I would like to ask those who have written me for their kind indulgence. B`ezrat HaShem, next week, I will return to my regular format of responding to problems, but for now, events in Israel are so critical, that I feel constrained to comment.

I know that every Jewish paper is filled with articles regarding the situation in Eretz Yisrael. I know that there is little that I can add to what has already been said. Nevertheless, I feel a need to speak out. May HaShem have mercy.

Perhaps never since the days of the Holocaust have our people had to grapple with so much suffering and sorrow. The streets of Eretz Yisrael have become infernos where, without warning, balls of fire explode over babies, children, mothers, fathers and grandparents. Who can comprehend the torturous deaths that they have to endure? And how about the wounded who are left maimed for life? Many of whom will never see or walk again. They wake up every night frozen with fear from their nightmares. And worse, what is so terribly frightening is that there is no end in sight. There appears to be no solution. Every time a member of a family leaves their house, whether to go to work, school, shop, or just to take a stroll, it`s playing a game of Russian Roulette, and you pray that they come back safe.

Our tradition teaches that those against whom we will have to struggle at the end of days as we await the coming of Messiah will be the sons of Yishmael -- "wild men" who glory in dying while killing Jews. In Islamic culture, those who maim, torture and kill Jews, are idolized even as in our western culture, Olympic medal winners are declared heros. Even if Israel should declare an all-out war against these savages, it would be of no avail, for there are millions more who are eagerly waiting in the wings to take their places. When you are dealing with people who believe that it is an honor to die while killing Jews, what can you possibly threaten them with?

Those who believed that the September 11 tragedy might be the wake-up call for the American government to empathize with the pain of Israel have had their hopes dashed.

As it has always been throughout our long and torturous history, there prevails a double standard when it comes to Jews. President Bush has sounded the clarion call and declared war on all terrorists and all countries that harbor them. The president has even coined a new phrase to describe the nations who participate in this despicable conspiracy -- "The Axis of Evil." With a vengeance, American troops have crossed oceans, invaded deserts, and combed remote caves to hunt down the enemy that has its nests on other continents, but in Israel, this monster of a man lives on the block, he is in the park where children play, in the restaurants and catering halls where people go to celebrate. There is no spot that is safe from this beast, yet America has the chutzpah to demand that Israel look away and allow its citizens to be slaughtered. The lessons of September 11 are applicable to every nook and cranny of the world, except Israel.

We heard about a "new plan" now. Crown Prince Abdullah of Saudi Arabia has raised his voice. It`s quite remarkable that, after President Bush`s declaration of war of terror, America should give ear to the Saudi proposal. It was they, the Saudis, who gave birth to Osama Bin Laden and Mohammed Atta who was the leader of the September 11 attack. They are the ones who fund El Quieda and a world wide network of madrashas (religious schools that indoctrinate Moslems with hatred of Jews. They manipulae the world economy by increasing oil prices and they impose restrictions on U.S. bases. And yet, the United States still regards Saudi Arabia as a reliable ally. Who but a blind man could not see this double standard? So, once again, we, the Jewish people, find ourselves awash in a sea of evil and the world is once again aligned against us. But in our very loneliness lies our salvation. In the very desperateness of our situation there is hope, for it clearly indicates that we are now experiencing the birth pangs of Messiah, and all these tragedies befall us so that we may acknowledge that it is only G-d who can help us, that we may turn to Him in tshuva and prayer and beseech His mercy.

Unfortunately, events have unfolded this past week which impede this return to HaShem, and as always, it has come from within our own camp - `Your destruction shall come from within...` is a teaching that we witness alas all too often. A chillul HaShem is always a catastrophe, but at such a time, when the House of Israel is on fire, it assumes catastrophic proportions. Such was the case when we read the infamous article in the Saturday, March 9 issue of the New York Times announcing the publication of the "new" version of the Torah. This so-called "New Edition" written by so-called rabbis and scholars, presents the Torah as a human rather than a Divine document. It states, and I quote, "Abraham, the Jewish patriarch probably never existed. Nor did Moses. The entire Exodus story as recounted in the Bible probably never occurred, the same is true of the tumbling of the walls of Jericho. And David, far from being the fearless king who built Jerusalem into a mighty capital, was more likely a provincial leader whose reputation was later magnified to provide a rallying point for a fledgling nation," and there is much more.

This type of "news" plays right into the hands of the Moslems, who, in denying our claim to the Holy Land, have been making these exact same statements. One of these so-called rabbis, who used his pulpit to disseminate this chillul HaShem, admitted that he had received a flood of letters, many condemning his stance, but, he added, he also received many letters and e-mails from fellow rabbis who said, ‘G-d bless you for saying all that we believe`. One cannot help but wonder which G-d they are referring to, if indeed, the Torah is not Divine, who is the G-d who should bless them? And as if this were not enough, our nation is being further splintered by demands that non-halachic conversions be accepted.... and all this transpires as the dangers for our brethren escalate.

There is a fire burning, and the only way we can extinguish it is by kindling the real fire of Torah in the heart of each and every one of us.