The remarkable Mark Twain was fond of relating the following vignette of a notoriously corrupt New England businessman who once exclaimed to him "before I die I intend to make a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. There," he exclaimed "I will climb up Mount Sinai and read the Ten Commandments out loud."
"I have a better idea," responded Twain. "You could stay home in Boston and keep them."
The same is true with the Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon. The self-deception and distortion of reality is driving him to banish thousands of men, women and children from their beloved and vibrant communities within Gush Katif. All this is being done in the name of "disengagement" and in reality is simply rewarding terrorists and murderers. Indeed, the prime minister is totally in the dark and is directly compromising the security of millions of Jewish people in the worst way.
Sages of Israel and the Diaspora - Where is your Voice?
The ill-advised plan for unilateral withdrawal from Gaza and parts of the West Bank with no assurances in return, only invites more international pressure upon Israel to relinquish more and more territory vitally needed to protect its major population centers. In fact, the corpus of Jewish religious law, called the Shulchan Arukh, is explicit in prohibiting any action on the part of individuals or a government entity that jeopardizes security and the protection of life, called pikuach nefesh.
From the Shulchan Arukh ("Laws of Shabbat" 329, and in 328:12) it is eminently clear that the Gedolei Yisrael, great Torah leaders of our people, have an obligation to speak out and to act in matters of pikuach nefesh (see Taz 328:5).
In our generation, the Lubavitcher Rebbe, z.t.l., and the Rishon L'Tziyon Rabbi Mordechai Eliyahu, sh.li.t.a., as well as our revered Rabbi Abraham B. Hecht, president of the Rabbinical Alliance of America ? Igud HaRabanim, and others have spoken out with courage and love, saying that we need to follow the Torah's directive, which assures us true safety and security.
Adherence to the laws of pikuach nefesh far outweighs the falsely perceived political benefits to be gained by allowing our mortal enemy to get closer to our borders. Abandoning parts of the land to the PLO makes sense neither according to simple logic, nor from the perspective of the experts in national security. Certainly this is true from the Torah's perspective, which compels us to do nothing that will endanger life and limb of our fellow human being.
A Call to Action
This being the reality of the situation, it is critical for K'lal Yisrael that the Gedolei Yisrael of our day, both residing in Israel and the world-over, speak up and share the message of the Torah on this issue. Pikuach nefesh is not a political matter. It's a matter of life itself.
The Torah sages of the Igud call upon all synagogues and individuals to recite more T'hillim (Psalms) and to write letters to our elected officials, especially senators and members of Congress. Let it not be said that American Jewry was silent as Jews were being exiled from their homes and community. The fact that this is being done by an Israeli government makes it no less reprehensible. The time for action is now.
"I have a better idea," responded Twain. "You could stay home in Boston and keep them."
The same is true with the Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon. The self-deception and distortion of reality is driving him to banish thousands of men, women and children from their beloved and vibrant communities within Gush Katif. All this is being done in the name of "disengagement" and in reality is simply rewarding terrorists and murderers. Indeed, the prime minister is totally in the dark and is directly compromising the security of millions of Jewish people in the worst way.
Sages of Israel and the Diaspora - Where is your Voice?
The ill-advised plan for unilateral withdrawal from Gaza and parts of the West Bank with no assurances in return, only invites more international pressure upon Israel to relinquish more and more territory vitally needed to protect its major population centers. In fact, the corpus of Jewish religious law, called the Shulchan Arukh, is explicit in prohibiting any action on the part of individuals or a government entity that jeopardizes security and the protection of life, called pikuach nefesh.
From the Shulchan Arukh ("Laws of Shabbat" 329, and in 328:12) it is eminently clear that the Gedolei Yisrael, great Torah leaders of our people, have an obligation to speak out and to act in matters of pikuach nefesh (see Taz 328:5).
In our generation, the Lubavitcher Rebbe, z.t.l., and the Rishon L'Tziyon Rabbi Mordechai Eliyahu, sh.li.t.a., as well as our revered Rabbi Abraham B. Hecht, president of the Rabbinical Alliance of America ? Igud HaRabanim, and others have spoken out with courage and love, saying that we need to follow the Torah's directive, which assures us true safety and security.
Adherence to the laws of pikuach nefesh far outweighs the falsely perceived political benefits to be gained by allowing our mortal enemy to get closer to our borders. Abandoning parts of the land to the PLO makes sense neither according to simple logic, nor from the perspective of the experts in national security. Certainly this is true from the Torah's perspective, which compels us to do nothing that will endanger life and limb of our fellow human being.
A Call to Action
This being the reality of the situation, it is critical for K'lal Yisrael that the Gedolei Yisrael of our day, both residing in Israel and the world-over, speak up and share the message of the Torah on this issue. Pikuach nefesh is not a political matter. It's a matter of life itself.
The Torah sages of the Igud call upon all synagogues and individuals to recite more T'hillim (Psalms) and to write letters to our elected officials, especially senators and members of Congress. Let it not be said that American Jewry was silent as Jews were being exiled from their homes and community. The fact that this is being done by an Israeli government makes it no less reprehensible. The time for action is now.