The Nation of Israel was born in Egypt. They went down to Egypt numbering seventy, and they left Egypt a nation. The first to discern their peoplehood was Pharaoh, of all people, who announced to Egypt: "The people of Israel are becoming too numerous and strong for us." (Exodus 1:9)
Wicked Pharaoh, enemy of Israel, was the first to identify us as a nation with a special spirit that threatened both him and all of Egypt, who were sunken at the bottom of the forty-ninth rung of impurity. Pharaoh said, "We must deal wisely with them. Otherwise, they may increase so much that if there is war they will join our enemies and fight against us, driving us out of the land." (verse 10)
The fact that Israel themselves do not identify themselves as a nation is no coincidence. Imagine a newborn infant. At first, he does not know himself. He has no idea of his own worth or of the good soul within him. Only his parents and others from outside can see the infant's good soul and rejoice over it. Only when the infant grows up does he identify himself, know his own talents and find his purpose in the world.
It was the same with the Jewish people. When they were first formed as a nation, they did not know themselves, or their worth or task.
The hatred of Pharaoh and the Egyptians for Israel as a people taught us the hard way that indeed Israel is a nation. The plagues, the exodus, the splitting of the sea and the Torah's revelation all taught Israel by positive means the difference between Israel and the nations. It showed them that G-d had lovingly chosen them and that they were a special people, a kingdom of priests and a holy nation whose task it is to bestow light and goodness on the world.
Today, we are living in the age of Holocaust and rebirth. In the Holocaust, we learned in the hardest way imaginable that there is a Jewish people. The Nazis ? may their name be blotted out ? in their hatred for Jews, identified us, marked us and murdered us because we are Jews. And just as Pharaoh identified us first as a people and sought to kill us and our children, today as well, unfortunately, anti-Semitism, hatred of Jews in general and hatred of the State of Israel as a Jewish State are leading us against our will to recognize our special identity as a nation and as a unique people.
Yet, the time has come for us to recognize the identity and role of the Jewish people by positive means. We must study and recognize our nation's uniqueness and their historic destiny for the world as the people chosen by G-d. G-d continues to choose us from amongst all peoples so that we can bring good to the world.
The time has come for us to acknowledge our greatness and worth. After all, the reason the Arabs and the nations who support them fight against us is that they wish to extinguish the light of Israel, which is growing brighter in Eretz Yisrael and throughout the entire world. Quite the contrary, we must recognize our identity, worth and destiny, and we must fight with fortitude and valor for our survival and independence, and for the land that was safeguarded in our hands. If we recognize that we are fighting not just a national fight for our survival, but a war in which the black clouds of murderous terror are threatening all of mankind, then through strength and valor we will merit peace, for "The L-rd will grant strength to His people. He will bless His people with peace." (Psalm 29:11)
Wicked Pharaoh, enemy of Israel, was the first to identify us as a nation with a special spirit that threatened both him and all of Egypt, who were sunken at the bottom of the forty-ninth rung of impurity. Pharaoh said, "We must deal wisely with them. Otherwise, they may increase so much that if there is war they will join our enemies and fight against us, driving us out of the land." (verse 10)
The fact that Israel themselves do not identify themselves as a nation is no coincidence. Imagine a newborn infant. At first, he does not know himself. He has no idea of his own worth or of the good soul within him. Only his parents and others from outside can see the infant's good soul and rejoice over it. Only when the infant grows up does he identify himself, know his own talents and find his purpose in the world.
It was the same with the Jewish people. When they were first formed as a nation, they did not know themselves, or their worth or task.
The hatred of Pharaoh and the Egyptians for Israel as a people taught us the hard way that indeed Israel is a nation. The plagues, the exodus, the splitting of the sea and the Torah's revelation all taught Israel by positive means the difference between Israel and the nations. It showed them that G-d had lovingly chosen them and that they were a special people, a kingdom of priests and a holy nation whose task it is to bestow light and goodness on the world.
Today, we are living in the age of Holocaust and rebirth. In the Holocaust, we learned in the hardest way imaginable that there is a Jewish people. The Nazis ? may their name be blotted out ? in their hatred for Jews, identified us, marked us and murdered us because we are Jews. And just as Pharaoh identified us first as a people and sought to kill us and our children, today as well, unfortunately, anti-Semitism, hatred of Jews in general and hatred of the State of Israel as a Jewish State are leading us against our will to recognize our special identity as a nation and as a unique people.
Yet, the time has come for us to recognize the identity and role of the Jewish people by positive means. We must study and recognize our nation's uniqueness and their historic destiny for the world as the people chosen by G-d. G-d continues to choose us from amongst all peoples so that we can bring good to the world.
The time has come for us to acknowledge our greatness and worth. After all, the reason the Arabs and the nations who support them fight against us is that they wish to extinguish the light of Israel, which is growing brighter in Eretz Yisrael and throughout the entire world. Quite the contrary, we must recognize our identity, worth and destiny, and we must fight with fortitude and valor for our survival and independence, and for the land that was safeguarded in our hands. If we recognize that we are fighting not just a national fight for our survival, but a war in which the black clouds of murderous terror are threatening all of mankind, then through strength and valor we will merit peace, for "The L-rd will grant strength to His people. He will bless His people with peace." (Psalm 29:11)