The Story of the Spoiled Child

There was once a small child who threw tantrums and wreaked all havoc until you gave him a cookie. Now the child had done this many times before, and some folks would, every now and then, give him a cookie, after which he'd be quiet for a little while. Predictably, sooner or later, the boy would get hungry again and would demand another sweet morsel, and thus would throw another fit of rage. "Should we give him another chocolate delight?" Such was the plight of the adults.

Now the child has grown older, but the he still throws tantrums -- in pizza parlors, restaurants, hotels, weddings, grocery stores -- wreaking all kinds of havoc in order to receive attention. The adults, not having learned their lesson, all turn their attention towards the boy and his tantrum, just as the child hoped. The adults wonder what they can do to keep this naughty boy quiet. They inquire of the boy, who tells them,

"I want what my brother has! Now! I won't stop until he gives me what he has!"

The boy throws another tantrum.

The adults, grieved by this unruly one, come to his civilized brother and ask of him,

"Can't you give him some of your possessions? He's your brother after all; just give him a little bit, then he'll stop."

The civilized brother protests,

"But I don't have much to begin with -- my only possession is my estate: my house and my land! It's my historical house; my father has passed this house down to me, and his father before him, going back for 4000 years! And you're asking me to give it away to this misbehaving child? Doesn't my unruly brother already own 23 estates; why doesn't he just use the ones he already has? As for me, I have only this single house to call my own, nothing more!"

The adults persist,

"This will be the last time, the boy has promised to stop his temper fits if you'd just give him what he wants."

The civilized brother feels the pressure from all the adults. He consults his friends, who tell him, "Wise men will not appease evil. What God has given you is yours forever."

At the prospect of noncooperation from the civilized brother, the adults conspire together in their big, luxury estates, far and safe from the tantrums of the boy. They bring the civilized brother into their intervention and demand of him,

"Give the child what he wants, or we shall never speak with you again, nor ever help you in your time of need."

The civilized brother, saddened by this bullying and betrayal, has no choice but to agree. He sends out a respected servant of the house to deliver the news: he will give the boy what he wants.

Eerily, as if by some divine intervention, not 2 years go by before that messenger is killed. The adults, the boy, and the civilized brother all mourn the respected servant's death.

Life went on for the brothers, but the unruly boy, now owning part of his civilized brother's estate, grew full of himself, invigorated with confidence. Despite the civilized brother's hope of a peaceful co-habitat with the boy, tantrums raged once again, much to the chagrin of the peace-bartering adults.

The adults conspire again, wondering what can be done of the problematic boy and his tantrums. As if they had learned nothing from the previous episode, they ask of the child why he is throwing the tantrums again,

"It's mine! My brother is LYING, it's not his estate, this is all mine! I used to live here while brother was in jail, and now I want it back!!!", the boy shouts at the adults.

Taken aback, they solemnly ask if the civilized brother could spare just a little more of his possession. The civilized brother, in shock at the proposition, responds,

"More? In our previous meeting, you assured me this would be the last time I would have to surrender another inch of my estate!"

The adults were crafty and cunning in the art of pressure; history repeated and the civilized brother was, once again, forced to give the boy another portion of his estate. This time, 8000 of the civilized brother's servants were forced to become homeless, as their allotment on the brother's estate was now in the hands of the unruly boy.

Shortly after, almost in the same fashion as the first, a kind of punishment from above was declared: the civilized brother's respected servant, the one who delivered the estate into the hands of the boy, suddenly became deathly ill. Rumor has it the poor servant remains in a coma to this very day.

This cycle repeated a number of times: tantrum, adult intervention, more estate for the boy, less estate for the civilized brother. Each time, something terrible occurred afterwards; the last time this cycle repeated, I am told, a massive storm like one not seen in centuries destroyed much of the adults' luxury estates, killing many of the adults' servants.

But the story is not over, friends, as the suffering of the civilized brother continues even to this day. A wise man tells me the cycle is about to repeat again, but this time on a much grander scale: Not only is the civilized brother being asked to give up more of his estate, but this time, the unruly boy demands a portion of the civilized brother's house itself. The adults are meeting this week, in fact, and are making their demands on the civilized brother this very moment as I convey to you this story. Once again, rumors circulate of the poor messenger that must surrender the land, an apparent doom hanging over his head: does he have cancer? And what of these corruption charges against him? Poor fellow. One can only imagine the wrath induced by the actual division of the civilized brother's very home.

To no surprise, the civilized brother's servants and dear friends are out in the street as we speak, urging the civilized brother to resist the pressure of the adults, lest they themselves be left with no estate, and no house to live in:

Pro-Israel woman holds sign of victims of Palestinian Authority terrorism
Ezra HaLevi

Demonstrator, Annapolis.
Ezra HaLevi

Pro-Israel protestors recite prayers to defend Jerusalem from Israeli government
Ezra HaLevi

Demonstrators at Annapolis.
Ezra HaLevi

Americans For a Safe Israel chapters from around the US came to Annapolis to show support for Israel's territorial integrity
Ezra HaLevi

At the Annapolis rally, in support of One Undivided Jewish Homeland
Ezra HaLevi

Pro-Israel rally to defend Jerusalem from Israeli government concessions
Ezra HaLevi

Religious Jews participated in demonstration calling to maintain Jewish sovereignty over all of Israel
Ezra HaLevi

The elderly joined in the pro-Israel protests
Ezra HaLevi

Young protestor wears shirt with slogan "We will not forget; we will not forgive" in reference to the government's expulsion of 8000 Jews from their homes in Gaza in the summer of 2005
Ezra HaLevi

Meanwhile, the adults toast their wine glasses in delusion, pretending this time the brother's concessions will bring peace.

In those days, yes, at that very time when I put life back together again for Judah and Jerusalem,
I'll assemble all the godless nations.
I'll lead them down into Judgment Valley
And put them all on trial, and judge them one and all
because of their treatment of my own people Israel.
They scattered my people all over the pagan world
and grabbed the land of Israel for themselves.
They threw dice for my people
and used them for barter.

Let the pagan nations set out
for Judgment Valley.
There I'll take my place at the bench
and judge all the surrounding nations.

God's Judgment Day has arrived
in Decision Valley.

The Lord will roar from Zion
and thunder from Jerusalem;
the earth and the sky will tremble.
But the Lord will be a refuge for his people,
a stronghold for the people of Israel.

Then you will know that I, the Lord your God,
dwell in Zion, my holy hill.
Jerusalem will be holy;
never again will foreigners invade her.

-Joel, prophesying of the future Israel

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