Sanctification of God’s Name through Observance of Commandments in Captivity
The story of Agam Berger, the surveillance soldier who was kidnapped and released, is inspiring. The terrorists used her as a servant, and demanded that she cook for them even on Shabbat, but she courageously insisted on not violating Shabbat. Her friends testified that she made sure to eat kosher food, even though it limited her diet. Her friends also shared that they did not eat chametzduring Passover, and fasted on Yom Kippur.
Meanwhile, Agam’s mother, Merav Berger, asked the public not to desecrate the Shabbat during her release. Divine help guided them, and Agam was released on Thursday. When she was freed and in the helicopter, she wrote: “I chose the way of faith, and I returned through the way of faith. Thank you to all the people of Israel, and the brave soldiers of the IDF.”
These beautiful words should serve as a model for all of us. May it be God’s Will that dear Agam, along with all the kidnapped women and the brave soldiers of the IDF, merit good health, joy, and the ability to build wonderful families, with happiness and love.
Negligence
It is unfortunate that the representatives of the State of Israel did not pay attention to the fact that the release of the hostages took place on Shabbat, violating the national sanctity of Shabbat. It turns out that the representatives of Hamas, as part of the religious war they are waging against us, worked towards this, continuing from the terrible desecration on Shabbat and Simchat Torah. However, the representatives of the Shin Bet and the Israeli government continue to fail to understand the enemy, and the price is heavy.
I asked Likud Member of Knesset Amit Halevi, a member of the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, about this. He responded: “This is a religious war, and therefore, I believe that this is a deliberate humiliation by Hamas to ensure that the release takes place specifically on Shabbat, causing the State to desecrate Shabbat publicly. After Agam Berger insisted not to be released on Shabbat and proved that it was possible, even though she personally was not obligated to do so, the state representatives should have insisted on this, not because of the desecration of Shabbat itself, but because of the desecration of God’s name that stems from it, which is the focus of the entire war.”
National Honor in Observance of Israel’s Sanctities
Even wicked Jewish kings, when they kept things sacred to Israel, achieved victory, as is told about Ahab, the king of Israel (1 Kings 20). Ben-Hadad, the king of Aram, gathered a very large army, and went to war against the kingdom of Israel. The Israeli army could not stop his forces, which conquered the entire land, laying siege to Samaria, Ahab’s royal city. The situation seemed hopeless. Ben-Hadad was willing to end the siege if Ahab would surrender and give him his money, gold, wives, and children.
Ahab, who thought his chances of winning were lost, agreed to give the king of Aram everything that belonged to him personally. However, Ben-Hadad then demanded “the delights of his eyes.” Our Sages explained (Sanhedrin 102b) that he meant the Sefer Torah– the Torah scroll. But Ahab did not agree to give the Torah scroll. Although he did not keep the commandments properly, the national honor represented by the Torah scroll was so precious to him, that he preferred to go into a hopeless battle, rather than degrade the honor of Israel by handing over the Torah scroll to the enemy.
Because this was a fateful decision, one that could cause many to die, Ahab did not want to decide alone and consulted with the elders, and they too, supported his position.
Ahab then said to Ben-Hadad’s messengers: “Say to your master, the king, all that you sent to your servant in the first matter I will do, but this thing I cannot do” (1 Kings 20:9). Ben-Hadad was angry, and threatened to destroy Samaria. Then a prophet sent by God came to assure Ahab that he would defeat Aram. The Israelites went out and struck the Arameans with a great blow, and Ben-Hadad fled for his life. The prophet came again to warn Ahab, in the name of God, that Ben-Hadad would return to fight him the next year. Ahab prepared his army properly, and Israel once again defeated Aram.
Settlement of the Land
National honor is connected to the commandment of Yishuv Ha’Aretz (settling the Land) and defending it, which Omri and his son Ahab, excelled in. Therefore, even though they practiced avodah zara (idolatry), they enjoyed successes, as the Tanna D'vei Elijah said:
“Once I was sitting in the great study hall in Jerusalem before the sages, and I asked them: Why did King Omri merit that all the kings before him did not have their sons sit on their throne, but Omri succeeded in having three kings from his seed sit on his throne (Ahab his son, Ahaziah son of Ahab, and Jehoram son of Ahab)? They replied: ‘We don’t know’. I said to them: My friends, Omri merited to have three kings from his seed sit on his throne because he built a great city in the Land of Israel” (Tanna d’Vei Eliyahu Rabba 9).
In other words, even though King Omri did evil in the eyes of God more than all those before him (1 Kings 16:25), the merit of Yishuv Ha’Aretz, settling the Land, stood for him and his descendants. And this was despite the fact that he did not build the city of Samaria with pure intentions of settling the Land, but for personal reasons – to strengthen his monarchy, as Omri said, “Just as Jerusalem is for the kings of Judah, so Samaria will be for the kings of Israel.” From here, we learn how great is the merit of the commandment ofYishuv Ha’Aretz– that even though Omri’s motivation for building Samaria was flawed, because he effectively settled the Land, he merited to have three kings from his descendants sit on his throne.
Settlement of the Land and Unity of Israel
The commandment of Yishuv Ha’Aretz is connected to achdut ha’am, the unity of the nation, and in the days of Ahab, there was peace between the Kingdom of Judah and the Kingdom of Israel, and Jehoram son of Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, married Ahab’s daughter, and the king of Judah and the king of Israel went out together to war against their enemies, and were victorious (1 Kings 22).
Our Sages also said that in Ahab’s generation, they were idolaters, yet they went to war and won, because they did not speakloshon ha’ra – speak evil of one another. Whereas in the generation of Saul, despite being scholars of the Torah, they went to war and lost, because they had among them those who spoke loshon ha’ra (Devarim Rabbah 5:10; Yerushalmi Peah 1:1). And it is written in the Sifrei:
“Great is peace, for even if Israel are idolaters and there is peace between them, it is as though God says that the Satan does not touch them, as it is written: ‘Ephraim is addicted to images – let him be’, but when they are divided, what is said about them? ‘Their hearts are divided, now they shall be guilty'” (Sifrei Bamidbar 42).
Without Faith, the Love for the People and the Land Weakens
It should be known that the merit of the commandment of Yishuv Ha’Aretzand the unity derived from national sentiment, cannot last forever. Because Omri and his son Ahab sinned with idolatry, their relationship with the nation and the Land weakened. Therefore, after Ahab succeeded, with God’s help, in defeating Aram in the second battle,ket came and said:
“Because you have let go of a man whom I had devoted to destruction, your life shall go for his life and your people for his people” (Kings 20:42).
And so it was, after a few years, Ahab was killed in battle against Aram (1 Kings 22:34-38).kk
Turning away from God also caused a moral decline, which was sharply evident in Ahab’s treatment of Naboth the Jezreelite. Ahab coveted his vineyard, and when Naboth refused to sell it to him, at the advice of his wicked wife Jezebel, false witnesses were brought to testify that Naboth had rebelled against the king. Based on their testimony, Naboth was executed, and Ahab inherited his vineyard. God then commanded Elijah the prophet:
“Go down to meet Ahab, king of Israel, who is in Samaria, and is in the vineyard of Naboth, where he has gone to take possession. Say to him: ‘This is what the Lord says: Have you murdered and also taken possession?'” (1 Kings 21:17-19).
Summary
From all this, we learn that there is value in observing Israel’s sanctities, even for national honor alone. Moreover, honor for Israel’s sanctities is an essential component in defeating the enemy, and in establishing Israeli statehood. For the unity needed to strengthen the nation, especially in the face of difficult challenges such as war and mourning, must be created around a general and sacred, national value.
Postscript: Entering a Mosque
Q: According to halakha, is it permitted to enter a Muslim mosque?
A: According to the overwhelming majority of poskim (religious authorities), Islam is not idolatry, so there is no prohibition against entering a mosque, and in times of need, it is even permitted to pray inside.
However, it seems that in practice, entering a mosque today is forbidden. This is because in recent generations, many Muslims have become leaders of anti-Israel sentiment in the world, despising and humiliating the people of Israel, and its Torah. In many mosques, they incite hatred against Israel, and in some, they even call for war against Israel, and the Jews. Our Sages said:
“Anyone who is an enemy and hates Israel, is as if he is an enemy and hates God” (Sifrei Zuta, Numbers 10:35).This is what is meant when it is written:
“When the ark set out, Moses said: ‘Arise, O Lord, and let Your enemies be scattered, and let those who hate You flee‘” (Numbers 10:35).
The enemies and haters mentioned here, are the enemies and haters of Israel.
Our Sages continue and explain, regarding them it is said in the verse:
“Do I not hate those who hate You, Lord, and abhor those who rise up against You? I have nothing but hatred for them; I count them my enemies” (Psalms 139:21-22).
And our Sages also said regarding the verse:
“In the greatness of Your majesty, You will overthrow those who rise up against You” (Exodus 15:7), who are those who rise up against God? They answered: “Anyone who rises against Israel, is as if they are rising against the Holy One, blessed be He” (Mechilta of Rabbi Ishmael).
Therefore, it is forbidden to enter a mosque in general, except for those mosques with good leaders who openly declare that they respect Israel and Judaism – and may all follow their example.
This article appears in the ‘Besheva’ newspaper and was translated from Hebrew.
