It's a sad day for the Jewish nation. Although previous governments accepted the idea of a separate Arab state in the Land of Israel, now it's official. A supposedly hardline government has officially declared its acceptance of a roadmap whose goal is the creation of a Palestinian state on historically Jewish land. Although certain conditions must be met for the roadmap to be implemented, the mere statement of willingness to surrender land given to us under the Covenant, when we're not physically compelled to do so, is a profound expression of spiritual weakness, and a disgraceful retreat from one of the principal tenets of our faith.
Of course, God has dominion over all events, and it's far from certain that this abominable "state", whose existence will lead to endless warfare, will ever be born. It doesn't seem possible that the Arabs will fulfill even the minimum necessary conditions demanded by Israel. However, we also have to note that those conditions are not part of any written agreement, but are merely "understandings" between the U.S. and Israel, understandings that have already been dismissed as meaningless and irrelevant by both the Arabs and the Europeans.
Prime Minister Sharon admits that the roadmap is bad for Israel, but says that he sees no viable alternatives. He's very anxious that Israel not be seen as an obstacle to peace. This concern seems ludicrous, considering that our enemies regard our very existence as an obstacle to peace. Those nations that accuse Israel of being the one that doesn't want peace are simply being hypocritical, and their complaints can be safely ignored. Sharon also wants to maintain Israel's close relationship with the U.S., in the hope that the U.S. will guarantee Israel's security. By placing more trust in a foreign nation than in God Himself, he's violating another cardinal principle of Judaism.
It's true that Israel expects to reap certain benefits from the roadmap. The U.S. has committed itself to be the dominant power in the Middle East, and hopes to overthrow all the anti-Western, terrorist-supporting regimes in the region, which are enemies of America as well as Israel. By aligning itself with U.S. policy, Israel may well reap some benefits from America's strength. Iraq, one of our most hardline enemies, has already been neutralized, and Syria and Iran are now feeling the heat. But what price will Israel have to pay for letting others fight its battles for it? Whoever wins the war will also dictate the terms of peace. Israel will be treated well by the U.S. as long as it behaves itself. But it will lose a large part of its sovereignty and freedom of action. Instead of being an independent nation dedicated to the service of God, it will become an American protectorate, dedicated to serving the interests of its protectors.
That fundamental Jewish principles can be tossed aside so quickly in the name of safety is eloquent testimony to our inadequate faith and insufficient fear of the Almighty. We are now being tested. As long as our leaders are afraid to mention God's name in public, let alone sanctify it, we will never overcome our enemies. But if our leaders would simply assert, confidently and unashamedly, that we have returned to our land in order to fulfill our Covenant with the Almighty, that the Covenant grants us possession of the entire land of Israel, and that anyone who tries to take any part of this land away from us by force will be swiftly destroyed, the world would accept this and wouldn't interfere with us. But as long as our leaders are afraid to invoke the Covenant, they really can't offer any compelling reasons why the land belongs more to us than the Arabs. All of the alternative explanations, such as our need for security and the fact that we were victims in the past, are ignored by those who wish us ill to begin with, and whose prime concern is not to anger the Arabs, whose wealth and numbers make them more valuable than they perceive us as being.
Israel surely wants to live in peace. But we can't get there by appeasing those who seek our destruction. Military might by itself will not get us there either. Relying on man-made intellectual theories such as universal humanism and global brotherhood will certainly not get us there. And appealing to the sympathy of the international community will absolutely not get us there. There is one thing and only one thing that will enable us to live in peace. That is to acknowledge publicly the sovereignty of God, follow wherever He leads us, and draw His presence back into our midst as in olden times.
Israel faces many grave problems, but the gravest of all is lack of faith. Our goal must be to bind ourselves to the Almighty, so that His spirit is visible in our faces. When we achieve that, we will no longer need to fear our enemies, but instead they will fear us and cease resisting us.
Those who are already on this path must continue to strength themselves. We must sanctify God's name publicly at every opportunity, and not be discouraged if our coreligionists don't rush to join us. We must reject any compromise of fundamental principles, regardless of pressures, threats, or even physical attacks.
There are already many in Israel following this path. Religious settlers in Judea, Samaria and Gaza who place their lives at risk in order to claim the land for future generations, and who are motivated purely by the desire to serve the Almighty, are part of this group. The best among them bear no hatred or malice toward anyone, but are simply prepared to do whatever is necessary to bring God's spirit back to dwell among us once again. Today, these people are almost universally reviled, even by other Jews, as "obstacles to peace." But history will record them as Jewish heroes, who risked everything in order to pull the nation back from the brink of destruction by their uncompromising stand in support of the truth.
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Martin Wasserman is a software developer and former radio show host in California's Silicon Valley. He can be reached at DeeperLook@aol.com.
Of course, God has dominion over all events, and it's far from certain that this abominable "state", whose existence will lead to endless warfare, will ever be born. It doesn't seem possible that the Arabs will fulfill even the minimum necessary conditions demanded by Israel. However, we also have to note that those conditions are not part of any written agreement, but are merely "understandings" between the U.S. and Israel, understandings that have already been dismissed as meaningless and irrelevant by both the Arabs and the Europeans.
Prime Minister Sharon admits that the roadmap is bad for Israel, but says that he sees no viable alternatives. He's very anxious that Israel not be seen as an obstacle to peace. This concern seems ludicrous, considering that our enemies regard our very existence as an obstacle to peace. Those nations that accuse Israel of being the one that doesn't want peace are simply being hypocritical, and their complaints can be safely ignored. Sharon also wants to maintain Israel's close relationship with the U.S., in the hope that the U.S. will guarantee Israel's security. By placing more trust in a foreign nation than in God Himself, he's violating another cardinal principle of Judaism.
It's true that Israel expects to reap certain benefits from the roadmap. The U.S. has committed itself to be the dominant power in the Middle East, and hopes to overthrow all the anti-Western, terrorist-supporting regimes in the region, which are enemies of America as well as Israel. By aligning itself with U.S. policy, Israel may well reap some benefits from America's strength. Iraq, one of our most hardline enemies, has already been neutralized, and Syria and Iran are now feeling the heat. But what price will Israel have to pay for letting others fight its battles for it? Whoever wins the war will also dictate the terms of peace. Israel will be treated well by the U.S. as long as it behaves itself. But it will lose a large part of its sovereignty and freedom of action. Instead of being an independent nation dedicated to the service of God, it will become an American protectorate, dedicated to serving the interests of its protectors.
That fundamental Jewish principles can be tossed aside so quickly in the name of safety is eloquent testimony to our inadequate faith and insufficient fear of the Almighty. We are now being tested. As long as our leaders are afraid to mention God's name in public, let alone sanctify it, we will never overcome our enemies. But if our leaders would simply assert, confidently and unashamedly, that we have returned to our land in order to fulfill our Covenant with the Almighty, that the Covenant grants us possession of the entire land of Israel, and that anyone who tries to take any part of this land away from us by force will be swiftly destroyed, the world would accept this and wouldn't interfere with us. But as long as our leaders are afraid to invoke the Covenant, they really can't offer any compelling reasons why the land belongs more to us than the Arabs. All of the alternative explanations, such as our need for security and the fact that we were victims in the past, are ignored by those who wish us ill to begin with, and whose prime concern is not to anger the Arabs, whose wealth and numbers make them more valuable than they perceive us as being.
Israel surely wants to live in peace. But we can't get there by appeasing those who seek our destruction. Military might by itself will not get us there either. Relying on man-made intellectual theories such as universal humanism and global brotherhood will certainly not get us there. And appealing to the sympathy of the international community will absolutely not get us there. There is one thing and only one thing that will enable us to live in peace. That is to acknowledge publicly the sovereignty of God, follow wherever He leads us, and draw His presence back into our midst as in olden times.
Israel faces many grave problems, but the gravest of all is lack of faith. Our goal must be to bind ourselves to the Almighty, so that His spirit is visible in our faces. When we achieve that, we will no longer need to fear our enemies, but instead they will fear us and cease resisting us.
Those who are already on this path must continue to strength themselves. We must sanctify God's name publicly at every opportunity, and not be discouraged if our coreligionists don't rush to join us. We must reject any compromise of fundamental principles, regardless of pressures, threats, or even physical attacks.
There are already many in Israel following this path. Religious settlers in Judea, Samaria and Gaza who place their lives at risk in order to claim the land for future generations, and who are motivated purely by the desire to serve the Almighty, are part of this group. The best among them bear no hatred or malice toward anyone, but are simply prepared to do whatever is necessary to bring God's spirit back to dwell among us once again. Today, these people are almost universally reviled, even by other Jews, as "obstacles to peace." But history will record them as Jewish heroes, who risked everything in order to pull the nation back from the brink of destruction by their uncompromising stand in support of the truth.
--------------------------------------------------------
Martin Wasserman is a software developer and former radio show host in California's Silicon Valley. He can be reached at DeeperLook@aol.com.