight on target!
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Thank you for underscoring and verbalizing the frustration that many of us feel at the moment. May we pray that people everywhere all begin to really see what is going on. And no, you are definitely not crazy!
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Fantastic Article telling it just as it is!
Scrambling to the tv this evening to catch the latest on the military action, I was troubled to see only ONE OUT OF FIVE (I don't have cable) news reports on different networks actually reporting the news (as opposed to appealing to the emotions of the viewers by focusing primarily on civilian casualties). Where were those same reporters week in and week out as civilians, men, women and chlldren, were targeted in places like Sederot? No, you have NOT lost your mind, Rabbi! I suppose the ability to not see the light, or not see the evil around us, is a centuries-old problem. G-d gave Noah 100 years to build the ark, in hopes that those of his generation would repent for their evil ways. They didn't. Maybe to see the darkness, the evil around us, we actually have to WANT to see it, while at the same time, having the guts to say "I want to speak out against it".
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The media no longer shocks me. Perhaps it's because their flagrant anti semitic slant has been going on for so long.
The only positive in this is, it's good to know who your friends are and i's even better to know who your enemies are.
The media makes it sooo obvious.
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I felt like that too...can the world seriously not see the clear difference between the two sides???
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Dear Rabbi
Thanks so much for your wit and wisdom. How easily one can switch sides when it comes to september 11 and the war in Gaza! Logic unfortunately never had anything to do with intellect or emotional intelligence.... not as usual, but your comparison made it so visible and obvious to be able to clearly relate the contrast of reaction to both incidents
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Rabbi Silberberg, what a terrific piece! I am fed up with the media bias as well as with the whistle blowers calling the media bias out, but your piece was fresh and challenging. I especially enjoyed your simple yet enlightening point on the blessings for knowledge and the ability it grants us to differentiate between good and evil, and your ending paragraph is a must read for any honest journalist who struggles to report the news according to the highest standards of journalistic ethics (the ones who work for CNN et al gave up on that struggle a long time ago).
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Israel should not look for approval from the nations of the world. G-d and his judgement is what is important. Israel need to be united as one nation under G-d the rest will fall into place.
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Every time--well, almost every time--I turn to my husband and ask, "Who's nuts, them or me?", he assures me it's them.
Thanks for backing him up so eloquently, at least on this particular topic! 8^)
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Thank you for addressing this issue with such eloquence and spiritual depth. I have been saddened and frustrated by the news coverage. I am puzzled , perhaps naively so, that Hamas and its backers choose to spend their money on rockets and missiles rather than on homes, schools, and businesses. How sad that they choose to victimize their people and the Israelis. Anyone who does not see this is truly in the dark.
I feel great sorrow for those who are injured and those who have lost their lives. I ask you: Who truly is responsible?
As for those who apparently feel Israel does not have the right to defend herself and her people, .try living as do those in Sderot or Ashkelon. We Americans started a war in Afghanistan and another in Iraq because of the 9/11. What is 9/11 happened everyday? How do you suppose we would respond?
My prayers and support go to those who are fighting, and their families.
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www.sderotmedia.com
This is a link that will show you what life is like for Israelis of Sderot and area.
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What about the civilians who are caught up in this who are not Hamas? Oh wait, they ELECTED Hamas to be their leaders. Guess this is the unfortunate reward.
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youtube.com has a new 'channel' posted by the IDF where you can see the technology behind each of these hi-tech, surgical strikes. From the air, they zoom in, watch and make certain: prior to any action.
What you didnt mention is just how easy it is to throw rockets into a residential area. If this is what the IDF had in mind the numbers would be in the 100,000's.
Over 10,000 rockets have been aimed at Sderot and area (80 on Dec 25th) from the signing of Oslo Peace. G-d and the IDF will make this land safe to live in for all in Israel,
Just one more thought, why do the leaders of Gaza need to hide weapons in mosques? Why do these fearless fighters hide behind children and the innocents?
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Does anyone remember how the Palistineans and thousands of other Muslims around the world rejoiced when innocent lives--some even Muslim--were lost on 9/ll?
I lived in NYC at the time. When a few reporters covered the joyous singing and dancing in the streets of hundreds of Muslims in New York, they were roundly denounced "for showing Muslims in a bad light."
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You know as well as I do that there are MANY innocent victims on BOTH sides....
I feel deep sorrow for ALL the innocent victims, for children who will never grow up , for parents loosing children , for children loosing parents and brothers and sisters, for ALL children growing up traumatized., etc.
I feel deep sorrow for the soldiers, who
have to kill, whose life will never be the same...
And I feel that we as Jews may never loose compassion.......... we can never say " it serves them right" or similar things.
WE must be " Mensch" - ben adam - human beings in the best sense of the word...
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In fact, the media always portray innocent arabs being sent to hospital and not Jews who were hit by the Hamas rocket misfire. Its unfair of the media to portray such situation. Jews were the ones suffering from such situations for years. And Israel kept quiet about it. The world kept quiet about it until Israel had enough of such nonsense. Then the world started focusing on Arab point of view instead of Israel. Jews are known to be good humble people. Knowledgeble and unoffensive. The jewishness always harp on peace.
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Whenever Israel defends herself the media and the other nations come out in true form with their hatred for Israel. It's not surprising anymore.
The anti-Israel demonstrations around the world is not surprising either especially in Europe when there are terrorists attacks and yet they condemned Israel for fighting a a terrrorist group who announces on a daily basis for the destruction of Israel.
Nope we aren't the crazy ones.
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As well as many of the major news-channels being anti-semitic, they are also looking for profitable stories to publish. As people want to confirm their belief that Israel is the big bad bully (so they don't have to admit anything that would change their views or lives, e.g. the Jewish nation has as much right (or more) to live in Israel as others), they publish stories that are biased. Simple reason: they sell better.
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for the past several years we in the US have had to put up with a Secretary of State who has the nerve to compare the "plight" of the Palestinians to the black people in pre-Civil Rights South. Yes, Ms Rice, so that tells us that you hold the same views as the Black "by any means necessary" Panther Party, rather than the teachings of the Rev Dr. Martin Luther King of blessed memory. He preached peace, he wrote an open letter after the '67 war informing a friend who was against Israel's right to exist, that he was an anti-Semite. We had a man in the UN who saw no atrocities in Somalia, Rawanda, or any other country, except in the "West Bank" why because the perpetrators were Muslims. We have a president agreed to the Arab demand that the Israelis enter the White House by the side door when they me in 11/07.
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My neighbour hates me and keeps throwing stones. I have tried to appeal to his sense of humanity......... asking him to stop. I even built a higher wall in the hope that at least the stone throwing if not the hatred would stop. But now my neighbour has begun to throw from his roof, with a better reach and accuracy. Yesterday a projectile smashed through my children’s bedroom window, it was the final straw.
I walked next door, and smashed my neighbour’s hands with a baseball bat. The stone throwing has now stopped but I am forced to listen to the whole suburb standing outside my gate calling me cruel and vicious. Perhaps they should all try having a neighbour like mine?
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Shouldn't one also arm oneself with the briefing document that the British Israel Communications Center is disseminating for operation cast lead, in case one falters in the operation reverse psychology to convince who propagates the 'actual' journalistic bias. Just a reminder, the terms of the ceasefire included no siege on Gaza, no military intervention by Israel. But with all the IDF intrusions, arrests and killings, one wonders in which hour was the ceasefire really kept?
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Next time a media person complains we should send him/her an invitation to live in the ldirect line of fire, perhaps then they will understand. This is not Hollywood, it's reality, they hate us and we dislike them. period.
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Please, please, please dear friend; Contact your locat police station ASAP
This is a situation that you should NOT be dealing with: ALONE!
Better yet: Aliyah dear friend: NOW!
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Nothing is ever simple. The way you phrase things in sharp contrast is just a rhetorical tool to cover over the (i guess not so obvious) differences the persist in society. Of course there is evil out there and but the world of theory doesn't always translate into practice exactly.
Dont confuse the fact that we have to make a simple one-side decisoin i.e. to fight back or not to fight back with the fact that innocent people will always be hurt on both sides. Thats why its called Golus after all - because there is tragedy. It always easier just to pretend that there is not.
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When I lived in Israel so long ago, it was my doubtful distinction of having lived on every border Israel has and also having been shelled on each one (the Lebanese border, Kibbutz Menara; the Jordanian border, Nachal Tzofar; the Gaza/Egypt border, Kerem Shalom; and the Syrian border, Nachal Gschur).
The commentators who minimize Israeli casualties and suffering throughout years of shelling (as they have done with Sderot that suffered 8 years of shelling from Gaza) simply do not know what they are talking about! Because Israel is organized to save life (and the Palestinians could care less about their own people), the "relative minimal" loss of life in Israel due to Hamas shelling is cited as proof of Israel's "disproportionate" response. Nu? If this is so, then how many times over was the US response to 9/11 in Afghanistan (not to mention Iraq where more than 100,000 Iraqi civilians lost their lives in the first days of bombing) "disproportionate".
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You love life and cherrish your children, you love your place of worship, you love your friends and family. They do not! You would never ask your child to strap on a bomb and cal it the glory of G-d. You speak as if you do not know the world you live in. Shame on you. The Rabbi speaks only to make you think about and to understand the the power of the media and how they report the news. His insight is not for you to question but to learn from.... Learn from the teacher what he has to teach. That is TRUE knowledge. A knowing of the truth is not always a knowing of the ways of Him. As long as we stay true to Him, no matter what happens we will remain His. No one can take this from you, not a number like 911 that is used to claim justification for war, but use your words used to claim HIM! He will see, and that is all that matters!
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This is a result of assimilation and an "Edom mentality". Just ask yourself, who controls the western media? The painful truth is that for the most part, the answer is fellow Jews. Where are they and why aren't they speaking up? Because they don't care to relate to the plight of Jews in Israel. Simply put, it's Edom all over again. The will reap their reward......
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I get so angry when I see the newspeople suggesting that Israel should allow these vipers in their backyard to attack at will without responding. I think something very evil is going on vis-a-vis selective coverage of this story.
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The opinions of the low life major media sources have always been slanted. We've got much bigger problems.
What the main concern should be, why the self hating jewish Israeli government tolerated the bombs for several years with little action in return other than bowing down and kissing up to the goyum.
Even in "war" time, we have these politicians giving aid and comfort to the enemy. In the U.S. and most other countries, these acts are punishable by the death penalty.
Also, why is a Fatah terrorist favored over a Hamas terrorist? They are the same people with the same intentions. The only difference is that they two groups of terrorists get some of their funds from different sources and one is straight forward with their hate and intentions and the other one (the moderate one) lies about their intentions. Fatah has murdered a lot more Jews than Hamas, so what makes them moderate? Because both the U.S. and the Israeli governments finance their terrorism and train them?
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What difference what his/her name is? I doubt Israel is financing terrorism. The problem is worrying what the rest of the world will think. For the first time in the history of this nation, the entire globe is watching. Time to light the fire again, finally!
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Why do you care what "the rest of the world" thinks? So you can have their approval, fit in, be like them and cohabitate with them?
That's already been tried by the Children of Israel throughout history with the same results every time.
I'm done.
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We cannot blame the American media bias, because we in this country have to please the White, the Blacks, the Hispanics, Latinos, Jews, Arabs, etc. Then you have the religious extrmeties to pander to. In addition, you have the capitalistic society that is in competition and creates news despite the facts. So, where do you draw the line?
I would suggest that you use your G-d given instincts and dissect the issues carefully.
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