PESACH

First off all, there's precious little my blog can add to the wealth of Jewish knowledge that is available today on the web. Pesach is the holiday of our initial independence, which led to the formation of the Jews as a Jewish nation with the Torah and with Jewish law. This happened only after our Exodus from Egypt, when, as newly free people, we received the Torah at Mount Sinai. Prior to the events celebrated on Pesach (and later Shavuot), we were a Hebrew-speaking monotheistic ethnic group. Hence, the act of fleeing our slavery and gaining freedom was the key step before accepting the Torah and with it - the Jewish way of thinking and living. Pesach is the original Independence Day for the Jews.

Sadly, I am spending my Pesach seder tonight in the cold, rainy outdoors, gripping a cold gun and dreaming of the light and warmth of home. An IDF rabbi will come by our post and do a quick 30 minute seder, with all the essentials in a special weather-proof box. At any part of it, 2 soldiers participate, and 2 will cover the approaches to the border, on a rotating basis. As one country singer put it "Freedom ain't free."

The whole point of Pesach is freedom from the slavery of galut (the Diaspora). For 2,000 years Jews the world over said "Ha'Shana Ha'Ba b'Yerushalaim!" (next year in Jerusalem) at the end of the Pesach seder. They still say it. But now that we have Israel, and it's a free plane ride away, most comfortable Jews aren't keen on coming. So I recommend, if you don't plan on aliyah, don't say you'll be in Jerusalem next year at the end of your Pesach meal. It's plain hypocritical. But if you do want to come, then declare it with all your heart, and I'll see you at next year's seder, right here in Jerusalem.

Hag Sameach to all my readers!

Infantry Matters and Northwards

In response to Johnny Kosher's comment - of course planes and missiles are crucial. But they respond to strategic threats, which are totally separate from the type of warfare the IDF is fighting now and will be fighting for the forseeable future. Infantry performance on the ground determines the victor, not a successful bombing campaign. This is the lesson of the conflicts of the 21st century. Urban and guerilla warfare skills are everything. This is the case in Afghanistan and Iraq and it was the case with Hizbollah in the summer of 2006. And Kosher, if you want to go to a sayeret, you'll realize very quickly that carrying weight is the bane of your existance. You should prepare by cancelling your gym membership and jogging with a pack.

My company got sent to the North this week. It's Pesach, which means the army is at its busiest. The enemy likes to strike on holidays, as it is a huge public relations victory for them. Hence, all border areas are being reinforced, even by trainees. Israelis love to picnic and camp all over the national parks, and many of them are next to the Lebanese border. Personally, I am looking forward to digging myself into a hole and covering myself up with some brush. When off-duty, we'll be barbecuing. We brought what must be a hundred kilograms of meat with us. I am gonna have to teach the Israelis what a bleeding red, rare steak is all about.