The religious settlers of Judea, Samaria and Gaza are among the most maligned people on the face of the earth. It's rare that anyone says anything good about them. They are even reviled by many of their own countrymen, who accuse them of every imaginable sin. Yet, these settlers are the leading edge of the Jewish redemption.
Almost 2,000 years ago, our ancestors were driven into exile, because they refused to obey the commandments of God, and insisted instead on following the desires of their own hearts. Since that time, the Jewish people have sought redemption, sought to return to the Promised Land, where they could once again live in peace and safety. But true redemption requires correcting the errors of the past.
God has commanded the Jewish people to settle the entire Land of Israel, and the settlers are obeying that command. To do so, they have to endure very great hardships, including the real possibility of being killed at any time by Arab terrorists. They could surely live an easier and more comfortable life in Tel Aviv. But they reject this option. They don't ask "How can I get what I want?" but rather "How can I do what God wants?"
The settlers, through their unyielding faith, are leading Israel into the future, while those who say, "We can't keep all of this land, we have to make painful concessions, we dare not upset the international community" are the ones who are holding Israel back and dragging it down.
Of course, many people will dispute this point of view. They'll say, "We no longer believe in God. As far as we're concerned, the Torah, the covenant, and the miracles in the Bible are just a bunch of fairy tales. Those beliefs may have been okay for the ancients, but today we're much too intellectually sophisticated to give credence to such ideas." Interestingly, this is exactly what the Hellenists said before they were defeated by the Maccabees.
Let us recall who the Hellenists were. They were Jews who rejected Judaism in favor of Greek philosophy. And what was Greek philosophy about? It was about science and reason, very modern ideas at the time. The Greeks worshipped beauty and pleasure, and held that the greatest good was whatever produced the highest human enjoyment. They worshipped Man instead of God, and in fact, one can appreciate the seductive appeal of a philosophy that imposes minimal ethical obligations, while granting permission to satisfy all of one's material and physical desires.
In today's terms, the Hellenists could be described as modernists, or even (dare I say it?) liberal intellectuals. Never in their darkest dreams did they imagine that their power could be broken by the Maccabees. After all, they were more numerous than the Maccabees, and also had greater wealth, higher social positions and strong foreign allies. How could they possibly be overcome by a band of marginal religious extremists?
Yet overcome they were, because God would not allow the light of His Torah to be extinguished. Similarly today, many self-styled "intellectuals" believe that Israel's interests would best be served by extinguishing the light of the Torah, replacing Jewish beliefs with "enlightened" modern values, and ridding Israel of everything that makes it "different" from the other nations.
These people are now pushing Israel toward civil war, with their persistent attempts to drive religious Jews out of their homes and off their land by force, in the belief that peace can be achieved through surrendering to the enemy.
But this effort will not succeed, because the Almighty will again assist those who trust in Him, and bring to nothing the efforts of those who oppose Him. As long as the settlers remain firm in their faith, stand their ground, refuse to compromise with weakness, and continue to fear God more than they fear Man, Israel's future will remain very bright indeed.
Almost 2,000 years ago, our ancestors were driven into exile, because they refused to obey the commandments of God, and insisted instead on following the desires of their own hearts. Since that time, the Jewish people have sought redemption, sought to return to the Promised Land, where they could once again live in peace and safety. But true redemption requires correcting the errors of the past.
God has commanded the Jewish people to settle the entire Land of Israel, and the settlers are obeying that command. To do so, they have to endure very great hardships, including the real possibility of being killed at any time by Arab terrorists. They could surely live an easier and more comfortable life in Tel Aviv. But they reject this option. They don't ask "How can I get what I want?" but rather "How can I do what God wants?"
The settlers, through their unyielding faith, are leading Israel into the future, while those who say, "We can't keep all of this land, we have to make painful concessions, we dare not upset the international community" are the ones who are holding Israel back and dragging it down.
Of course, many people will dispute this point of view. They'll say, "We no longer believe in God. As far as we're concerned, the Torah, the covenant, and the miracles in the Bible are just a bunch of fairy tales. Those beliefs may have been okay for the ancients, but today we're much too intellectually sophisticated to give credence to such ideas." Interestingly, this is exactly what the Hellenists said before they were defeated by the Maccabees.
Let us recall who the Hellenists were. They were Jews who rejected Judaism in favor of Greek philosophy. And what was Greek philosophy about? It was about science and reason, very modern ideas at the time. The Greeks worshipped beauty and pleasure, and held that the greatest good was whatever produced the highest human enjoyment. They worshipped Man instead of God, and in fact, one can appreciate the seductive appeal of a philosophy that imposes minimal ethical obligations, while granting permission to satisfy all of one's material and physical desires.
In today's terms, the Hellenists could be described as modernists, or even (dare I say it?) liberal intellectuals. Never in their darkest dreams did they imagine that their power could be broken by the Maccabees. After all, they were more numerous than the Maccabees, and also had greater wealth, higher social positions and strong foreign allies. How could they possibly be overcome by a band of marginal religious extremists?
Yet overcome they were, because God would not allow the light of His Torah to be extinguished. Similarly today, many self-styled "intellectuals" believe that Israel's interests would best be served by extinguishing the light of the Torah, replacing Jewish beliefs with "enlightened" modern values, and ridding Israel of everything that makes it "different" from the other nations.
These people are now pushing Israel toward civil war, with their persistent attempts to drive religious Jews out of their homes and off their land by force, in the belief that peace can be achieved through surrendering to the enemy.
But this effort will not succeed, because the Almighty will again assist those who trust in Him, and bring to nothing the efforts of those who oppose Him. As long as the settlers remain firm in their faith, stand their ground, refuse to compromise with weakness, and continue to fear God more than they fear Man, Israel's future will remain very bright indeed.