waste to the glorious human energy and spirit we all possess. Look at the time and lives wasted in Pharoah's Egypt, the suffering and brutality all experienced because of a pig headed inflated ruler. The tragedies in Iran certainly mirror this today.
May all of this ultimately take us to a new world understanding of human power leading to a land of milk and honey before more lands become wastelands.
Mijal, Thank you for a beautiful and important linkage between the Parshah and today's critical and potentially world changing event (B"H). Let's all pray that Hashem will act quickly to free the Iranian people and bless them with peace and prosperity and friendship with עם ישראל, and that the Mulla's will be swept into the dustbin of history, while avoiding all collateral damage.
Another great post Mijal. Have you heard anything about that supposedly there is to be a No Hijab Day this February 1st? I know nothing about it except for a picture being spread on social media.
It is interesting how the left is silent on Iran. I have been thinking about this a lot. One explanation may be the silence of the Jihadist propaganda machine that has been brainwashing these people for decades.
Of course there would be silence on Iran. There are also no professional rabble rousers getting students and Hollywood all worked up about Iran.
If there is any truth to this explanation, it is a terrifying reality.
Praying for the good people of Iran, for peace in the middle east, may Hashem illuminate and guide president Trump and prime minister Netanyahu and may their actions liberate and give peace to Iran and Israel
Mijal, our study group discussed this exact topic 3 hours ago. The collective opinion that emerged was that The Almighty must be behind Israeli, Qatari, and Saudi urgent messaging to the President NOT TO UNLEASH US CENTCOM FORCES TODAY. "VAERA" knocked our geopolitical socks off today. Gratefully, Gary
Hello Cassandra, waking this morning to see that Iranian airspace was reopened jolted me to attention. That airspace reopening was a bold diplomatic signal—one that must have been based upon “late breaking” overnight information—ie IRGC STAND DOWN in compliance with the President’s requirement.
The kicker is that Israel and Qatar and KSA urged no strikes…even though meteorologically the winds off the Caspian Sea were not causing turbulence on the Elburz mountains’ leeward side (ie sorties approaches to Qom, Tehran, Shahrud, and Mashhad….and no precipitation from Tabriz to Mashhad to boot. THAT IS THE HAND OF GOD IN MY BOOK!! Not the hand of Netanyahu or Al-Thani or MBD. Does this help?
thanks, Gary - I'm feeling quite sad this week about the continuing crackdown on the protesters in Iran and praying that the Hand of God guide things towards freedom!
Hello Mijal: Right now US CENTCOM has sufficient forces from Diego Garcia to Iraqi Kurdistan to overwhelm the Iranian government and military and paramilitary forces. This will happen imminently. You and I share the wish that the Hand of The Almighty shields them from vindictiveness of their falling oppressors and chaos that can create further unnecessary loss of life. Hands in praying position that Armin and others are correct that there will be coalescence around unifiers (eg Reza Pahlavi) Let me know if this is helpful in any way. Gary
There is no hypocrisy here. America gives billions of dollars in our taxpayer money to Israel, without which it could not be carrying out its abuses in Gaza and the West Bank. Similarly, our taxes are funding the ICE atrocities across this country. Understandably, this is what is angering tens of millions of Americans.
This is where your attention should be focused--do you wake up every morning scanning the news for more abuses against those protesting ICE?
The actual hypocrisy lies in the US President who is applauding the protesters in Iran (and claims that he will be intervening on their behalf) while brutally cracking down on protests and, frankly, human beings just trying to mind their own business, in his own country.
While I am in agreement about the predictable disgusting craziness and expected hypocrisy of our US President, you are extraordinarily disrespectful to this scholar who grew up in a Persian community and therefore feels understandably close to this tragedy as well as its historical Jewish culture. You treat her compassion as if this compassionate attention is some kind of competition.. It is never hypocrisy to feel compassion for any people's. You are making an erroneous assumption about how Mijal uses her compassion. This is divisive. You may disagree with her premise but it is so unproductive to make false assumptions. Be Jewish. Ask questions instead of spewing reactions. Is it not possible to horrified by both? And just because one horror isn't mentioned along with another, doesn't reflect hypocrisy. But the inability of the Left to publicly acknowledge the circumstances of Iranians at this moment because they don't support those who claim they will save them, (meaning Israel and the US) is indeed hypocritical. The Left purports to support those who are oppressed. No one needs data to know the Iranians have been suffering under nothing less than the most repressive of regimes and the Left is oh so quiet. So let's talk hypocrisy here.
What I take considerable issue with, however, is her blog posts inevitably taking some pot shot or another against someone or something from only one side of the political aisle. Indeed, there was no reason for her to bring it up at all--she should have stuck to Iran.
But since she brought up the subject, did it ever occur to her that many colleges and universities have been on break?
Or, more pointedly, she has selectively in the past talked about her immigrant status. Why not now? As an immigrant, she should be outraged at developments over the past year in this country.
It is so heartbreaking how oppression lays
waste to the glorious human energy and spirit we all possess. Look at the time and lives wasted in Pharoah's Egypt, the suffering and brutality all experienced because of a pig headed inflated ruler. The tragedies in Iran certainly mirror this today.
May all of this ultimately take us to a new world understanding of human power leading to a land of milk and honey before more lands become wastelands.
Amen - feeling especially down because as of now all the suffering and brutality in Iran hasn't changed the regime's rule..
Mijal, Thank you for a beautiful and important linkage between the Parshah and today's critical and potentially world changing event (B"H). Let's all pray that Hashem will act quickly to free the Iranian people and bless them with peace and prosperity and friendship with עם ישראל, and that the Mulla's will be swept into the dustbin of history, while avoiding all collateral damage.
בעזרת השם וברוך השם
Amen, amen. Been including the Iranian people's fight in my daily prayers.
Another great post Mijal. Have you heard anything about that supposedly there is to be a No Hijab Day this February 1st? I know nothing about it except for a picture being spread on social media.
Thank you, Kevin. Haven't heard of it!
Thank you. Wonderful exegesis. I look forward to reading more.
Thank you so much, Paul
It is interesting how the left is silent on Iran. I have been thinking about this a lot. One explanation may be the silence of the Jihadist propaganda machine that has been brainwashing these people for decades.
Of course there would be silence on Iran. There are also no professional rabble rousers getting students and Hollywood all worked up about Iran.
If there is any truth to this explanation, it is a terrifying reality.
Some of it might be an instinctive anti-americanism.. and no $$ or bots magnifying a protest movement
Mijal,
The contrast of Pharaoh, Egypt's King/God, and Moses, the agent of God, reflects the difference between Judaism and man-created religions.
https://blogs.timesofisrael.com/what-makes-judaism-really-unique-its-not-monotheism/
Thank you for sharing, Richard!
שבת שלום
Praying for the good people of Iran, for peace in the middle east, may Hashem illuminate and guide president Trump and prime minister Netanyahu and may their actions liberate and give peace to Iran and Israel
Amen!
Mijal, our study group discussed this exact topic 3 hours ago. The collective opinion that emerged was that The Almighty must be behind Israeli, Qatari, and Saudi urgent messaging to the President NOT TO UNLEASH US CENTCOM FORCES TODAY. "VAERA" knocked our geopolitical socks off today. Gratefully, Gary
Why, Gary?
Cassandra I love how concise your question was. Gary
Hello Cassandra, waking this morning to see that Iranian airspace was reopened jolted me to attention. That airspace reopening was a bold diplomatic signal—one that must have been based upon “late breaking” overnight information—ie IRGC STAND DOWN in compliance with the President’s requirement.
The kicker is that Israel and Qatar and KSA urged no strikes…even though meteorologically the winds off the Caspian Sea were not causing turbulence on the Elburz mountains’ leeward side (ie sorties approaches to Qom, Tehran, Shahrud, and Mashhad….and no precipitation from Tabriz to Mashhad to boot. THAT IS THE HAND OF GOD IN MY BOOK!! Not the hand of Netanyahu or Al-Thani or MBD. Does this help?
thanks, Gary - I'm feeling quite sad this week about the continuing crackdown on the protesters in Iran and praying that the Hand of God guide things towards freedom!
Hello Mijal: Right now US CENTCOM has sufficient forces from Diego Garcia to Iraqi Kurdistan to overwhelm the Iranian government and military and paramilitary forces. This will happen imminently. You and I share the wish that the Hand of The Almighty shields them from vindictiveness of their falling oppressors and chaos that can create further unnecessary loss of life. Hands in praying position that Armin and others are correct that there will be coalescence around unifiers (eg Reza Pahlavi) Let me know if this is helpful in any way. Gary
Thank you for your explanation. No understanding of this aside from the heartwrenching “please stop the killing of this noble people.”
The Architecture of a Crisis Manufactured by Hostile Foreign Powers.
An exclusive exposé on the hidden forces, intelligence networks, and propaganda machinery fueling turmoil in Iran.
https://felixabt.substack.com/p/the-architecture-of-a-crisis-manufactured
There is no hypocrisy here. America gives billions of dollars in our taxpayer money to Israel, without which it could not be carrying out its abuses in Gaza and the West Bank. Similarly, our taxes are funding the ICE atrocities across this country. Understandably, this is what is angering tens of millions of Americans.
This is where your attention should be focused--do you wake up every morning scanning the news for more abuses against those protesting ICE?
The actual hypocrisy lies in the US President who is applauding the protesters in Iran (and claims that he will be intervening on their behalf) while brutally cracking down on protests and, frankly, human beings just trying to mind their own business, in his own country.
While I am in agreement about the predictable disgusting craziness and expected hypocrisy of our US President, you are extraordinarily disrespectful to this scholar who grew up in a Persian community and therefore feels understandably close to this tragedy as well as its historical Jewish culture. You treat her compassion as if this compassionate attention is some kind of competition.. It is never hypocrisy to feel compassion for any people's. You are making an erroneous assumption about how Mijal uses her compassion. This is divisive. You may disagree with her premise but it is so unproductive to make false assumptions. Be Jewish. Ask questions instead of spewing reactions. Is it not possible to horrified by both? And just because one horror isn't mentioned along with another, doesn't reflect hypocrisy. But the inability of the Left to publicly acknowledge the circumstances of Iranians at this moment because they don't support those who claim they will save them, (meaning Israel and the US) is indeed hypocritical. The Left purports to support those who are oppressed. No one needs data to know the Iranians have been suffering under nothing less than the most repressive of regimes and the Left is oh so quiet. So let's talk hypocrisy here.
I respect the author's scholarship, for sure.
What I take considerable issue with, however, is her blog posts inevitably taking some pot shot or another against someone or something from only one side of the political aisle. Indeed, there was no reason for her to bring it up at all--she should have stuck to Iran.
But since she brought up the subject, did it ever occur to her that many colleges and universities have been on break?
Or, more pointedly, she has selectively in the past talked about her immigrant status. Why not now? As an immigrant, she should be outraged at developments over the past year in this country.
Answers to these questions are of course best left to Mijal at this point in our conversation.
Hi @rebYid — I don’t share many of the assumptions in your comment, and I’ll let the essay stand.
@Amy, thank you for naming this so generously. Compassion for the people of Iran has been central to how I’m thinking about all of this.