The Modern Day Heroes of Our People

Two weeks ago Tzippi Schlissel , the great-granddaughter of Rabbi Avraham HaCohen Kook became a grandmother herself. Her father was Rabbi Shlomo Raanan who was murdered in his home in Hevron in 1998. The Arab terrorist climbed through his window, stabbed him through the chest and went after his wife Chaya. The 64 year old Rabbi Raanan while bleeding to death followed after the terrorist to protect his wife. Rabbi Raanan struggled with him and was stabbed yet again but the terrorist fled. Rabbi Raanan died shortly afterwards.

His daughter, Tzippi Schlissel became a grandmother now days after she was forcibly expelled from her home in Hevron. The mother of 10 children, she had lived there with her husband Rabbi Yisrael Schlissel who taught in a Kollel there, before they were dragged out of their homes. When she was evicted her youngest daughter was ten months old. This was not the first time.

She was beaten and arrested in her own home on January 19th in Hevron at Mitzpeh Shalhevet, the neighborhood named after Shalhevet Pass the 10 month old baby killed by a Palestinian sniper. Her own 5 month old baby was taken away from her and the police dragged her along the ground, threw her in a car head first and closed the door on her foot leaving it to slam against her leg along the trip. All the way there she recited Tehilim. For that she was further charged with showing contempt for the police as one of those chapters of Tehilim was 106 containing, "For the mouth of the wicked and the mouth of deceit have they opened against me; they have spoken unto me with a lying tongue."

But even that was not the first time. Tzipi Schlissel had been at Yamit as a teenager, at the first time Jews were forcibly thrown out of their homes by their own government to make way for an Arab occupation. Almost twenty five years later she has continued the struggle. The World, the Israeli left and the Arabs are determined to drive people like her out. But away from the politicians and the pundits, the heads of organizations and committees, there are people like Tzipi Schlissel who are far more determined to stay.

"Rabbi Hisda exclaimed, "If only we had legs of iron to always follow you and learn from you!" [Berachot 41b] Similarly, on the national level, we need "legs of iron," powerful means to build up the physical aspects of the nation. Then we will have the spiritual strength to create a courageous national spirit. "And we will learn from you" — we will follow your path of Torah, and merit inheriting the Land through love and peace and inner strength. "Not by might, nor by power, but by My spirit" [Zachariah 4:6]." Rabbi Avraham HaCohen Kook.