How do we strengthen the people, Torah and Land?
When the Ammonite king threatened Israel on the pretext that Israel had conquered and stolen his land when they left Egypt, Yiftach the Gileadite defended Israel against him. He rejected out of hand the false claim that Israel were thieves who had conquered a land not theirs.
He argued, "What do you have to do with me, that you come to me to fight against my land?. Israel did not take away Moab's land, nor Ammon's." (Judges 11:12,15) "Quite the contrary," he argued, "you have had no sovereignty nor right to it for three hundred years since we conquered it from the Amorites at G-d's behest."
Indeed, Yiftach went to war by dint of his faith in the rightness of his claim, and he defeated the Ammonites: "The L-rd delivered them into his hand? The Ammonites were subdued before the Israelites." (ibid., 11:32-33)
Yiftach the Gileadite understood the psychological war being waged by the Ammonite king. That king employed a false claim, "You are thieves for you have conquered my land," in order to weaken Israel's spirit (see Rashi on Genesis 1:1) and to justify his desire to fight. Yiftach, therefore, rejected his claims out of hand and brought clear historical proofs that the Land of Israel belongs to the Jewish People. Yiftach knew very well that it is not enough to be strong in order to win wars. You also have to be right and to believe in the rightness of your cause.
Today, the Arabs and their supporters from within and without argue: "You are conquerors and thieves who have taken a land that is not yours." The goal of this argument is to weaken the spirit of our nation, to weaken the spirit of its leaders and the spirit of the army. Unfortunately, they have succeeded with their propaganda in influencing part of the nation and its leaders from within, and the rest of the leaders of the nations of the world.
Those nations support political processes that present a genuine danger to the existence of the State of Israel in that their goal is to establish an Arabic state in the very heart of the land of our life's blood. Their whole goal is the destruction of our state ? it will never happen!
How can we nullify their false accusation that we are thieves? How can we become stronger and more courageous to face the pressures of the nations, especially the Arabs, and their wish to weaken us?
We have to return to our roots. We have to repent like Yiftach, who moved far afield in his youth, but when he took up the mantle of leadership, he understood the enemy's goal and said clearly, "This is my land."
Today, as well, we have to learn, recognize and understand that Eretz Yisrael belongs solely to the Jewish People. We can achieve all of this if we return to our Jewish roots. Then we will be able to stand with pride and fortitude against our enemies and oppressors and we will say unequivocally, "Let us be strong and courageous for our people and for the cities of our G-d, and G-d shall do what is good in His eyes." (II Samuel 10:12)
When the Ammonite king threatened Israel on the pretext that Israel had conquered and stolen his land when they left Egypt, Yiftach the Gileadite defended Israel against him. He rejected out of hand the false claim that Israel were thieves who had conquered a land not theirs.
He argued, "What do you have to do with me, that you come to me to fight against my land?. Israel did not take away Moab's land, nor Ammon's." (Judges 11:12,15) "Quite the contrary," he argued, "you have had no sovereignty nor right to it for three hundred years since we conquered it from the Amorites at G-d's behest."
Indeed, Yiftach went to war by dint of his faith in the rightness of his claim, and he defeated the Ammonites: "The L-rd delivered them into his hand? The Ammonites were subdued before the Israelites." (ibid., 11:32-33)
Yiftach the Gileadite understood the psychological war being waged by the Ammonite king. That king employed a false claim, "You are thieves for you have conquered my land," in order to weaken Israel's spirit (see Rashi on Genesis 1:1) and to justify his desire to fight. Yiftach, therefore, rejected his claims out of hand and brought clear historical proofs that the Land of Israel belongs to the Jewish People. Yiftach knew very well that it is not enough to be strong in order to win wars. You also have to be right and to believe in the rightness of your cause.
Today, the Arabs and their supporters from within and without argue: "You are conquerors and thieves who have taken a land that is not yours." The goal of this argument is to weaken the spirit of our nation, to weaken the spirit of its leaders and the spirit of the army. Unfortunately, they have succeeded with their propaganda in influencing part of the nation and its leaders from within, and the rest of the leaders of the nations of the world.
Those nations support political processes that present a genuine danger to the existence of the State of Israel in that their goal is to establish an Arabic state in the very heart of the land of our life's blood. Their whole goal is the destruction of our state ? it will never happen!
How can we nullify their false accusation that we are thieves? How can we become stronger and more courageous to face the pressures of the nations, especially the Arabs, and their wish to weaken us?
We have to return to our roots. We have to repent like Yiftach, who moved far afield in his youth, but when he took up the mantle of leadership, he understood the enemy's goal and said clearly, "This is my land."
Today, as well, we have to learn, recognize and understand that Eretz Yisrael belongs solely to the Jewish People. We can achieve all of this if we return to our Jewish roots. Then we will be able to stand with pride and fortitude against our enemies and oppressors and we will say unequivocally, "Let us be strong and courageous for our people and for the cities of our G-d, and G-d shall do what is good in His eyes." (II Samuel 10:12)