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The Fire Still Burns
BY MOSHE KATZ
CEO
ISRAELI KRAV INTERNATIONAL
December 25, 2024, Israel
When I was a young martial arts student, seeking my path, dreaming of glory, hoping to someday earn my ranks and become an accomplished martial artist, I read everything I could get my hands on. I recall one pamphlet that spoke of great athletes from several different disciplines, from dancing to fighting, and it asked, what do these great world renown athletes have in common? The answer was -The Fire within.
I took that to heart, the fire within, but how does one develop it, where does it come from, and how is it maintained?
That epiphany was more than 20 years ago, and I have not lost it. Tonight, we have a class, and I am so excited, I have so many things I want to work on, new material. We have new scenarios for Multiple Attackers drawn from events in Amsterdam and New York, I have a new gun threat to work that truly seems impossible to get out of. I want to make a video to help clarify some confusion about our striking drills so that more students can understand it. As the rabbis says, the work is great and the time is short. "Rabbi Tarfon said: The day is short and the work is great, the workers are lazy, and the reward is very great, and the Master is pushing." (Ethics of the Fathers)
רבי טרפון אומר: היום קצר והמלאכה מרובה, והפועלים עצלים, והשכר הרבה, ובעל הבית דוחק. פרק ב משנה טו
To me this means, we have limited time, and the work we must do is very important, (in our case, saving lives), the workers are lazy, (human nature) and the reward is very great! (Yes, the reward for saving lives, for empowering people). And the Master is pushing, i.e. The Divine Force, God, the Universe, is pushing for us to accomplish our task while we still can, while we are young enough, strong enough, before old age takes us away. We have work to do! The Fire still burns.
And the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush; and he looked, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed. (Exodus, Chapter 3)
This is the legend of the Burning Bush, an image so powerful that it continues to inspire us. The people of Israel, burned, gassed, shot in the forests, starved to death in the ghettos, drowned into the Danube River, the flesh, the body is burned with fire, but the bush, the body, was not consumed. What a prophecy! what a message of hope! To me there is a message here, that we must never forget that pain, that burning, we must never forget that there is suffering in the world.
When I visit Holocaust memorials, which I have done all over Europe, I take the time to read the names, as many as I can. This name is a person, who lived just as I do, he had friends, family, he had dreams. I want to say his name out loud; I want his name to be heard again, I want his soul to live. Remember, Zachor (Hebrew), Remember and do not forget. Remember what Amalek did to you when you were weak and tired, remember and do not forget, a double warning.
On October 7, 2023, that message came again, Remember, for you have forgotten.
We must never forget that burning sensation.
And the Lord said: 'I have surely seen the affliction of My people that are in Egypt, and have heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters; for I know their pains;(Exodus, Chapter 3)
Yes, the lesson is clear, the first step is to Know their pain. If we cannot feel the pain, we will not act. As Rabbi Noah Weinberg og blessed memory said, "God, give me some of your pain, so that I will act." I am so privileged to have had the opportunity to have known him and develop a relationship with him. The fire in his soul never diminished. Know their pain!
and I am come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land unto a good land and a large wide land, unto a land flowing with milk and honey; Yes, this is a message of hope. There is hope, that is our national theme, there is hope, but first we must feel the pain and keep the fire burning.
And now, behold, the cry of the children of Israel is come unto Me; moreover I have seen the oppression wherewith the Egyptians oppress them.
And finally...the iconic cry, Let me people go! (Exodus Chapter 5)
3,700 years have passed, and we are still praying daily, Let my people go, as our hostages linger in the enemy camp. Thrice daily in our synagogue we pray for them, while we pray for the safety of our soldiers who are out there fighting for them.
And you ask me; does the fire still burn? It burns with an all-consuming passion.
The late great freedom fighter/Prime Minister Menachem Begin wrote, that even at an old age, if he had to, he would once again take up the sword, go into the bunkers and fight. The fire within still burns.
Yesterday I saw a news report from Australia, a Jewish woman, a newscaster, a descendent of Holocaust Survivors, was told that to keep her position she must support the "heroic Arab attacks of October 7 against the Israeli Colonizers", and that "no rape or massacres took place". (Despite hundreds of hours of video footage recorded by the Killers themselves.)
Universal Problem
The hatred against our people is still there, not only in the lands of our proclaimed enemies but also in the lands of so-called friends, this is tolerated, this hate is allowed to grow. Jews are attacked and beaten on the streets of Europe, once again, and little is done to stop it. Violence and crime continue all over the world, against all people, this is a universal problem. I come from my Jewish paradigm and perspective, but we share this with the entire world, we are here to teach a simple and effective form of self-defense, suited for all types of people, of all ages and sizes. We are not only for athletes, we are the perfect system for imperfect people.
When I hear of a young woman leaving her home for university, attacked, raped, murdered and buried in the forest, I am filled with rage and the fire within me burns. When I hear of teenagers murdering a former friend over Boyfriend - Girlfriend issues, the fire within me burns, when I hear of a tourist being held up and stabbed to death, the fire within me burns. When I hear of a home invasion and a family devastated, the fire within me burns! I am not content.
So no, the fire has not subsided, there is too much evil out there, too much disrespect for human life. Yes, what a wonderful world it is, but yet Evil walks behind you. We must be prepared.
Let's enjoy the sunshine and be happy, but never be lulled into a state of sleepiness and a dreamlike fantasy world, lest it be brutally pierced by reality. "Please don't wake me, no, don't shake me, leave me as I am, I'm only sleeping."
Moshe Katz, training continuously for nearly 4 decades, 7th dan Black Belt, Israeli Krav Maga. Certified by Wingate Institute. Member Black Belt hall of fame, USA and Europe.
Understand the Israeli Fighting Mentality - Israel a Nation of Warriors by Moshe Katz
What is the cultural background of Krav Maga? What makes it unique? What makes the Israeli military so effective? Why are Israeli security systems used all over the world?
What are the Biblical origins of Krav Maga and who was the first Krav Maga instructor?
What weapons and military strategies did our Biblical ancestors use?
How has Krav Maga developed in Israel and what are its goals?
All that and more in this unique book.
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