Chaim begins by wishing his viewers a happy fifth night of Hanukkah and against the backdrop of a menorah lit up with candles he quotes Proverbs 13:9; The light of the righteous rejoices, But the lamp of the wicked will be put out.
He says that even in Gaza, the IDF soldiers are able to light Hanukkah candles to celebrate the victory of light over darkness. He says that more and more Hamas terrorists are surrendering and the war is otherwise going well for Israel, but there are also enemies crouched and ready to attack in Damascus and Judea and Samaria and Lebanon and elsewhere and the IDF must be ready to battle them as well.
He says that in Gaza the IDF is gaining control over strategic points including roads which will need to be patrolled in the future in order to ensure that they are not used to attack Israel.
He also mentions the mountains of weapons and military equipment the IDF is finding that Hamas hid in hospitals, schools, mosques, kindergartens, UN facilities, and universities. They were placed there to be protected from Israeli observation so they would be ready to be used against Israel at a time Hamas would find convenient.
He also brings up the issue of stewardship and says that Hamas had the opportunity to be stewards of the Gaza Strip and they did a terrible job. He says that the end of the year according to the Gregorian calendar is approaching and it’s a good time to take a look at what we’ve been given to steward and how we’ve managed it in the last year.
He mentions different things people have the priviledge of stewarding, including a family or a home or a business. He says he is privileged to steward the Aliyah Return Center charity and the Faithful Galileans charity. He says that it’s difficult but also wonderful to have gifts and talents that God gives people to steward and that God removes poor stewards but gives good stewards more to steward.
He mentions the Galileans of old (referring to Biblical prophets, including Jesus Christ and His disciples) who brought the Biblical principles which “made the free world free” but those principles are now under attack by Islamic radicals and “woke” radicals and we who are the inheritors of this Biblical legacy of freedom cannot let it be destroyed on our watch.
He asks his viewers to join him in praying that the fighting on Israel’s northern border with the Iranian-backed Hezbollah group and Iranian-backed militias in Syria won’t escalate. He asks for prayer for the remaining hostages being held in Gaza, and the healing of those who have already been released. He asks for prayer for everyone who has lost a loved one or a home or anything else in this war. He asks for people to pray for the IDF soldiers that they would get enough rest and stay sharp and alert amidst the chaos of battle.
He concludes by challenging his viewers to pray for themselves to remain good stewards of what they’ve been given, including families and freindships.
He then quotes Zepheniah 2:4-7; “For Gaza shall be forsaken, and Ashkelon desolate; They shall drive out Ashdod at noonday, and Ekron shall be uprooted. Woe to the inhabitants of the seacoast, the nation of the Cherethites!
The word of the Lord is against you, O Canaan, land of the Philistines: “I will destroy you; So there shall be no inhabitant.”
The seacoast shall be pastures, with shelters for shepherds and folds for flocks.
Chaim starts by noting that it’s the sixth night of Hanukkah and although he and his comrades are tired and beleaguered, they’re still alive and standing strong. He says that the IDF is trying to help the people of Gaza by liberating them from Hamas, but Hamas continues to steal food and other humanitarian aid that’s being sent into the Strip, meant for these innocent civilians. But Chaim says he thinks soon these people will turn on the Hamas tyrants and it’s already happening.
But he also says that even as Hamas is losing control of the Gaza Strip, people around the world who support Hamas are losing their minds. He cites a recent protest in New York City in which demonstrators blocked the Brooklyn Bridge, chanting that the NYPD, the IDF and the Ku Klux Klan are “all the same” and deserve the same fate.
Chaim calls out these lies and says that it’s so important to teach the next generation the important things in life, including truth. He says that in Israel children get bar and bat mitzvahed in a ceremony which introduces them to the next stages in their lives. The IDF can also serve as a right of passage for young people and help them make the transition to the adult world.
He challenges his viewers to think about who they’re discipling and mentoring. He says that it’s important to be with people in good times and bad and help them navigate the ups and downs of life.
He says he just got back from a visit to the hospital where a soldier from his unit who was severely wounded in battle is receiving treatment. This is part of Chaim’s job as a leader in his unit, which like all IDF units is like a big extended family.
He then quotes Isaiah 49:24-25; Shall the prey be taken from the mighty, Or the captives of the righteous be delivered? Shall the prey be taken from the mighty, Or the captives of the righteous be delivered? But thus says the Lord: “Even the captives of the mighty shall be taken away, and the prey of the terrible be delivered; For I will contend with him who contends with you, and I will save your children.
I will feed those who oppress you with their own flesh, and they shall be drunk with their own blood as with sweet wine. All flesh shall know that I, the Lord, am your Savior, and your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob.”
He concludes by saying that he can sense victory in this war is near and he urges his viewers to continue doing all the good works they’ve been doing and be all they can be in this time.
