A journey through myths and history, from modern fabrications to the eternal story of Jerusalem.
The UFO story
There’s a fascinating phenomenon that has captured the imagination of millions around the world – UFOs. Every survey over the past decades shows that a huge percentage of people claim they’ve seen or heard of such things. Some even swear with complete conviction that they personally saw strange objects flying in the sky.
But here’s the question: is there really something out there? Or… is it something entirely different?
Not long ago, in early June, The Wall Street Journal published a long article that went back nearly a century, reviewing the history of how the U.S. government dealt with this issue. For years, people claimed that the government was hiding information. Many believed that the U.S. was storing remains of spaceships – maybe even alien bodies – in some secret hangar in the Nevada desert.
And then something unbelievable was revealed: it wasn’t aliens. It was humans.
At Area 51 in Nevada, for decades the most secret experiments of the United States were conducted. Nuclear weapons tests, stealth aircraft development, technologies that could never be made public. In the 1960s, for example, American scientists tested whether it was possible to disable nuclear bombs – out of fear that the Soviets might one day develop a way to neutralize America’s nuclear deterrent.
Of course, they couldn’t tell the public about these experiments. In fact, even many of the officers themselves were not allowed to know the full truth. So what did they do? They spread rumors. They told people: if you see strange lights in the sky, if you hear sonic booms – it’s not a nuclear test, it’s UFOs.
And so, for decades, a myth was born. New officers in the military were given a “top secret” briefing, signing confidentiality documents, sometimes even swearing an oath, that they must never reveal what they heard. And what did they hear? That the military was investigating UFOs.
And what happened? People believed it. Generation after generation, both inside the system and among the public, the belief took root.
And so, for decades, millions of people around the world believed with all their heart in a story… that never actually happened.
This is not just a story about aliens. It’s a huge lesson about human nature: how easy it is to spread a rumor, how easy it is to turn a false story into “truth” in the eyes of millions.
And now we move to a story much older – but strikingly similar.
The Story of Jerusalem
Jerusalem was not conquered for hundreds of years after the Israelites entered the Land.
Let me ask you a question: how many years passed from the time Joshua led the Jewish people into the land until they actually conquered Jerusalem?
The answer is astonishing: four hundred years!
But how can that be? Everyone knew it was the site of the binding of Isaac, the place where Abraham offered his son, the site of Jacob’s dream, where Noah brought offerings after the Flood. Jerusalem was always known as sacred. So why didn’t they capture it right away?
The answer appears at the end of the reading of the first day of Rosh Hashana. Abraham, (when he purchased the Cave of Machpelah from the Hittites), entered into an agreement not to buy or conquer Jerusalem. In addition, Abimelech made a pact with Abraham, saying: “If you deal falsely with me or with my children or my grandchildren…” – Abraham swore that he and his children and grandchildren would not take Jerusalem.
The Jebusites, the inhabitants of Jerusalem, weaponized it. They completely ignored the fact that Abraham only said his children and grandchildren, and did everything in their power to make it seem like it was a promise forever.
They placed two statues at the city gates: one blind, representing Isaac who lost his eyesight, and one lame, representing Jacob who limped after wrestling with the angel. And in the mouths of these statues they engraved Abraham’s oath not to take the city. Picture it: a Jewish soldier approaches Jerusalem, sees the figures of the patriarchs in their weakest state – blind, limping – and reads the oath: “Abraham swore, you cannot enter!” What a psychological blow!
So, for centuries, the tribes of Israel conquered all the land around – but when they reached Jerusalem, they backed away. It wasn’t a lack of military power. It was a desire not to break the myth – even though they knew it was permitted. The Rebbe explains that they didn’t want to cause a Chilul Hashem – desecration of G-d’s name, since the public believed that Abraham’s promise was forever.
Until King David arrived.
David asked: wait a second, the oath? Yes. But Abraham’s promise was only “for my children and grandchildren.” Eight hundred years had already passed! The oath had long expired.
And here’s the depth of it: even after conquering the city, David didn’t just take it. He purchased the Temple Mount with full payment from Araunah the Jebusite. Why? Because he knew the rumor was still alive – that Abraham swore never to seize Jerusalem. And if he didn’t buy it outright, people would accuse him of breaking the oath. To prevent desecration of G-d’s name – David paid in full.
What Do We Learn?
That there is nothing new under the sun.
Sometimes a false story, a rumor, can hold back an entire nation for generations. The Jewish people feared conquering Jerusalem because of an oath that was no longer valid.
The Americans believed in UFOs for decades because of a government cover story.
And today – the world tells false stories about Jerusalem, about Israel, about the Jewish people. Stories that aren’t true, but repeated so often that they become “narratives.”
And we? We must learn from King David: never to fear, never to retreat, never to bow to myths and falsehoods. Instead, to stand firmly and proudly for the eternal truth.
My friends, on Rosh Hashanah we stand before G-d and ask for life, for health, for blessing. But not only for ourselves – for the entire Jewish people.
Let us strengthen ourselves in truth. Let us ask G-d to give us the courage to withstand all the false narratives, all the myths of the world, and to stand strong in the eternal truth: that the Land of Israel belongs to the People of Israel, that Jerusalem is our eternal capital, and that the Jewish people are eternal.
And just as King David broke through the walls and established Jerusalem as the holy city, so may we very soon merit the building of the Third Temple with the coming of Moshiach.
Shanah Tovah – a good and sweet new year!