Nobody ever said that being the Chosen People was easy. We have to accomplish a lot of difficult things before we can fully restore our ancient nation, and fulfill the destiny that we committed ourselves to at Mt. Sinai. One thing we have to do is defeat our external enemies, chief among them the Palestinian Arabs, who are constantly trying to erase our very existence. Another thing we have to do is take firm possession of the Land of Israel, all of it, and put an end to the nonsensical talk of a new Arab state in the heart of the Holy Land. But most important of all, and most difficult of all, we have to draw the Divine Presence, the Shechina, back into our midst to dwell with us as it did in ancient times. Our success in this area will determine whether we're successful in the other areas as well.
Many believing Jews become furious when they see Israel's non-religious leaders following a policy of compromise, appeasement and surrender of Israel's most basic values, all because of a lack of confidence in God and a naive belief in the ultimate "goodness" of our Arab neighbors. These are not mere academic issues, but matters of life and death. The policy of compromise, of giving the enemy land, weapons and a global stage, while showing disdain for our own heritage, has cost innumerable Jewish lives and vast economic damage, while failing to achieve its primary goal of convincing the world what good people we are, and how deserving we are of the world's help. Our perceived weakness in the face of deadly threats has caused the nations to respect us less, not more. It's not surprising that the God-fearing sector would be enraged by this travesty. And therein lies a danger.
It is easy to surrender one's soul to bitterness and rage, but it doesn't produce good results. It is much more difficult to see the humanity in those with whom we strongly disagree, and continue to deal with them in a civil and respectful manner. We need most of all to bring the spirit of God into our lives, and a soul that's filled with anger and hate cannot be filled with God.
If we want the return of the Shechina, we must be prepared to see the spark of divinity in every Jew, even those who seem to have no belief in God at all. We have to realize that God is orchestrating all events, each person is playing his or her assigned role, and everything will work out according to the Master Plan.
We need to sensitize ourselves to the divine spirit, and then follow where that spirit leads us, neither lagging behind it nor trying to get too far ahead. We don't want to be like the Israelites in the desert, whose hearts melted when they heard the report of the spies, and refused to enter the Promised Land. But we also don't want to be like the ma'afilim, who insisted on going into battle with the Canaanites even though the spirit of God was no longer with them, and who were soundly defeated.
The time is not yet ripe to fully remove our enemies from our midst, because the spirit of God is not yet fully with us. But with determined effort, and a recognition of the supreme importance of it, we can bring the spirit closer. Those who believe must not slacken in their belief, and must not permanently alienate the non-believers, all of whom have the potential to one day be believers.
Despite our present difficulties, one thing is certain: Israel is going to win. The Palestinian "cause" is doomed. The Palestinian Arabs have surrendered themselves to their basest instincts, and embraced the lowest forms of crime and deceit. They murder innocent Jews, including women and children, in a horrible fashion, merely because they are Jewish. They revel in these murders and express joy over them, and then pervert the facts to try to convince the world that they are the victims, while the ones they killed are the oppressors.
Yes, Arafat too has a part to play in God's plan. His part is to so destroy the reputation of the Arabs in the eyes of the Jews, that even the most liberal-minded Jew will see the necessity of driving them out. Like the Canaanites thousands of years ago, the Palestinian Arabs, through their own deeds, have forfeited any claim to a share of the Holy Land. Their time is quickly running out. The only reason they can still bedevil us is that we have not yet sufficiently internalized the spirit of God. But it's within our power to accomplish this, and when we do, the world will be a better, safer and more peaceful place.
Many believing Jews become furious when they see Israel's non-religious leaders following a policy of compromise, appeasement and surrender of Israel's most basic values, all because of a lack of confidence in God and a naive belief in the ultimate "goodness" of our Arab neighbors. These are not mere academic issues, but matters of life and death. The policy of compromise, of giving the enemy land, weapons and a global stage, while showing disdain for our own heritage, has cost innumerable Jewish lives and vast economic damage, while failing to achieve its primary goal of convincing the world what good people we are, and how deserving we are of the world's help. Our perceived weakness in the face of deadly threats has caused the nations to respect us less, not more. It's not surprising that the God-fearing sector would be enraged by this travesty. And therein lies a danger.
It is easy to surrender one's soul to bitterness and rage, but it doesn't produce good results. It is much more difficult to see the humanity in those with whom we strongly disagree, and continue to deal with them in a civil and respectful manner. We need most of all to bring the spirit of God into our lives, and a soul that's filled with anger and hate cannot be filled with God.
If we want the return of the Shechina, we must be prepared to see the spark of divinity in every Jew, even those who seem to have no belief in God at all. We have to realize that God is orchestrating all events, each person is playing his or her assigned role, and everything will work out according to the Master Plan.
We need to sensitize ourselves to the divine spirit, and then follow where that spirit leads us, neither lagging behind it nor trying to get too far ahead. We don't want to be like the Israelites in the desert, whose hearts melted when they heard the report of the spies, and refused to enter the Promised Land. But we also don't want to be like the ma'afilim, who insisted on going into battle with the Canaanites even though the spirit of God was no longer with them, and who were soundly defeated.
The time is not yet ripe to fully remove our enemies from our midst, because the spirit of God is not yet fully with us. But with determined effort, and a recognition of the supreme importance of it, we can bring the spirit closer. Those who believe must not slacken in their belief, and must not permanently alienate the non-believers, all of whom have the potential to one day be believers.
Despite our present difficulties, one thing is certain: Israel is going to win. The Palestinian "cause" is doomed. The Palestinian Arabs have surrendered themselves to their basest instincts, and embraced the lowest forms of crime and deceit. They murder innocent Jews, including women and children, in a horrible fashion, merely because they are Jewish. They revel in these murders and express joy over them, and then pervert the facts to try to convince the world that they are the victims, while the ones they killed are the oppressors.
Yes, Arafat too has a part to play in God's plan. His part is to so destroy the reputation of the Arabs in the eyes of the Jews, that even the most liberal-minded Jew will see the necessity of driving them out. Like the Canaanites thousands of years ago, the Palestinian Arabs, through their own deeds, have forfeited any claim to a share of the Holy Land. Their time is quickly running out. The only reason they can still bedevil us is that we have not yet sufficiently internalized the spirit of God. But it's within our power to accomplish this, and when we do, the world will be a better, safer and more peaceful place.