Sponsored by Vicky Wu, In loving memory of J.J. Greenberg for his love
for Israel and the Jewish People. May his memories inspire and strengthen the unity
among his beloved People

The Megillat HaAtzmaut, Israel’s Declaration of Independence has become very
popular in Israel lately. It was read by many communities on Yom HaAtzmaut
(Israel’s Independence Day) this year and even distributed free in the
newspaper. Some believe that the recipe for Israel’s democracy can be found
there.

The Megillat HaAtzmaut was not an easy document for Prime Minister David
Ben Gurion to put together in 1948 as not everyone agreed on the content and it
was especially difficult to get both religious and secular leaders to approve
it.

One area that was specifically challenging was whether or not to include
God’s name at the end of the document, right before the signatures. The
religious leaders, Haim-Moshe Shapira and Rabbi Yehuda Leib Maimon wanted God’s
name included, while Aharon Zisling of the secular Mapam party opposed it.

In the end, a compromise was made. The phrase “Tzur Yisrael”, “Rock of Israel” was used: “Placing our trust in
the Rock of Israel, we affix our signatures to this proclamation…”

Does “Tzur Yisrael” refer to God?
Where have we heard these words before?

The word “Tzur” is found seven times
in Parshat HaAzinu (Dvarim 32):

Verse 4: “The Rock! Perfect is His
work, for all His paths are justice.”

Verse 15: “…And it was contemptuous of
the Rock of its salvation.”

Verse 18: “You ignored the Rock who
gave birth to you…”

Verse 30: “…If not that their Rock
had sold them out…”

Verse 31: “For not like our Rock is
their rock…”

Verse 37: “He will say, ‘Where is
their god, the rock in whom they sought refuge.”

Rambam explains in Moreh Nevuchim (Guide for the
Perplexed) 1:16:

The Almighty is called “Rock” as God is the origin and
the efficient cause for all things besides Himself…Be firm and steadfast in the
conviction that God is the source of all things, for this will lead you towards
the knowledge of the Divine Being.

In King David’s final speech (Shmuel II: 23:3) we find
the phrase “Tzur Yisrael”:

The God of Israel had declared: The Rock of Israel has
said to me: He who rules men justly, he who rules in awe of God…

We also find “Tzur Yisrael” in Yishayahu 30:29 in a
depiction of what the End of Days will look like:

The song will be yours like the night of the festival’s
consecration, and heartfelt gladness like one who walks with a flute, to come
onto the mountain of God, to the Rock of Israel.

And of course, every morning we say “Tzur Yisrael” right
before reciting the Amida prayer where we pray for the liberation that is yet
to come:

Rock of Israel, arise to the aid of Israel and liberate
as you pledged, Yehuda and Israel.

A day before the end of the British Mandate, David Ben
Gurion said to Rabbi Yehuda Leib Maimon and to Aharon Zisling:

Each of us believes in “Tzur Yisrael” as he understands
it. For you, HaRav Maimon, it is the God of Israel. And for you, Mr. Zisling,
it is the might of our people.

Ben Gurion did not put it up for a vote knowing that it
was still going to be opposed by Zisling and that is how they were finally able
to move on to complete the document.

We learn from here the importance of trying to work out
compromises which everyone can live with, even if they may not be agreed upon
by everyone, in order to work towards a common goal. We also see how important it
is to go back to our roots in the Tanach which the foundations of the Megillat
HaAtzmaut are based on.

Moshe’s song (Haazinu) was already
introduced in the last verse of Parshat Vayelech (Dvarim 31:30):

Moshe spoke the words of his song
into the ears of the entire congregation of Israel, until their conclusion.

Moshe sang his song in Transjordan
(known as Jordan today). Does that mean that Moshe was in Israel after all as Transjordan
would eventually become part of the Biblical Land of Israel?

In Breisheet 15:18 we read:

On that day, God made a covenant
with Avram, saying, “To your descendants have I given the Land, from the river
of Egypt to the great river, the Euphrates River, the Keni, the Knizi, the
Kadmoni, the Hitti, the Prizi, the Rephaim, the Emori, the C’naani, the
Girgashi and the Yevusi.

However, Transjordan only officially
became part of Eretz Yisrael after the other side of the Jordan (Israel today)
was conquered.

We see this in Bamidbar 32:20-22:

Moshe said to them (the tribes of
Reuven and Gad):

If you do this thing, if you arm
yourselves before God for battle, and every armed man among you shall cross the
Jordan before God, until He drives out His enemies before Him, and the Land
shall be conquered before God, and then you shall return- then you shall be
vindicated from God and from Israel, and this Land shall be a heritage for you
before God.

Rashi points out that when Moshe set
aside “Arei Miklat”, Cities of Refuge, it was for the future and not starting
at that exact moment (Dvarim 4:41-43):

Then Moshe set aside three cities on
the bank of the Jordan, toward the rising sun. For a killer to flee there, who
will have killed his fellow without knowledge…Bezer in the wilderness in the land
of the plain of the Reuveni, Ramot in the Gilad of the Gadi and Golan in the
Bashan of the Menashi.

In the Talmud, Makkot 9b, we learn
in the Mishna:

As long as the three cities of
refuge in Eretz Yisrael proper had not been selected, the three across the
Jordan did not provide refuge. As it says (Bamidbar 35:13) “they shall be six
cities of refuge”, until all six of them provide refuge simultaneously.

The three cities of refuge in Eretz
Yisrael proper were only designated after the Land was conquered and divided by
Yehoshua, fourteen years after B’nai Yisrael arrived in the Land. At that
point, all six cities of refuge were put into use.

We see from here that although in
Moshe’s time Tranjordan did not have the sanctity of Eretz Yisrael, it later
became sanctified. So although Moshe was not in the sanctified Land, he was
instrumental in helping B’nai Yisrael begin conquering and settling the future Land
of Israel by fighting the kings Og and Sichon, designating the Land for the 2½
tribes in Transjordan and selecting the “Arei Miklat”. B’nai Yisrael and
Yehoshua were then able to forge on to the other side of the Jordan.

Rav Avraham Yitzchak HaKohen Kook
was the Chief Rabbi of Eretz Yisrael, before the State of Israel was
established. He and others of his generation led the groundwork of Religious
Zionism, even if they didn’t live long enough to experience the establishment
of the State.

We must look back to Moshe Rabbeinu
and Rav Kook and gain inspiration from their leadership and elect leaders who
will follow in their footsteps.

Sponsored by Vicky Wu in memory of JJ Greenberg z”l

It’s been 18 years since JJ left us. His smile is always there. His
strength is more encouraging than ever during these challenging times. May his
memory and love for the Jewish people and humanity continue to shine.

In Parshat Ha’Azinu (Dvarim
32:13-14), we find references to the amazing bounties of the Land of Israel’s
agricultural riches and flourishing livestock:

He shall transport them over the
summit of the earth where they will consume the produce of the fields; and He
shall nurture them with honey of bedrock and oil of staunchest rock mass.
Butter-fat of cattle and milk of sheep with the fat of lambs, and rams native
to Bashan and he-goats, with wheat as fat as kidneys; and the wine flavored blood
of grapes will you drink like delicious wine.

In these two verses, we see the
riches of four out of the seven species of Israel- wheat, grapes, olive oil and
honey.

We also see references to the plethora
of livestock of the Land of Israel.

In the Midrash, Sifri 32:13, we see the
fulfillment of this prophecy of abundance in the days of King Shlomo (Melachim
II 5:2-3):

Shlomo’s provision for one day was:
thirty kor of fine flour, sixty kor of flour, ten fattened oxen, twenty oxen
from the pasture, and a hundred sheep and goats, besides gazelle, deer, fallow
deer and geese.

King Shlomo was not abusing the
plethora of livestock. He needed this large amount of food to feed the members
of his court plus the large amounts of foreign visitors that he hosted. According
to Abarbanel, there was enough food on this list for King Shlomo to feed over
60,000 people.

The “fat of lambs” reminds us of the
days of the Ten Tribes (Amos 6:4) when the wealthy did not believe that they
would be destroyed along with the kingdom of Israel and therefore indulged
themselves in every conceivable luxury:

…who lie on ivory couches, stretched
out on their beds; eating the fattened sheep of the flock and calves from
inside the stall.

According to Mahari Kara, they
passed before the flocks of sheep and stalls of cattle to seek out only the choicest
lambs and calves for their indulgence.

“Wine flavored blood of grapes will
you drink” alludes to Amos 6:6:

…who drink wine out of bowls, anoint
themselves with choicest oils and are not pained by the destruction of Yosef.

Radak explains that the polite thing
to do is to drink wine out of small wine cups not guzzle wine out of large
bowls.

We see from here that since the days
of the TaNaCh, Israel had amazing produce and livestock. However, this
prosperity should be appreciated and used in moderation. We must keep this in
mind and not waste food, only put on our plates what we plan to eat and sip
wine rather than guzzle it.

May we always see the blessings of
Israel’s produce and may we never cease to appreciate them.

At the end of Parshat Haazinu, God tells Moshe to go
up to Mt. Nevo to see the Land of C’naan. God then tells him (Dvarim 32:50):

And die on the mountain where you will ascend, and
be gathered to your people…

We learn a lesson from God’s burial of Moshe in the
Talmud, Sotah 14a:

Rabbi Chama the son of Rabbi Chanina said: What is
the meaning of that which is written (Dvarim 13:5) “Hashem, your God, you shall
follow.” Is it possible for a human being to follow the Shechina, Divine
Presence? But it has already been said (Dvarim 4:24) “For Hashem, your God- He
is a consuming fire.” Rather, the mitzvah to follow God means that we should
emulate the attributes of the Holy One, Blessed is He.

Just as He clothes the naked, as it is written (Breisheet
3:21) “And Hashem, God made for Adam and his wife skin garments, and He clothed
them”, you too shall clothe the naked. The Holy One, Blessed is He visited the
sick, as it is written (Breisheet 18:1) “God appeared to him (Avraham) in
Elonei Mamre” (on the third day after his circumcision); you too shall visit
the sick. The Holy One, Blessed is He, comforted mourners, as it is written
(Breisheet 25:11) “And it was after the death of Avraham that God blessed
Yitzchak his son,” you too should comfort mourners. The Holy One, Blessed is He,
buried the dead, as it is written (Dvarim 34:6) “He buried him (Moshe) in the
valley,” you too should bury the dead.

What can we do today to walk in God’s ways?

I just saw a beautiful statement by Joshua Becker of
becomingminimalist.com:

Rather than defining success by the brand of
clothing we can afford, may we find it in the number of people that we have
helped clothe.

Due to Covid, visiting the sick can be challenging
right now. However, a phone call, a gift left on their doorstep or help with
picking up groceries while someone is in quarantine can make a world of
difference.

In Israel, Bituach Leumi, The National Insurance
Institute pays the burial expenses for every Israeli who dies and is buried in
Israel.

In the New York area, The Hebrew Free Burial
Association performs Chesed Shel Emet, the ultimate act of loving kindness (as
the deceased are unable to repay kindness) as they assure that every Jew,
regardless of financial means or religious affiliation receives a dignified,
traditional Jewish funeral and burial.

May we keep these character traits of God in mind
and do what we can to emulate God and help the most vulnerable members of
society.

In the third verse of Haazinu, as a prologue to the poem, we read
(Dvarim 32:3) “Ki Shem HaShem Ekra, Havu Godel L’Elokeinu”, “When I call
out the Name of HaShem, give greatness to our God.”

This verse may sound familiar to you as it is the introductory verse of
the Amida (Silent Devotion) in the Musaf (Additional Prayer said
on holidays) and Mincha (Afternoon) services.

Rashi comments (Talmud, Brachot 21a) that when Moshe came to recite the
poem, he said to B’nai Yisrael: “I will make a blessing first and then you will
answer ‘amen.’”

Ki Shem HaShem Ekra, refers to the blessing and Havu Godel L’Elokeinu
refers to the nation answering amen.

In the Mishna, Yoma 35b, we learn that during the Avoda, the Yom
Kippur Service in the Beit HaMikdash (Temple), the Kohen Gadol (High Priest)
states “Ana HaShem”, “I beg of You, HaShem” twice using the four letter
Divine Name of the Tetragrammaton (Yud-Kei-Vav-Kei) followed by “Ki Vayom
HaZeh  Yichaper Aleichem Litaher Etchem
Mikol Chatoteichem, Lifnei HaShem”, “For on this day He will make atonement
for you, to cleanse you from all your sins, before HaShem.” The assemblage responds after each time that the Tetragrammaton is mentioned: “Baruch Shem Kevod Malchuto L’Olam VaEd”, “Blessed
is the Name of the glory of His Kingship forever and ever.”

On Yom Kippur, “Baruch Shem…”
is said in a loud voice to imitate the angels. The rest of the year, it is
whispered (for example after we recite the first line of the Shma).

The Talmud, Yoma 37a explains the Biblical
source:

It was taught in a Braita, Rebbi
says “Ki Shem HaShem Ekra, Havu Godel L’Elokeinu”, Moshe said: At the
moment that I mention the Name of God, you shall accord Him greatness.” The
words are based on a verse from Nechemia 9:5 which were sung in a response
format by the Leviim and answered by the congregation: “Kumu Barchu et
HaShem Elokeichem Min HaOlam ad HaOlam V’Yivrechu Shem Kvodecha U’Meromam al
Kol Bracha V’Tehila”, “…Rise up and bless HaShem forever and ever and let
them bless Your glorious Name which is above every blessing and praise.”

According to Tosefta, Brachot, Chapter 6 and Brachot 63a, we learn from
the above verse from Nechemia that the response for every blessing in the Beit
HaMikdash was “Baruch Shem Kevod Malchuto L’Olam
VaEd.”  

The Braita teaches that when a blessing is recited (as in the repetition
of the Shmoneh Esrei) after God’s name is mentioned (Barauch Atah
HaShem), the congregation responds “Baruch Hu U’varuch Shemo”, “Blessed
is He and Blessed is His Name.”

We learn from here that prayer is an active, responsive experience. The
congregation focuses better when they know that they are not just there to
listen to the service but they must actively respond and give God’s Name the
honor that it deserves whether it is on a weekday or on Yom Kippur, the holiest
day on the Jewish calendar.

In memory of Ari Fuld z”l, a friend
for almost 40 years

When reading the Haftara for Parshat
Haazinu (Shmuel Bet, 22:1-51), King David’s Thanksgiving Song, you may
experience déjà vu. These words sound so familiar that you may say to yourself “I
feel like I have heard this recently.”

There are a number of reasons why
King David’s ballad is so recognizable:

1.   
The
same Haftara is also read on Pesach following the Torah reading of Az Yashir
(The Song of the Sea).

2.   
The
words in our Haftara are almost identical to Tehillim, Psalm 18.

3.   
Many
of the phrases in this Psalm are found in other Psalms as well.

4.   
David’s
prayer is very similar to Jonah’s prayer which we just read on Yom Kippur.

Let’s take a
look at David’s prayer (Shmuel Bet 22:5-7):

For the breakers of death (mishberei mavet) encircled me (afafuni),

The floods of godless men would frighten me.

The pains (chevlei) of the grave (Sheol) surrounded me (sabuni);

The pains of death confronted me.

In my distress (b’tzar li) I called (ekra) upon the Lord,

Yea, I called (ekra) unto my God;

And out of His Temple (Heichalo) He heard my voice (vayishma),

And my cry (shavati) did enter into His ears…

Let’s compare that with Jonah’s
Prayer (Jonah 2:3-8):

I called (karati), in my distress
(mitzara li) to God and He answered me;

From the belly of the grave (Sheol)
I cried out (shivati)- You heard my voice (shamata koli).

You cast me into the depth in the
heart of the seas, the river surrounded me (yisoveveinu);

All Your breakers (mishbarecha) and
waves passed over me.

Then I said ‘I was driven from
before Your eyes,

But I will again gaze at your holy
Temple (Heichal Kodshecha)!’

Waters encompassed me (afafuni) to
the soul, the deep whirled (yisovevenu) around me;

Reeds were tangled about my head.

I descended to the base of the
mountains;

The earth- its bars (were closed)
against me forever.

Yet you lifted me from the pit, O HaShem,
my God

When my soul was faint within me, I
remembered God

My prayer came to You, to Your Holy
Temple (Heichal Kodeshecha)…

How can it be that King David and
Jonah the prophet who lived such totally different lives are saying almost the
same prayer and singing almost the same song?

The words “mishberei” (Shmuel Bet)
and “mishberecha” (Tehillim) are derived from the root sheber (shatter) and have
three different meanings:

1.   
Breakers.
The literal translation is heavily crashing waves that loudly break at the
beach.

2.   
Labor
pains. Targum translates as pains experienced by a woman on the birthing stool.

3.   
A dangerous
situation/ crisis. Radak explains that the word comes from the root “break” – as
in troubles which break a person.

Both David and Jonah were in danger,
they cried out in prayer and were saved by God so even though their stories are
very different, the universal message is the same.

Nehama Leibowitz points out that “the
individual who expresses his sufferings, who is a world of his own with his own
personal history and troubles gives expression at the same time to the
tribulations of the people, as a whole, serves as a vehicle for the nation’s
troubles in all ages. The deliverance that comes from God…constitutes not
merely David’s salvation from the clutches of his enemies, from the hand of
Saul, but the salvation of Israel. It refers not merely to any specific occasion
of deliverance, be it that of the returning exiles from Babylon, or the Jews in
Shushan from Haman or the Maccabees from Antiochus but the deliverance in every
generation.”

Right now, the Jewish people are
dealing with the “mashber” of the Knife Intifada. This crisis began in 2015 and
claimed the life of our friend, Ari Fuld z”l this past week who was murdered by
a 16 year old Arab terrorist outside of a shopping center.

During the Ten Days of Repentance,
we recited Psalm 130 “Shir HaMaalot Mima’amakim Kraticha HaShem”, “A song of ascents:
From the depths I call to you, God” and we will be saying it again on Hoshana
Raba.

As we recited on Yom Kippur, “He who
answered David and Shlomo (his son) in Jerusalem; He will answer us…He who answered
Jonah in the belly of the fish, He will answer us…” may our prayers that we
call out to God be answered and may we see true peace in the Land of Israel and
throughout the world.

The Haftara for Parhshat Haazinu
from Shmuel II 22:1-51, also known as Shirat David (David’s Song) is almost
identical to Tehilim, Psalm 18.

According to Abravanel, King David
wrote the Psalm when he was young and recited it throughout his life whenever
he experienced a victory.

The theme of the song is salvation
from adversity.

Yalkut Shimoni (Yehoshua 20) lists
this song as one of the ten sacred songs of history. The tenth song will be
sung when the Mashiach arrives.

In Shmuel II 22:12 we read: “Vayashet
choshech svivotav sukkot, chashrat mayim avei shchakim”, “He made darkness
into shelters all around Him, the darkness of water, the clouds of heaven.”

According to Rashi “He made darkness
into shelters (sukkot)” refers to God’s protection of the Jewish people at the
time of the exodus, immediately before the splitting of the sea in Shmot 14:20 “and
the cloud of darkness separated between the Egyptians and the Israelites.”

Rashi explains that the darkness
emanated from the thick clouds of the sky that would distill water upon the
earth as it says in Breisheet Raba 13:10, the clouds distill the rain as a
sieve.

Daat Mikra interprets the word “sukkah”
as a barrier, screen or cover that protects from above. Here it refers to
clouds in the shape of curtains and walls, like screens which hide God’s glory.

As we prepare to gather in our
flimsy sukkot, let’s remember that the true protection is from above.

Psalm 18 is traditionally recited
for thanksgiving for a miracle.

May we see miracles in the Land of
Israel and throughout the world.

Dedicated by Sharona
and Josh Halickman in memory of Rabbi Sidney Shoham z”l

Parshat Haazinu (Dvarim 22:15) is the first time in the
Tanach that we hear the word Yeshurun: “Vayishman Yeshurun vayivat”, “Yeshurun
became fat and kicked.”

Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch (1808-1888) explains that the
word “Yeshurun” which refers to B’nei Yisrael (the Jewish people) comes from
the root “Yashar”, straight, just, upright. It does not deviate from the high
standards demanded by God. However, when B’nei Yisrael arrived in the Land of Israel and enjoyed prosperity they had a
downfall.

We also see Yeshurun mentioned twice in V’Zot HaBracha which
will be read on Simchat Torah. Dvarim 33:5: “Vayehi V’Yeshurun Melech…”, “He
became King over Yeshurun when the numbers of the nation gathered- the tribes
of Israel
in unity.” Dvarim 33:26: “Ein K’E-l Yeshurun, “There is none like God, O
Yeshurun; He rides across heaven to help you and His majesty through the upper
heights.”

Yeshurun is mentioned as well in Yishayahu 44:2: “…Al tira
avdi Yaakov v’Yeshurun bacharti vo”, “Fear not my servant Yaakov and Yeshurun
whom I have chosen.”

In the liturgy for Yom Kippur we find “For you are the
Forgiver of Israel and the Pardoner of the tribes of Yeshurun in every
generation…”

We see from here that even those who are normally straight
laced still have the capability to sin.

According to the Rashbam (1085-1174) one of the reasons for
the holiday of Sukkot is to remind us that everything comes from God. God
protected us in the desert for 40 years and then he brought us to the Land of Israel. In the fall, when we harvest our
produce, it is the time to recognize that it is not the farmer alone who grew
this produce. Without God’s help there would be no produce. During the harvest,
while our homes are full of prosperity it is the time to go outside and live in
a hut to remind ourselves that God is still taking care of us the way that He
did when we were in the wilderness.

We also see that God becomes King over us when the tribes of
Israel
unite together. This is an opportunity to reflect on how we can work on uniting
the Jewish people especially as this Sukkot falls immediately after the
conclusion of the Shmita (Sabbatial) year and the Hakhel (Unity) ceremony is
performed.

Although the Hakhel ceremony is only required when all of the
Jews reside in the Land of Israel, the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Mendel
Schneerson encouraged the Jews to work on promoting unity during that year.

In Israel
the Hakhel ceremony has been revived. The first official ceremony took place in
1945 with a special service at the Yeshurun synagogue (is that a coincidence?)
followed by a procession to the Kotel (Western Wall) where the Torah was read.

This year there will be a special Hakhel ceremony at the
Kotel with the Chief Rabbis and President of Israel.

May we merit the rebuilding of the Beit HaMikdash (Temple), the return of a united Jewish people to the Land of Israel and the observance of the
Biblical Hakhel ceremony speedily in our days.

In Parshat Haazinu, Devarim 32:13-14 we read part of the
song that refers to the rich bounty of the Land of Israel:

He would make him ride on the heights of the Land

And have him eat the produce of the fields;

He would suckle him with honey from the stone and oil from a
flinty rock;

Butter of cattle and milk of sheep with fat of lambs, rams
born in Bashan and he goats

With wheat as fat as kidneys; and you would drink blood of
grapes like delicious wine.

Onkelos interprets these two psukim to mean that God will
bring the Jewish people to the Land of Israel, enable them to
defeat its rulers and enjoy the lavish booty of the conquests.

Rashi uses Midrashim to explain how great the Land’s
agricultural resources and flourishing livestock are.

Rashi brings the Misrash from Sifrei to interpret “vayochal
tnuvat sadai”, “have him eat the produce of the fields”. According to Sifrei,
these words refer specifically to the fruit of the Land of Israel which develop and ripen quicker than the fruit of any other lands.

The word “tnuva” in Modern Hebrew means yield, produce or
crop. The company, Tnuva is the largest dairy products manufacturer in Israel. Tnuva
has now also branched out into the meat and pastry markets as well.

When we look at the products that are available in Israel today,
we see the words from the song in Parshat Haazinu come alive- honey, olives,
oil, butter, milk, meat, wheat and wine.

Sforno adds that the true blessing will be that one will not
even need to work hard in order to grow great produce as it says in Yehoshua
24:13, “…vineyards and olive yards which you did not plant, you do eat.”

How great would it be if we could have all of this great
produce and not even have to work hard for it?

Sponsored by Vicky Wu in memory of JJ Greenberg, whose blessed memory has given many Jews and Israelis strength to continue to love life and each other, and to pursue truth.

As Ramban describes it, Parshat Ha’azinu is a song that plainly tells us all that will befall us, opening first by describing the kindness God bestowed on us since He chose us for His people, followed by a record of his bounty towards us in the wilderness and how He disinherited mighty nations for us.  

Devarim 32:10 states: “Yimtzaehu bieretz midbar…”, “He found them in a wilderness country…”

What does this mean? Did God “find” B’nai Yisrael in the desert? Wasn’t God protecting them the whole time starting from the Exodus from Egypt?

According to Rashbam, God didn’t literally find us in the desert. Rather, he made provisions for B’nai Yisrael.

The Netziv says that God took care of them by giving them food and water, a place to live, values and safety from dangerous creatures.

Just as God watched over and took care of B’nai Yisrael in the desert, we hope and pray that God will continue to protect us and ensure that every human being will always have enough food and water, a roof over their heads, moral values and safety from all danger and inscribe us all in the Book of Life.