Hamas War

Wednesday, March 12, 2014

Not Only Shouldn't We Trust Kerry for Our Israeli Security...

I'm glad that the majority of Israelis understand that American Secretary of State John Kerry can't be trusted to guarantee us security, but there isn't any foreign leader we can rely on.  We must guarantee our own security.  It's only when we take full responsibility that G-d will chip in with His "matching funds."
Some 64% of Israelis do not trust U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry to take Israel's security into account as a "crucial factor" in the framework peace proposal he is attempting to formulate, a new poll published on Tuesday found.
The monthly Peace Index poll of the Israel Democracy Institute and Tel Aviv University found that the lack of trust in Kerry was prevalent both among Israeli Jews (66%) and Israeli Arabs (53%).
According to the poll, 74% of Israeli Jews believe the U.S. is putting more pressure on Israel than the Palestinians to accept the framework proposal.
Over the millennia of Jewish History we have had many, many enemies, a few human allies and only One G-d. G-d is our savior, supporter, creator, the only Being we can rely on.  We're just a few days from Purim, it's a Chanukah song that is suddenly playing in my head, מעוז צור Maoz Tzur, "Rock of Ages." I don't know why that's the commonly used translation. Rock is a wank word for tzur. A צור isn't just some ordinary rock or pebble.  It's considered flint.
On the international hardness scale, flint ranks 7 out of 10, where diamond is 10, so it is harder than most materials commonly encountered in the natural environment.  It also has the property of taking an edge thinner than a steel blade (only a few molecules thick) so it is literally sharper than a razor. Flint is still in use today as surgical tool because incisions made with a flint blade heal more quickly and are more sterile.
Translating מעוז ma'oz is even more interesting, stronghold. Oze, עז means strength and the added מ can mean "from" if it's a noun or if we're dealing with עז as a verb adding the מ would make it strengthen.
Maoz Tzur recounts the many times that God has delivered the Jewish people from their foes. The first stanza, which is the one that is usually sung onHanukkah, thanks God for this protection. The following stanzas talk about the Israelite exodus from Egypt as well as liberation from Babylonia, Persia and Syria.
Now look at the lyrics of the song:
Stanza 1: Popular English Translation (Rock of Ages)Rock of ages, let our song Praise Your saving power; You, amid the raging foes, Were our sheltering tower. Furious they assailed us, But Your arm availed us, And Your word, Broke their sword, When our own strength failed us.
To summarize, G-d is our Weapon, the only reliable one.

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

Batya, regarding "Rock of Ages",
Christians have a song which they call a 'hymn', by the same name.

If you like, you can see it here. Is the title a coincidence or......?
http://www.ensignmessage.com/archives/rockofages.html

Have a good and happy Purim.

s.c.

Batya said...

a, I know that. It is confusing. As a child I was visiting family friends who had others over who mentioned that they loved "Rock of Ages." I said that I do, too. Then when they started to sing I realized that we were singing different songs.
Purim Sameach

Anonymous said...

Just to remind you that 'Rock of Ages' and much more ALL stem from Torah and our teachings. Whether the Xtians or Muslims, all stem from our history/Torah.

Batya said...

aka identity theft

Shy Guy said...

Hey, I'm a Chuck Berry fan, too!

sheldan said...

Batya, I also know the English translation "Rock of Ages." I think the only thing that it and the Hebrew version Maoz Tzur have in common is the translation of the name, since the English translation does not even convey the sense of the Hebrew.

Batya said...

True. Terrible translation