My personal prayer to our Father in Heaven:
Avienu Sh’be’shamayim. You are the essence of perfection, in need of nothing – least of all my counsel, so let these words be for the protocol in my personal file, if for nothing else.
Twice in Your world, the earth opened its bowels to ingest the evil wrought by lowly man.
Israel is again at war against Amalek. I dedicate this week’s divrei Torah to our holy soldiers of Tzahal, from privates to major generals, from regular army of 18 year olds to reserve soldiers of over 50 years old.
The Jewish nation is now being confronted with the greatest challenges in our history. There is the unstoppable divestment in Judaism by our people in the galut who marry non-Jews, as if they were God’s gift to the Jewish people.
Anti-Semitism is rapidly expanding in Europe, and like a deadly virus it cannot be contained. It will erupt anywhere in the world where there is economic stagnation and social frustration.
But the most dramatic and challenging events are occurring now in and around Eretz Yisrael.
The kidnapping and murder of the three young yeshiva students – Naftali Frankel, Aiyal Yifrach and Gil’ad Sha’ar – has united the Jews in Eretz Yisrael to a remarkable degree. But now in the aftermath of the disclosure of their murder, despite all the prayers that were recited in every Israeli-minded bet knesset, will begin the heart-wrenching questions and doubts: Why did HaShem do this to the families and to the extended family of Jews in Eretz Yisrael?
In the absence of a prophet, no one can know for sure. However, we are still obligated to try to reach some understanding concerning these events for the present and future.
The following are my thoughts and feelings at this time.
All three kings refused to allow the Jews to pass through their lands on their way to the Promised Land. In each instant, Moshe’s reaction was quite unexpected. When Edom refused and even met the Jews at the border with an army, Moshe complied and took a wide berth around the lands of Edom.
However, when Sichon refused to let us pass, we went to war and destroyed all the Emorites. This was repeated when Og and his army and his entire nation were decimated, with all their property and cities falling to the Jewish nation.
What was behind the Jewish tactic of retreating before Edom but standing firm before Sichon and Og?
When Avraham heard that his nephew Lot was taken captive, he did not enter into negotiations with the perpetrators, but killed them. When a single non-Jewish maid servant was taken captive (Bamidbar 21,1), Moshe declared war in order to retrieve her. When Amalek took the city of Tziklag (Shmuel 1 chapter 30) David reacted immediately with military might.
Medinat Yisrael owes a debt to Jewish history, to the Torah way of right and wrong, and to the soldiers and citizens of the Medina.
Were it in my authority, I would deliver an ultimatum…
