"A land that HaShem your G-d seeks out; the eyes of HaShem, your G-d, are always upon it, from the beginning of the year to the year's end." This is what our rabbis teach us: HaShem sees what the land's needs are and He introduces decrees upon it, at times for good and at times for bad.
The ways of HaShem are certainly hidden from us, and we can only try to guess why the harsh decree has come down upon us, His chosen people, with the destruction of Gush Katif and with it, some 36 synagogues and houses of study. Why were the vineyards uprooted and why do the once fertile fields lie still? The places where Jewish children ran free and the old people sat - fulfilling the Biblical prophecy of days gone by that the old people will yet sit and the children will run in her streets - are left desolate. The signs of our Redemption have already been explained to us; sometimes they are clear as day and sometimes hidden: "I opened for my Beloved, but alas, my Beloved had turned His back on my plea and was gone." (Song of Songs)
First and foremost, we must make an accounting of our deeds. On a personal level, did we do all we could do for our beloved land? I find it inexplicable that on the weeks leading up to the expulsion of the Jews from their land, some 40,000 strong came out for our attempts to enter the Gush Katif area, but when "D-Day" came along, I found myself with only a pitiful few hundred people in the area, trying to help our brethren in need. How is it possible that when Jews were being forced out of their homes, other Jews went about their everyday business? How can one go to work on a day when 36 synagogues are being destroyed? And while other Jews went to the cafes and movies, others were having their life's work pulled out from under them. Still others, in their vacation sites in the Catskills, were saying: "Why, where is Gush Katif anyway?"
On a national level, we must ask ourselves why this happened to us. A holy congregation whose lives were dedicated to settling the Land - where did we go wrong?
One thought comes to mind, from the prophet Hagai: Shall you sit in your fortified houses while the House of HaShem lies in waste? Maybe the message here is a warning for all of us. The greatest Chilul HaShem in our times is the state of the present day Temple Mount, as we leave it in the hands of the jackals. Every day that the haters of the G-d of Israel control the Mount is an abomination, and only a precious few are active in making a change.
I am not consoled, for I know that this is just the beginning, and the pressure to give away more Jewish land has already begun. And it won't be long in coming that the nations, after seeing just how easy it is for them to pressure us to destroy our own settlements, will really put the heat on. And things will only get worse, with our faithless leaders who run to hear the praises of the nations of how Israel is doing the right thing, even as we self-destruct.
Still, there is hope over the horizon, for I have seen the fire in our youth, the ones who came out by the tens of thousands for the sake of our Land. Their spirit will not be put down. It is from them that I gather strength. I know that, no matter how long it will take, they will be the ones to lead us in the next generation, the ones who will take over the army, the ones who will take over government, the ones who will stand up and shout: "The land of Israel was given to the Jewish people by HaShem - and it is only for the Jewish people!"
Unfortunately, for now, we will have to pay the high cost of the fools who lead us astray, but down the road - down that long road of Jewish history - I see the light.
The ways of HaShem are certainly hidden from us, and we can only try to guess why the harsh decree has come down upon us, His chosen people, with the destruction of Gush Katif and with it, some 36 synagogues and houses of study. Why were the vineyards uprooted and why do the once fertile fields lie still? The places where Jewish children ran free and the old people sat - fulfilling the Biblical prophecy of days gone by that the old people will yet sit and the children will run in her streets - are left desolate. The signs of our Redemption have already been explained to us; sometimes they are clear as day and sometimes hidden: "I opened for my Beloved, but alas, my Beloved had turned His back on my plea and was gone." (Song of Songs)
First and foremost, we must make an accounting of our deeds. On a personal level, did we do all we could do for our beloved land? I find it inexplicable that on the weeks leading up to the expulsion of the Jews from their land, some 40,000 strong came out for our attempts to enter the Gush Katif area, but when "D-Day" came along, I found myself with only a pitiful few hundred people in the area, trying to help our brethren in need. How is it possible that when Jews were being forced out of their homes, other Jews went about their everyday business? How can one go to work on a day when 36 synagogues are being destroyed? And while other Jews went to the cafes and movies, others were having their life's work pulled out from under them. Still others, in their vacation sites in the Catskills, were saying: "Why, where is Gush Katif anyway?"
On a national level, we must ask ourselves why this happened to us. A holy congregation whose lives were dedicated to settling the Land - where did we go wrong?
One thought comes to mind, from the prophet Hagai: Shall you sit in your fortified houses while the House of HaShem lies in waste? Maybe the message here is a warning for all of us. The greatest Chilul HaShem in our times is the state of the present day Temple Mount, as we leave it in the hands of the jackals. Every day that the haters of the G-d of Israel control the Mount is an abomination, and only a precious few are active in making a change.
I am not consoled, for I know that this is just the beginning, and the pressure to give away more Jewish land has already begun. And it won't be long in coming that the nations, after seeing just how easy it is for them to pressure us to destroy our own settlements, will really put the heat on. And things will only get worse, with our faithless leaders who run to hear the praises of the nations of how Israel is doing the right thing, even as we self-destruct.
Still, there is hope over the horizon, for I have seen the fire in our youth, the ones who came out by the tens of thousands for the sake of our Land. Their spirit will not be put down. It is from them that I gather strength. I know that, no matter how long it will take, they will be the ones to lead us in the next generation, the ones who will take over the army, the ones who will take over government, the ones who will stand up and shout: "The land of Israel was given to the Jewish people by HaShem - and it is only for the Jewish people!"
Unfortunately, for now, we will have to pay the high cost of the fools who lead us astray, but down the road - down that long road of Jewish history - I see the light.