Shalom friends of Israel
I ask you - what other nation sends its air force over enemy territory spreading flyers with advance notice of their intent to bomb an area, so as to spare civilian life? When and where in the history of warfare was this ever done? Only the Israeli army, the most considerate army of the most attacked nation in the world acts in this way.
We do this - not so we have an excuse if civilians get killed, but in order to prevent them from being killed. We truly sanctify life. Nevertheless, the house that exploded today in Qana, killed women and children, who for some reason did not leave the village.
Film taken by the Israeli air force specifically show, that rockets were launched from that house. The truck would go under the house, load, come out, fire the rockets and repeat the process. Hezbollah , stash their rockets in the homes of women and children. In the words of our ambassador to the UN Danni Gillerman:" If you go to sleep with rockets, you risk not waking up "
Back at home, 154 rockets were fired today (Sunday) until this hour. That is the largest number yet of rockets that are being fired with specific intention to murder children. If it only damages infrastructure, or causes a fire, its considered a miss. Qasam missiles continue to be fired in the south, with the same intent. We must all stand strong and united. Our message must continue to resonate loud and clear - Israel must ensure that no one will fire rockets across its borders, nor kidnap its soldiers.
The Hezbollah must be disarmed, and Gilad, Ehud and Eldad, must be returned home.
This Shabbat we hosted a family from Kiryat Motzkin (In the Haifa Bay). Miri - the mother of a 3 year old and 2 year old twins, complained that the sirens sound every day between 2-4 pm when the children are napping…
Our Synagogue was packed with visitors from Haifa, Maalot and elsewhere.
Thousands of people were called to emergency reserve duty. They will reinforce the troops in the north, and enable the army to finish the job, as quickly as possible.
Captain Aviad is the deputy commander of armored battalion 82, was married on Monday, and called back to his unit on Wednesday , after his commanding officer was killed.
Asaf Namer, age 26, a young Israeli who was raised in Australia, and insisted on coming to serve in the army was buried today, after his mother arrived from Australia.
Asaf served in a combat unit in Golani. He was due to finish his army service in a few weeks, and his commanders stationed him in a non fighting unit. He insisted to stay with his friends and his unit, and was killed in the battle of Bint Jbail.
The spirit of volunteering and camaraderie, serves as lighthouse to us all, to stand firmly against our aggressors, to defend ourselves, and - as civilians - to have the necessary patience, despite the sirens, despite sitting in shelters, to endure, until the goals of this war, which we did not start nor do we want, are achieved.
Theillim has always been a preferred method of common praye.
Psalms chapter 29:
1. A song of David. Prepare for the Lord, [you] sons of the mighty; prepare for the Lord glory and might.
2. Prepare for the Lord the glory due His name; prostrate yourselves to the Lord in the place beautified with sanctity.
3. The voice of the Lord is upon the waters; the God of glory thunders; the Lord is over the vast waters.
4. The voice of the Lord is in strength; the voice of the Lord is in beauty.
5. The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars, yea, the Lord breaks the cedars of Lebanon.
6. He causes them to dance like a calf, Lebanon and Sirion like a young wild ox.
7. The voice of the Lord cleaves with flames of fire.
8. The voice of the Lord causes the desert to quake; the Lord causes the desert of Kadesh to quake.
9. The voice of the Lord will frighten the hinds and strip the forests, and in His Temple everyone speaks of His glory.
10. The Lord sat [enthroned] at the flood; the Lord sat as King forever.
11. The Lord shall grant strength to His people; the Lord shall bless His people with peace.
Good Night
Hanan Caspi