Parshat Balak: The Arabs' Secret Weapon - Rabbi Yaakov Asher Sinclair

I want to tell you about the Arab secret weapon of all the nations in the world God has joined his name to only two nations two people the Jewish people yes Rael and the Arab nations yesh Mikael we are now living in the time of Ishmael we've seen a nation thrust from the back waters of history into the world's center stage the source of Ishmael's power however is not oil it's not their vast numbers and it's not their rhetoric that holds the world to ransom it's because they have a secret weapon that weapon is the power of their mouths in prayer is there an Arab politician who makes a speech without saying inshallah show me a Muslim who's embarrassed to pull out a prayer mat and bow towards Mecca even in the most secular Western Miglia why is it that in spite of the miraculous victories of the Six Day War the Jewish people were not able to take possession of the Temple Mount the holiest place on earth and had to allow it to return to Arab stewardship what is the part that allows Ishmael to hold on to it it's the power of prayer epitomized in his name Ishmael God will listen Hashima hail I have a friend who was walking through the Muslim Quarter in Jerusalem and he struck up a conversation with a shopkeeper the shopkeeper asked him why the Jews are scared to walk through the Muslim Quarter because if someone killed him then well that was the will of Allah anyway Ishmael is the ultimate fatalist the fact that I did something proves that that's what God wants it because well hey I succeeded in doing it Ishmael means God will listen God will listen to me my success is God's imprimatur that I did the right thing the name Israel can be understood as Yashar Kayla Bashar means straight only what God does is completely straight man a three Damascus what God does is straight and it's my job to bend my will to his and even when bad things happen to good people and nothing seems to make sense Israel still declares you shocked ale what God does is straight I cannot command God listen but prayer is powerful even when it is based on fatalism and God will listen to the prayer of Ishmael you listen just as long as we don't live up to our name but if we really believe that Yashar kale that everything God does is straight and just then the prayer of Israel in our mouths is even more powerful than that of Ishmael that's Israel's secret weapon [Music] [Applause]