In Jacob?s dream, G-d says to him, ?I will give to you and your descendants the land upon which you are lying." (Genesis 28:13) Rashi comments: ?G-d folded the entire Land of Israel under him, thus intimating to him that it would be as easily conquered by his descendants as a piece of land four cubits in length, which is the space covered by a person lying down.?
Jacob, lying on the whole Land of Israel folded under him, so to speak, knew that even four cubits of Eretz Yisrael possess the importance of all of Eretz Yisrael. As Rabbi Tzvi Yehuda Kook wrote: ?It is forbidden, and impossible, to concede a single millimeter of Eretz Yisrael.?
Quite the contrary, in Jacob?s dream, it was promised to him that he would spread out to the west, to the east, to the north and to the south, and through this, ?all the families on earth would be blessed through him and his descendants.? (verse 14) In other words, only through Israel?s return to Eretz Yisrael would Jacob fulfill his cosmic destiny of illuminating and benefiting all of mankind, as promised to him by G-d.
Today, G-d?s promise that the Land would be given to Jacob?s descendants is being fulfilled. Only it remains in mid-process. We are in the midst of the return to Zion and the rebirth of Israel in its Land.
Israel?s enemies are still waging a war against us with the goal of extinguishing Israel?s light. This war takes different forms. Sometimes, it involves a frontal attack, as in the War of Independence, the Six Day War or the Yom Kippur War. Sometimes, it is a war of attrition, as in the present conflict, a war of terror. Sometimes, it involves a ?peace attack,? the most dangerous form of battle. In such a war, the enemy demands that we concede portions of the land of our life?s blood. In its first stages, they are asking for Netzarim in the Gaza Strip, but they are really trying to liquidate the State of Israel.
In a ?peace attack,? they take advantage of those elements in Israeli society whose faith and spirit have been weakened and who are thus ready to surrender to our enemies. Towards that end, our enemies enlist the support of Europe, which assists them politically and financially, and which encourages America to put pressure on us. In this regard, Scripture says, ?There are many devices in a man's heart; but it is the L-rd?s counsel that shall endure? For the L-rd will not cast off His people, neither will He forsake His inheritance.? (Proverbs 19:21; Psalm 94:14)
Jacob, lying on the whole Land of Israel folded under him, so to speak, knew that even four cubits of Eretz Yisrael possess the importance of all of Eretz Yisrael. As Rabbi Tzvi Yehuda Kook wrote: ?It is forbidden, and impossible, to concede a single millimeter of Eretz Yisrael.?
Quite the contrary, in Jacob?s dream, it was promised to him that he would spread out to the west, to the east, to the north and to the south, and through this, ?all the families on earth would be blessed through him and his descendants.? (verse 14) In other words, only through Israel?s return to Eretz Yisrael would Jacob fulfill his cosmic destiny of illuminating and benefiting all of mankind, as promised to him by G-d.
Today, G-d?s promise that the Land would be given to Jacob?s descendants is being fulfilled. Only it remains in mid-process. We are in the midst of the return to Zion and the rebirth of Israel in its Land.
Israel?s enemies are still waging a war against us with the goal of extinguishing Israel?s light. This war takes different forms. Sometimes, it involves a frontal attack, as in the War of Independence, the Six Day War or the Yom Kippur War. Sometimes, it is a war of attrition, as in the present conflict, a war of terror. Sometimes, it involves a ?peace attack,? the most dangerous form of battle. In such a war, the enemy demands that we concede portions of the land of our life?s blood. In its first stages, they are asking for Netzarim in the Gaza Strip, but they are really trying to liquidate the State of Israel.
In a ?peace attack,? they take advantage of those elements in Israeli society whose faith and spirit have been weakened and who are thus ready to surrender to our enemies. Towards that end, our enemies enlist the support of Europe, which assists them politically and financially, and which encourages America to put pressure on us. In this regard, Scripture says, ?There are many devices in a man's heart; but it is the L-rd?s counsel that shall endure? For the L-rd will not cast off His people, neither will He forsake His inheritance.? (Proverbs 19:21; Psalm 94:14)