Tip: Haveil Havalim #116

From May 13, 2007, hosted on Yehuda Berlinger’s blog, comes the 116th issue of the great Jewish blog carnival Haveil Havalim. As usual, this is the reciprocal I do for any Haveil Havalim issue where stuff from my blog is featured, with the links I liked best.

1. Topping the list as always: sanegoria (speaking to the defense) of Israel. Lel, the Fiery Spirited Zionist (me too, me too), brings Saluting Israeli scientists, from May 5, 2007, where the contribution of Israel to human wellbeing and progress, even in helping the other side, stands in stark contrast to the other side, who, wherever they (the Muslims) are situated, bring nothing but the prospect of fear and insecurity to those in their vicinity.
2. Continuing on that theme, this time from an unexpected angle: Aussie Dave of Israellycool brings The Syrian Who Admires Israel, from May 8, 2007. Farid Ghadry, President of the Reform Party of Syria, an Arab and Muslim, speaks of Israel’s achievements. I say there is no inherent problem for Arabs to achieve the prosperity they so wish for; it just takes leaving off the desire to dominate the whole world and concentrating on internal work. But Mr. Ghadry cannot return from his exile to Syria, and his words may bring a fatwa upon him. That’s the plight of the moderate Muslims in a nutshell.
3. Torah time from Jameel at the Muqata: the post Kavvana in Tefilla: Mission (mostly) Impossible, from May 8, 2007, where the difficulty of being immersed in prayer is elaborated upon, with quotes from rabbis in the Gemara having that difficulty 2,000 years ago! Not for nothing did our sages say, “Greater is he who is commanded and does, than he who is not commanded and does” (gadol ha-m’tzuveh v’oseh mi-sh’eino m’tzuveh v’oseh), contrary to intuition—because G-d’s commanding brings out the Yetzer Ha-Ra to tempt people to transgress His commands. Eizehu gibor…
4. Back to the dirty business of politics: the post Pears and Apples?, by Batya of Shiloh Musings, from May 8, 2007, about the future prospects of leadership in the state of Israel. It can be liberally summarized thus: ribbono shel olam, please send us Mashiach Ben David soon, amen!
5. Boker tov, Boulder brings the post Times Blind to “Tens of Thousands”, from May 7, 2007, where the deep sickness of the MSM is shown with a blatant example. With pictures, first of which features a woman of valor and her daughters.
6. Ooh, I loved this one: Treppenwitz’s post No apology needed for surviving, from May 9, 2007, not least because he builds it on that Cairo market scene from Indiana Jones, just like I did.
7. The theme continues under the hands of Yid With Lid in his post May 1967 vs. May 2007: Has the Middle East changed at all?, from May 7, 2007, where the contrast between Levi Eshkol, Abba Eban and Moshe Dayan in 1967 and Olmert, Livni and Peretz today couldn’t be sharper. Leadership, leadership, that’s the key: the whole non-Muslim world, not just us in Israel, is hampered by weak, clueless leaders who refuse to understand what a lot of their citizens have long come to realize.

Here ends this roundup. My featured post: Hello, Life-Chooser, from May 10, 2007, in which, following from a heart-warming wakeup of a Jewish poster on Daily Kos, I explain what makes the Leftists’ hatred of Israel and Zionism tick.

’Til next time, b’ezrat HaShem!