Moshe Kempinski
Rabbi Moshe Kempinski, author of "The Teacher and the Preacher", is the editor of the Jerusalem Insights weekly email journal and co-owner of Shorashim, a Biblical shop and learning center in the Old City of Jerusalem.The death toll of Tuesday's suicide bombing in the coastal town of Netanya rose to four on Wednesday, as Anna Lifshitz, a 50-year-old Netanya resident and mother and grandmother of two of the wounded victims, died of her wounds. The three other murdered victims were Yulia Weltshin, 31, of Netanya, and Rachel Ben Abu and Nofar Horvitz, two 16-year-old girls from Tel Aviv . At least 90 other people were wounded.
The people of Israel should have gathered together for comfort and strength. The government of Israel should have looked for ways to bring a torn and wounded people closer to each other.
Instead, the Sharon government continued to tear the nation apart. Government spokesmen declared that "it is obvious that the Islamic Jihad terrorists are trying to impede the Disengagement Plan and we will not let them get away with that."
To translate that political drivel into English, the government essentially was saying, "We are not going to let the fact that Palestinians are slaughtering innocent Jews in one place hamper our plans to expel innocent Jews from another place."
Furthermore, the statement itself is patently false. It is clear to all that the last thing these Palestinian terrorists want is to impede the free gift of land they are receiving from the Sharon administration. The voices coming from the "Palestinian Occupied Territories" are all clamoring to take credit for the success of chasing the Jews out of Waqf Muslim land. It is ludicrous to think that it is possible to find even one Palestinian who believes that this disengagement/expulsion plan is a punishment.
Yet, instead of waiting to see if the Palestinian Authority begins to take any responsible action against the terrorist cells that have sprung up in Tulkarem (the hometown of the Netanya bomber - ed.) since Israel gave up control of that city to Abu Mazen , the Israeli government decided to forbid free entry of Jews into Gush Katif. Instead of seeing the Tulkarem Syndrome as a prelude to what will occur in Gush Katif and northern Samaria after the expulsion, Sharon focuses his police against the Jews faithful to the vision of Israel.
Therefore, it is those Jews who are taking to the streets in protest. It is those faithful voices that were raised up in prayer Thursday evening at the Western Wall. It is those men, women and children who will begin the three-day march to Gush Katif on July 18.
This three-day march has no clearly defined plan or goals. There are general ideas about an important prayer gathering at the tomb of the Baba Sali in Netivot. Following that, the tens of thousands will be marching towards the Gush on a trek into the unknown.
What will the police do?
Where will they be stopped?
What will our young people who are serving in the army do when confronted by their parents and friends on the march?
It is a march into the unknown.
Yet, marches into the unknown are an integral part of our spiritual history. Abraham walked into a land and to a destination that would be shown to him only after his arrival. Ruth joined the Jewish people with a declaration to Naomi, "Whither thou goest, I shall go; Your G-d shall be my G-d."
When the Jewish people stood at the edge of the reed sea and the Egyptians were coming from the back and the desert was closing in on the sides, they cried out in fear (Exodus14:13-14). "'And Moshe said unto the people: 'Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of HaShem, which He will work for you to-day; for whereas ye have seen the Egyptians to-day, ye shall see them again no more for ever. HaShem will fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace.'"
Those powerful words continue to stir the hearts of many even unto these days. Yet, it is the following verse that carries the ultimate power (Exodus14:15): "And HaShem said unto Moshe: 'Why are you crying out to Me? Speak unto the children of Israel, that they go forward.'"
All we can do is to move forward into the unknown. All we have left is to march on to our destiny. All we have left is our turning unto the Heavens; and this march will be such a turning.
It will be an awesome prayer.