How the US can achieve energy independence - and why it MUST

Earlier, we discussed the Talmud's statement: "God did not create anything in vain," rather, God created the world intentionally unfinished so that man should perfect it, as Rashi explains in detail. God intentionally created the world incomplete, and the Jew and the human being must complete God's creation. This was God's intent in the first place -- "He created nothing in vain," and when man reveals the potential in creation, he fulfills the verse, "And you shall choose life," becoming God's partner in creation by bringing the potential into reality. This begins at birth, when man, who is born uncircumcised, then becomes circumcised, as explained in the well-known discussion in the Midrash. The Midrash brings the example of the toil involved in preparing food: "It is a man's nature to conquer," but "he brings home wheat, and can do nothing with it." For this reason his helpmate, his wife, and his household assist him, preparing the food so it is fit for human consumption. Then, when one recites the blessings before and after eating the food is likened to an offering to God, as our Sages teach: "One's table is like an altar," eliciting Divine forgiveness. On a spiritual level, when one recites a blessing before and after eating the food is transformed into "sustenance" for God, so to speak, as explained at length in numerous places. We see that the world is shaking and relationships between nations are not improving -- to the contrary, they're deteriorating, in the words of the prophet: "Evil will come from the north" -- and we see quite clearly how this is occurring now. God, however, bestowed one country with the strength to curtail this. But to merely stem the further spread of evil is not enough. Commensurate with its potential, the US cannot suffice by preventing the further growth of the USSR's influence; rather, it must also restrain its agitation in other countries. This will result in justice and morality for the people in the USSR itself, the freedom, too, for all people to practice their own religion, and for Jews, in particular, the freedom to practice Judaism the way a Jew should. Torah is the life of a Jew: "For it is our life and the length of our days." In order to do so, this country must develop its potential. The United States, in particular, has been given the ability by God to prevent the spread of communism and atheism, which prevent true peace in the world. Indeed, the United States must use its influence to allow every person, and Jews in particular, the ability to serve God in spiritual and physical tranquility. This can be achieved when the US uses all its resources and strengths to their true, fullest potential. We cannot take an isolationist stance, saying: "I'll worry about myself..." In order to achieve this, this nation must make full use of its resources. In general, this is a country "which lacks nothing" -- not as much as the Holy Land, to which the verse actually refers... However, when the majority of the Jewish People live in any one country, then, just as when the Jewish people were in Egypt -- and this has been repeated thereafter, throughout history -- that country became the world's Superpower, the world's dominant empire. But it must utilize its resources. However, when one nation must rely on another country, or other countries, and especially for something of critical importance, its power and influence are compromised. This is especially relevant now, having recently recited the Blessing of the Sun. One can clearly see, especially in recent years -- we have mentioned this on numerous occasions... Whereas in earlier, wiser times, if people only caught a glimpse of a problem they would understand the gravity of the situation, nowadays, people only take note after they see the repercussions and only if it is spelled out with extra emphasis... We see clearly: When this country depends on others for oil and other resources, then it is forced to obey their agenda in ways which distort justice, morality, and goodness. It even forces America's position on Israel, the Holy Land, the Eternal Inheritance given to the Eternal People, through an Eternal Covenant. This, in turn, harms the United States' own physical and material wellbeing. It cannot be that this situation is irreparable: God established the world in such a way that from the year 5,600, as the Zohar predicts, an abundance of Godly wisdom came into the world, and also an abundance of secular wisdom. This brought various discoveries and inventions which depend on a specific natural resource to power them. And this resource, oil, seems to be found only in other countries. So two points: Since this country has the responsibility to bring true peace to the world, and of supporting justice and morality, including the truth that the Eternal Inheritance belongs to the Eternal Nation, through the Eternal Covenant of the Eternal God, then surely this situation is only due to a lack of proper human effort, for God would not allow a nation with a great calling to be controlled and manipulated by a lowly nation, merely because it has this resource. It is abundantly clear, that if this country would develop these same resources -- which it does in fact have in abundance beneath its own soil -- it would have long been freed from reliance on other counties. This is well-known, it's been publicized and great commotions have been raised about it. If we would only develop our abilities to mine our own oil, coal, and so forth, we would have long ago been freed from relying on other countries. Indeed, we have these resources in such abundance that we can export to other countries, just as we are a supplier of other resources, not a recipient. This is not, God forbid, because we believe in "Our own might and strength," in order to bring false honor, glory or power. Rather, God placed these resources in this nation's soil; He gave them in order to enable the US to spread the commandments brought in Torah: the Seven Noahide Laws and all their derivative laws, throughout the entire world. The question now is: The past is behind us... What can be done now? Until this country will develop its own resources, and most importantly, until it finds the way to counteract the opposition in this very country, who, for various reasons, oppose the development of our own domestic resources, whether it be oil, coal, or other resources -- and the reason for this opposition is well-known... Even after defeating the arguments, or ignoring them, it will still take a long time to develop these resources to the point that we eliminate the subservience, the need to request these resources from other nations. The Blessing of the Sun reminds us that there is an open and clear solution. We've already begun to harness atomic energy, but this path entails various risks that need not be elaborated here... There are also other obstacles, beginning with those placed by individuals who have a personal benefit to gain from not allowing this country to be self-sufficient, and especially to have the vital capacity to power its own factories and plants. The Blessing of the Sun reminds us: Many countries, the US included, have already begun -- albeit in a very small way, on a small scale -- to harness solar energy, the heat and warmth of the sun, to use it as a source to generate energy, to power factories, and so forth. The southern regions of this country receive abundant sunlight, intense heat from the sun. It is quite easy to harness the energy from the heat of the sun's rays and transport it for use throughout the country. This requires far less time relative to the time required to develop the other energy sources for heat, warmth, and so on. And this can be achieved when it is based on God's help, upon faith in God, ignoring any obstacles which will come from people who may have personal gain from opposing it. Then, in a relatively short time this country will become freed of its subservience to small nations who have oil in their lands -- small countries whose production capabilities, parenthetically, were developed by Americans in the first place. And it was Americans who helped them develop the ability to pump oil to supply the entire world. One might ask: When Jews get together in a house of prayer -- a synagogue where many people pray, and they get together in a study hall -- a study hall where many people study Torah, not to mention the many more hearing and watching this talk live -- who may be distant physically, but are nearby spiritually, for that is the true reality of a Jew: "Their soul is primary and their body secondary" -- and he brings this reality to his place in the world. One might therefore ask: Speak words of Torah, words of inspiration and the Fear of Heaven, or at least related to a Jew's service of God through fulfilling the 613 commandments. Why do you talk about other nations and their obligations in the Seven Noahide Laws and all their derivative laws? Granted, God commanded these laws at Sinai as well, starting with the Exodus, as the Torah states: "When you take the people out of Egypt you will worship God upon this mountain," That is when the universal duty began, which Moses received from God and transmitted to the Jewish people, that every human being must maintain a civilized society through fulfilling the Seven Noahide Laws and all their derivatives. Here we are discussing a topic that doesn't pertain specifically to Jews, only as citizens of this country. Nevertheless Torah exhorts a Jew: "Seek the welfare of the city" in which you find yourself. Most importantly, this issue concerns Jews behind the Iron Curtain, that they should be able to study Torah under better conditions than they were able to until now, and that they should be free to fulfill Mitzvos under better conditions than they were until now. It also affects the welfare of the Jews in this country. Therefore, those opposing this project should not be heeded -- in fact, their efforts are funded by the very monies paid for importing oil from other countries, at least a significant portion of it. As to the question: "What can be accomplished by a small group of Jews who don't make energy policy getting together and discussing this issue amongst themselves? First of all, Maimonides states that the Torah of Truth rules that when a Jew asserts even a single statement based on Torah, he is "obligated to view himself and the entire world as equally balanced," and his one statement can tip the entire scale, "for himself and the entire world to the side of merit, and bring salvation." In addition, experience has shown that words initially spoken in private, and later publicly, through effort, they reached a wider audience and eventually they were heard in Washington. So we should not be discouraged, for we've already seen that this has an influence, and with God's help, a greater influence than can be foreseen. As said before, this is for the good of this country itself. We're not advocating a favor for anyone else or for one segment of the population... The entire country will benefit from freeing itself of its subservience to those countries which have this resource. The subservience is entirely unjustified. It is plainly ungrateful... We don't recognize and thank God for bestowing this country with plentiful sources of energy, beginning with solar power. We recently recited in the Blessing of the Sun: "Nothing is shielded from its heat" -- there is not a single corner of the earth that is hidden from the sun's warmth. But there are various degrees: Some locations can generate enough energy to provide not only for themselves, but also for their neighboring regions; and some can supply the entire country. When this potential is fully harnessed it can even generate a surplus, allowing the US to export the energy to other nations as well. And once America is freed from this subservience, it can proceed with stronger influence -- and there won't even be a need for force: The mere knowledge of our independence will nullify the pressure because they will have nothing with which to threaten once they will see that no heed was paid to those who wished to prevent such independence. And this should be done as a fulfillment of God's command to fully utilize the resources He provides, especially the resources He has given this Nation of Kindness, for it to use for the individual good and for the common good, for the good of this entire nation and for the good of the entire world, to promote true goodness which is "Good for God and good for the creations." There's no doubt that this will ultimately be achieved -- at first step-by-step, slowly. And may the first step occur swiftly, as quickly as possible. Before long this country will be entirely independent, first, by utilizing solar energy in the southern regions of the country, and then, by developing the other resources, and all other obstacles will fall away. Just beginning this project will place fear in those who oppose goodness and justice, and those who are opposed to the notion of all people living free, and of Jews living free -- which, for Jews, means to live in accordance with Judaism, "For in the nation's peace, you will have peace," even in these last days of exile. "For all the children of Israel there will be light in their dwellings" -- we stand proudly even in these last days of exile so that immediately when the Redemption arrives we will already be standing proudly, as Rashi explains: "With strength." And as Moshiach arrives, we will go "With our young and our old, with our sons and our daughters..." "Their gold and silver with them." We will go with Moshiach to the true and ultimate Redemption to "The Land which God's eyes are always upon, from beginning of the year through the end" -- unchanging, God's eyes are <i>always</i> upon it. And we will go as a complete nation because we are going with a complete Torah to the complete Land of Israel. And may we bring the true and complete Redemption speedily in our days. L'chaim.