Miracles and Unity in Ashdod (2 Quick Videos)
I love Ashdod. It’s such a friendly, down-to-earth, small-town-feel kind of city. So I smiled real big as I watched these 2 short videos about miracles that took place this past week in Ashdod, as more than 1 million Israeli citizens were sent into bomb shelters by missiles fired from Hamas-controlled Gaza. It’s amazing to see the miracles these videos document, and I found it equally wonderful to see the strong emuna of the people interviewed. Such an inspiration.
Scroll down past the videos to read what Rabbi Lazer Brody has to say about why the city of Ashdod has merited to be the recipient of so many revealed miracles throughout the recent missile attacks…
Reprinted from “Unity and Miracles” by Rabbi Lazer Brody
People ask me, “Reb Lazer, you talk about emuna all the time; you say that Hashem does everything for the best. How can being on the receiving end of those deadly GRAD missiles be for the best?” I’m glad they asked.
Emuna means knowing that everything comes from Hashem, that everything is truly for our ultimate benefit and that everything is for a purpose. Emuna means a smile even when you’re under the gun.
So what purpose did the recent missile barrages serve?
In Ashdod, there’s harmony between the various segments of the population. Ashdod also doesn’t tolerate the crazy hate-spreading zealotry that exists in other cities. Maybe it’s because we are all forced to sit in peace in the same bomb shelters. When the sirens go off and you’re in a different neighborhood, you take cover in the closest shelter. No one in Ashdod ever kicked a stranger out of his bomb shelter. People in Ashdod don’t throw rocks, either.
Since there’s unity and mutual respect in Ashdod, we see big miracles. This past week as I wrote earlier, we saw how a GRAD missile landed on a school that has been serving as a makeshift synagogue on Shabbat for the last 40 years. This past Shabbat, for several “happenstance” reasons, the minyan was cancelled…
We saw how a GRAD missile landed between two 15-story condos, completely gutting six cars but not causing any human casualties.
Today, the man on the street in Ashdod is speaking differently; he’s using words like “Hashem”, “emuna” and “miracles.” People that have no connection to formal observance are declaring, “Hashem is in Ashdod – He’s right here with us! We love You, Hashem.”
When we don’t get close to Hashem on our own accord, He brings us close to Him. Sometimes a good sheep dog must give a lamb as little bite in the thigh to keep it from straying. The GRADs in Ashdod are to keep us from straying and to encourage us to strengthen our emuna so that we’ll be spiritually able to receive the bright light of Moshiach and Geula, the full redemption of our people, speedily and in our days, amen!