For over fifty years, we have been involved in helping those in need, struggling victims of terror, ailing elderly and Holocaust survivors, ill widows and despaired orphans, immigrants from war-torn and impoverished nations.
Think of this: The reports of terror attacks are forgotten in a few days, but the suffering of the victims can last decades, and not just the physical therapy.
We know of one survivor who stepped on a terrorist mine when he was 13. He has had 40 operations to date. Another survived a bombing in a Jerusalem café 21 years ago and still needed surgery a few weeks ago. One survivor of a bus bombing in 2001 was 14. Her body riddled with shrapnel, she needed 120 liters of blood before an experimental hemophilia drug succeeded in staunching the flow of blood. Each case is a miracle.
With all the above, there are still other areas of need where we are involved, including helping the unborn and their mothers.
I want to share some thoughts about this subject. For those of us who believe the Bible is God’s Word and a guide for our behavior, its truths are absolute and immutable. Does the Bible speak about the unborn?
King David the Psalmist wrote:
“It was You who created my inward parts; You fashioned me together in my mother’s womb. I praise You because I am fearfully and wondrously made; wonderful are Your works; I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from You, when I was made in the hidden place, woven together in the lowest depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my shapeless form; all the days ordained for me were recorded in Your book, before even one of them came into being” (139:13-16).
Translations do not convey the subtleties of the original Hebrew text.
· In the first verse above, the Hebrew word for “You created” is “kanita” and literally means “You own.”
· The Hebrew wording for “inward parts” in biblical texts literally means “kidneys” and refers to the center of a person’s being, the place of emotions, thoughts and desires, much like “heart” in other references.
· “Lowest depths of the earth” here is a euphemism for a mother’s body, namely the lower child-bearing region.
From this we learn:
· An unborn child, within a mother’s womb, even before it is fully formed, is God’s creation, owned by God, and worthy of God’s attention.
· The unborn child is not just a mass of fetal cell tissue, but a being with “inward parts,” suggesting emotions and thoughts.
· God is guiding its growth from beginning to end.
· God’s eyes are watching the unborn child.
· He has a plan for that child’s life, recorded in His book, from day one.
God has a very intimate relationship with the unborn child. Contradicting the slogan “My body, my choice,” the unborn child belongs to Him. To deny this denies God as the Creator.
Not all mothers seeking an abortion do so casually. Some are under severe financial and emotional duress. For this reason, LEMA’AN ZION, Inc., has for years encouraged women considering abortions to choose otherwise by helping to alleviate the economic element. Many opted to give birth when they became aware financial help was available.
We sponsor a program that provides aid to mothers for the first two years of a baby’s life, including baby cribs, strollers, formula, diapers and food packages for the family.
A familiar Hebrew expression is “Lechayim,” meaning “To life!” Your contributions help bring life–literally. Comforting these mothers-to-be, or the others we help, Holocaust survivors, the needy and hungry, the expellees from Gaza, terror victims, refugees from the war in Ukraine, is a blessing for Israel. We bless you also with our prayers for abundant life.
You, our readers, have helped salve the wounds, both physical and emotional.