Dec. 13, 2023

Embodying the Spirit of the Maccabees in Modern Times & Rising Up Against Desecration of Hashem's Name

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Season 6

What if you were called to defend the honor of Hashem like the Maccabees? As we journey back in time, we discover the Maccabees' rallying cry to stand against the desecrators of Hashem's name. Shockingly, only a dozen or so heeded the call, leaving us to ponder this missed historical opportunity. We explore the baffling apathy that met their call for support and ask ourselves, would our response be any different in contemporary times?

Using a present-day scenario, we imagine a respected figure such as Gribchayim Kaniyevsky calling us to action against a law prohibiting circumcision. How would we respond? Would we let our daily commitments hold us back or rise to the occasion? This episode is an invitation to self-reflection, challenging us to embody the spirit of the Maccabees when our beliefs and practices are under attack. Please stand up for what you believe in, even when it is complex, and make your voice heard when you witness Hashem's holy name desecration. After all, being a modern-day Maccabee is about action, not inaction.

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Questions or Comments? Please email me @ michaelbrooke97@gmail.com



WEBVTT

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It seems absolutely incomprehensible the outcome of the Maccabees battle, cry, war horn and ask you for some help.

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They said me lah Hashem e lie.

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Who is with me?

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Who wants to join us in standing up for the honor of Hashem, to destroy these hellacious, hellenistic desecrators of Hashem's name that keep being the thorn in the sides of the Jewish people?

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Let's go to war, go to battle and destroy them once and for all.

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So me lah Hashem e lie.

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Who's with me?

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Nobody.

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Quite the insubstantial, insufficient, feeble god forbid lamentable and pathetic outcome.

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Twelve people, maybe a touch more, a tad more, a pinch more.

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Where was everybody?

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How did they not see this?

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The tragedy is that the only people that really got their names in a book and be made Matizjo in Maccabees one and two and in Josephus, were those who actually stood up.

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Everybody else.

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They missed out on such an opportunity to be go down in history as part of the Maccabeean revolt.

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But where was everybody?

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This is one of the famous questions of Matizjo, solomon, the BMG, the Lakewood Mashkia, and answers in a very sharp way Well, what would you do Right now?

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Let's go back in time, but kind of put it in modern day era, where Gribchayim Kaniyevsky is a kind of Lovrach Toliz Ghaboyim.

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You know this past law that came out that just making it up, some country banned circumcision.

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It's considered grotesque.

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It is a mutilation of the beautiful human body.

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It's barbaric.

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You can't do a circumcision on a young baby.

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We have to prohibit it.

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So RIP Kaniyevsky said let's all gang up together and go out and stand up to whichever country you're.

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You saw it on social media.

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You saw it advertised in their newspapers.

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Where'd you go?

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It's happening Friday morning.

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Let's say you have to maybe mess up the Shabbos plans.

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Did you take a flight?

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Or would you say I mean, my in-laws are coming for Shabbos.

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Maybe that's the reason you would go?

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No, I'm kidding, but would you?

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I got my daughter has dance practice.

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I'm going to Kolo today.

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What would you do?

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Hindsight is always 2020, but when you go back in history and actually are in the present moment, you really have to ask yourself what would you do?

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Explain to us the great Mashiach that perhaps all the others that weren't ready to take that leap and join the Maccabee and revolt might have said hey, you who do have Maccabee, you really think this is what Hashem wants?

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Maybe Hashem wants something else.

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Or maybe this one said hey, you're right.

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Who says we shouldn't do this?

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Maybe I need to go have a consultation with the Rav, maybe we should have a panel.

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They showed up because they had all the different valid sounding excuses.

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So Mila Hashem Eli fell on a bunch of crickets and some empty deaf ears.

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The inspiration and hopeful motivation today is that if you see something, say something.

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Don't start battles for no reason.

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It's probably prohibitive, but if something is a brazen desecration of Hashem's holy name, well then, don't be afraid to be a modern day Maccabee.

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It's hard to do.

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Once I saw somebody scrolling through a feed of his Instagram while holding a safer Torah.

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It didn't seem like appropriate.

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What was on his phone to do that?

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While he was holding the saintly Torah scroll with Hashem's name in it.

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Why didn't I say something?

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But I couldn't pull myself, do I mean Hashem Eli?

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And if you see something, say something.

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It's hard to be like a Maccabee.

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Stand up for Hashem and listen to that rallying cry Hashem.

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This way you do become your own version of a modern day Maccabee.