Beit Midrash
- Torah Portion and Tanach
- D'varim
- D'varim
- Shabbat and Holidays
- The Three Weeks
- The Ninth of Av
We wrote last week how accordingly, the honor of Hashem is reflected to mankind through the honor (or chalila degradation) of Israel, His nation (one of the mitzvot to serve in the IDF). But Megillat Eicha which we will (hopefully not!) read on Tish'a bAv, explains a different aspect of this Kiddush Hashem: "היו צריה לראש", "Her (Jerusalem's/Israel's) adversaries have become the head…" (Eicha 1, 5), on which our sages explain that the enemies of Israel are not simple nations, but rather they davka become super-powers (Eicha Rabba). Some suggest that out of respect for Israel, Hashem will deliver us only to "the head" of the nations. But history has shown that part of some leaders' ascent to power precisely RESULTS from his rallying the masses against the Jewish scapegoat.
It seems that anti-Semitism is both chicken and egg- when a layman wants to be a leader & wishes to rally the masses around him, he often looks for an historically "easy mark" (but really believes it!). That was exactly Galut, which we mourn on Tisha bAv, in a nutshell. Haman, Chmelnitzky, Hitler and Stalin until today's Islamic terror, find it easy to gather France and England together to accuse the victim of being the aggressor & the world's biggest problem. The UN Security Council, since its inception 80 years ago, has passed more decisions against Israel than any other single country. Note, in the official eyes of the Nations, Israel is a bigger problem than the mass murderers of Communist China (40-70 million murdered), Soviet Russia (20-30 million), Bosnia/Serbia, Syria (over 600,000 of their own people), Libya, Hamas, ISIS, Saddam's Iraq, the "wanna-be nukers" of Iran, etc. etc. If it wasn't tragic, it would be comical! The vanguard of morality, and most constant victim of suffering whom Tolstoy coined "the conscience of mankind", must even defend itself against accusations of genocide… Give me a break!
The Hitlers rallied the masses against us around their evil ideology, but Israel had no army to stand up for morality and Godliness against the bad-guys. But although we have yet to rebuild the Beit HaMikdash, we BH are no longer in Galut (Shulchan Aruch O.Ch. 561, 1 and Mishna Brura). Today, just as in Egypt against slavery & paganism, the God of Israel once again leads us in the WAR AGAINST WARS: "קומה ד' ויפוצו אויביך וינוסו משנאיך מפניך", "Arise, O Lord, may Your enemies be scattered and may those who hate You flee from You" (Bamidbar 10, 35), refers also to those who hate God's morality, who are not coincidentally also the enemies of Israel. Christianity teaches "resist not evil… turn the other cheek", but the Torah says that is immoral. Not just "don't stand idly by your (individual) brother's blood" (Vayikra 19, 16, another mitzvah to serve in the IDF), but on a world-wide scale, we showed Pres. Trump that it's just and doable to beat back Iran's nuclear threat. "אוהבי ד' שנאו רע" (Tehilim 97, 10), those who love Hashem not only hate evil, but as we see throughout Tanach, fight it.
Another aspect of some of our most vocal adversaries today is their opposition to the traditional family, religion and nationalism, and not coincidentally, Israel represents those ideals (the Jewish-Zionist State is #1 in western birthrate, almost double the OECD average!). They ironically unite with their seeming opponents in Islamic fundamentalism, for to paraphrase Shakespeare, "Anti-Semitism makes strange bed-fellows".
As nation after nation falls before anti-Israel pressure with that bizarre coalition, first in Europe and slowly growing elsewhere (even in New York?), Israel is leading mankind's defense on both accounts: for morality and justice, for family and tradition. NO, you cannot murder, abduct and torture hundreds of our helpless civilians! YES, nations can and must fight, staying loyal to those once-universally accepted Torah values. It is morally, religiously & ideologically WRONG to give-in.
The question, "Does the leader make anti-Semitism or does anti-Semitism make the leader?", for others, is theoretical. Unfortunately for Israel but fortunately for mankind, Hashem has "arranged" for us the necessity to answer. Thank G-d we have no choice but to solve these problems, and today we can. Let France, England & certain Democratic parties suffer their Islamic voters & contradictory coalitions. Today, we in Israel were placed by Hashem in a position that we must do a great step for mankind by combatting evil, by beheading those "heads of the adversaries", the Sinwars, Nasrallahs, et al to make the world a better place for all. As Hashem promised Avraham, "ונברכו בך כל משפחות האדמה", "through you will come blessing to all of mankind" (Breishit 12, 3). The most irresponsible & immoral thing Israel can do is to bow to the pressure of those who don’t realize the cost they themselves will pay for not "resisting evil". As opposed to Europe and Christianity, the G-d & morality of Israel says: "If you can't beat them… try harder!" Shabbat Shalom, Rav Ari Shvat (Chwat)
Rabbi Ari Shvat
Lectures at various yeshivot, michlalot and midrashot. Has published many books & Torani articles and is in charge of Rav Kook’s archives.
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