History is replete with leaders who erred in their decisions and caused great pain and suffering to their people. The Biblical spies were tribal leaders who erred, slandering the Land and causing their generation to die in the desert. King Saul erred in the way he dealt with Agag, king of Amalek, and it lost him the monarchy. Even King Solomon, who was the wisest of all men, erred in taking Pharaoh's daughter for a wife. He too caused great suffering to himself and to his people.
Amongst those who made the worst mistakes during the First Temple period was Yeravam ben Nevat, who both sinned and led Israel to sin. Of him our sages say, "Why was he called 'Yeravam ben Nevat'? Because he degraded his people [riva am]." Others say that it was because he caused a fight [meriva] between Israel and their Father in Heaven. And why was he called "ben Nevat"? "Because he looked [nibat], but he did not see." (Sanhedrin 101b) In other words, he thought he was examining the situation well, but he did not see, and made mistakes (Rashi, ibid.).
Yeravam ben Nevat also divided the people and the Land, with ten tribes in one part, and the tribe of Judah in the other. As our sages tell us, Yeravam was a great Torah scholar: "There was no flaw in his Torah learning. He produced innovative Torah thoughts never heard before. In comparison with him, all the other sages were like the grass of the field." (Sanhedrin, ibid.) Even so, he erred terribly! He sinned and led Israel to sin, and brought divisiveness and humiliation upon them.
Our sages recount how G-d, Himself, took hold of Yeravam's garment and said to him, "Repent! You and I and David shall stroll together in Eden." Yet Yeravam responded, "Who will walk first?" and G-d responded, "David!" Yeravam then said, "I won't repent!" and in his arrogance, he brought tragedy upon Israel.
Today, Ariel Sharon's decision to establish a state for the Arabs in the very heart of Eretz Yisrael, and to uproot Jews from Eretz Yisrael, is a tragic mistake that is automatically leading to the same things that Yeravam's mistakes caused. It is bringing about the humiliation of Israel, is splitting the nation in two, and is creating harsh and dangerous controversy, as well as a quarrel, so to speak, between Israel and their Father in Heaven.
The reason for Sharon's mistake stems from the same cause: arrogance! He is saying: "I am smarter than everyone! Smarter than my friends in the Likud, smarter than the Jewish People, smarter than the Torah, smarter than the nation's spiritual leaders down through the generations, those who kept the fire burning all through time."
We hereby call upon Sharon, just as G-d called upon Yeravam ben Nevat: "Repent! Then the merit of Eretz Yisrael will defend you and you will be recorded gloriously in the pages of history, just like Yehoshua bin Nun and Calev ben Yefuneh, who risked their lives for their people and their land."
Amongst those who made the worst mistakes during the First Temple period was Yeravam ben Nevat, who both sinned and led Israel to sin. Of him our sages say, "Why was he called 'Yeravam ben Nevat'? Because he degraded his people [riva am]." Others say that it was because he caused a fight [meriva] between Israel and their Father in Heaven. And why was he called "ben Nevat"? "Because he looked [nibat], but he did not see." (Sanhedrin 101b) In other words, he thought he was examining the situation well, but he did not see, and made mistakes (Rashi, ibid.).
Yeravam ben Nevat also divided the people and the Land, with ten tribes in one part, and the tribe of Judah in the other. As our sages tell us, Yeravam was a great Torah scholar: "There was no flaw in his Torah learning. He produced innovative Torah thoughts never heard before. In comparison with him, all the other sages were like the grass of the field." (Sanhedrin, ibid.) Even so, he erred terribly! He sinned and led Israel to sin, and brought divisiveness and humiliation upon them.
Our sages recount how G-d, Himself, took hold of Yeravam's garment and said to him, "Repent! You and I and David shall stroll together in Eden." Yet Yeravam responded, "Who will walk first?" and G-d responded, "David!" Yeravam then said, "I won't repent!" and in his arrogance, he brought tragedy upon Israel.
Today, Ariel Sharon's decision to establish a state for the Arabs in the very heart of Eretz Yisrael, and to uproot Jews from Eretz Yisrael, is a tragic mistake that is automatically leading to the same things that Yeravam's mistakes caused. It is bringing about the humiliation of Israel, is splitting the nation in two, and is creating harsh and dangerous controversy, as well as a quarrel, so to speak, between Israel and their Father in Heaven.
The reason for Sharon's mistake stems from the same cause: arrogance! He is saying: "I am smarter than everyone! Smarter than my friends in the Likud, smarter than the Jewish People, smarter than the Torah, smarter than the nation's spiritual leaders down through the generations, those who kept the fire burning all through time."
We hereby call upon Sharon, just as G-d called upon Yeravam ben Nevat: "Repent! Then the merit of Eretz Yisrael will defend you and you will be recorded gloriously in the pages of history, just like Yehoshua bin Nun and Calev ben Yefuneh, who risked their lives for their people and their land."