100 Issues of Faith and Strength

Shai Gefen, Editor, "Our Land of Israel"  

The hundredth issue of the ′Our Land of Israel ′ publication is a milestone for us. Until two years ago, it just was not natural to see, in the ′weekly pamphlet market′, a pamphlet that is entirely devoted to pure love of Israel, without compromise or stuttering. The birth pangs of the bulletin were accompanied by fears and hesitations, especially about how it will be accepted, but the inevitability of the circumstances and the times tipped the scales. 

Soon, ′Our land of Israel′, was a pillar of fire going before the camp, and the light at the end of the tunnel. The publication was a breath of fresh air amid all the rubbish and pollution that are circulated by the Israeli media that harbor a bitter hate of settlers and constantly preach destruction of the Jewish settlement in Yehuda, Shomron and the Golan. (The preaching has radicalized lately, and openly supports the enemy – as in the Anat Kam story and the terror flotilla). 

Hundreds of fine essays, articles and interviews with our finest, have been published over the past two and a half years since the appearance of the ′Our Land of Israel′ publication. The thousands of responses that we received from across the Israeli spectrum - from the ultra-Orthodox public to those who do not wear a head covering - give us the strength and energy to keep up this great undertaking. The vast influence that the publication has on its readership, and on other factions, is what makes us continue with our task. 

In these turbulent times when many have lost their faith in the rightness of the path , and even from within the camp people have subordinated themselves, our central message is precisely the title: ′Our Land of Israel.′ This is the Holy Land that G-d bequeathed to our ancestors, and it is ours, as Rashi says in his opening commentary to the Torah: "The whole country is G-d′s, He created it and gave it whom He saw fit; it was His will to give it to them, and it was His will to take it from them and give it to us." 

This is Your Publication 

Currently, we find ourselves in fateful times: the ship in which we are sailing lurches as the treacherous waves of malicious enemies surround us from within and without. We hereby appeal to the tens of thousands of loyal readers and supporters - Give a hand and shoulder to help the ′Our Land of Israel′ continued dissemination and development. ′Our Land of Israel′ is your newsletter. ′Our Land of Israel′ is the thread that connects all those faithful to Israel, regardless of religious view. 

We welcome new ideas; we have proven that we are open to suggestions about new and important issues that assist us with our hold on Eretz Yisroel. 

Parshas Pinchas will be read this coming Shabbos, just as we celebrate this important milestone. It is surely Divine Providence, for the Parsha relates the great love of Eretz Yisroel displayed by the daughters of Tzelophchod. The daughters of Tzelophchod requested a part of Eretz Yisroel from Moshe.  The Midrash enlightens us with the following facts: their request for a parcel of land came at a difficult period for the Jewish Nation, when they announced, ′Let us make a captain, and let us return into Egypt.′ This was the time of Cheit Hameraglim (the sin of the spies), and the daughters of Tzelophchod not only believed in Hashem′s promise that, ′we are well able to overcome it,′ but also demanded a part and inheritance in the land. 

May it soon come to pass, in the merit of our great love for the Land, to inherit and settle on the Land in its entirety, with the coming of Moshiach Tzidkeinu, with grace and mercy, imminently, in our times, Amen. 
 

                                                               ′Our Land of Israel′ 

In the name of the thousands of Eretz Yisroel loyalists, we congratulate Rabbi Sholom Dov Volpo, relentless fighter for the integrity of the Torah, the Nation and the Land, chairman of ′Our Land of Israel′, upon taking up residence in Beitar Ilit.