OUR Holy Land!

BH

“If you follow my statutes and observe my commandments...” begins this week’s Parsha, Bechukotai, then we will merit to a whole slew of rewards.

Much can be said about the topic itself and many hours of discussion have gone into the “reward-and-punishment” concept (especially that of “earthly reward for heavenly deeds.”).

However, I’d like to focus on one reward specifically at what that can mean to us today, with the situation surrounding our Holy Land.

The Parsha states that one of the many rewards the people would merit is the luxury of
וִישַׁבְתֶּם לָבֶטַח בְּאַרְצְכֶם - Living peacefully within the Land.

In 1967, just two days before the outbreak of the Six Day War, the Lubavitcher Rebbe launched the Teffilin Campaign which now lines the streets of Manhattan and other major cities worldwide. Yeshiva students visit offices and homes donning Teffilin with thousands of people each week.

In launching this campaign, the Rebbe stated the connection it had to the land of Israel. The Rebbe, told the world boldly, that in the merit of the people now donning Teffilin, the enemy’s of Israel would retreat. How accurate he was.

Today, Israel finds itself at a crossroad of uncertainty. While war may not be immediately pending, the borders of the Holy Land are at risk. While I will not get into the specifics of the situation, I will focus on what WE can do to make a difference!

You guessed it! Teffilin! But not only that. Shabbat Candles. Going to the synagogue. Celebrating Shabbat. Studying Torah. Eating Kosher... and many more things!

Its a guarantee, the more we do, the better off we are. While I’m not in any way implying to drop everything and adopt it all at once, I am encouraging everyone to do one more thing! Consider the Land of Israel, our brothers and sister living within and the brave young men and women that stand guard on a daily basis!

Think about them and do another good deed. And when we do, its a guarantee, we will live peacefully in our Land!

Just last Thursday i returned from leading a Mayanot Birthright Israel trip. The land is as beautiful as ever! I know that the 40 American young professional that joined me came back inspired!

We scurried across the land in quick ten days seeing the sites and feeling the spirit! Many of us donned Teffilin for the first time and one of us lit Shabbat candles for the first time - in the Old City, just steps away from the Kotel!

We were all there for the same reason! Because we are Jewish. Because we are Jewish and its our land!

We need to remember that, we need to be proud of that and we need to implement that through doing another Mitzvah - and effecting the Land we just visited.

So, in closing, I would like to make mention of my upcoming Jewish birthday which will be on Monday of next week. Our sages have taught that on a birthday one has powers to bless others.

I would like to take this opportunity to offer you a blessing. A blessing that you should merit to fulfill the Mitzvot and practices which you deem fit for yourself at this time. I encourage you to take a step and explore something new! Through our efforts, and our unified climb towards the same goal, we should all merit to see the Land of Israel - in peace and prosperity!

May G-d continue to watch over the young men and women that stand guard over our land, willingly sacrificing of themselves to defend our freedoms as Jewish people!

Shabbat Shalom from the Chabad Center at McGill University in Downtown Montreal, Canada (Finally back!).

~L