Ze’ev Jabotinsky: "Life Is Not Always Logical"... but “The Jewish People is Omni-Present.”
During Passover seder in our home, like in Jewish homes worldwide, our youngest child asked "why is this night different from all other nights?", and of course we answered and sang and ate, but one thing that remains constant on every night for the Jewish community – this night and all other nights (and years) is hatred for the Jewish people and the Jewish state.
In synagogues worldwide, discussions about Israel and Iran, and the State of Israel are natural discussion topics – and many of the answers can be found in the words of a Zionist Jewish prophet who remains a source of inspiration for Jews worldwide, Ze’ev Jabotinsky.
Some very relevant quotes for today fromZe’ev Jabotinsky:
“Everything connected with war is 'evil' and 'good' does not exist at all. When you fire at the enemy do not lie to yourself and do not imagine that you are shooting at the 'guilty'… if at that time we would have begun to calculate what was preferable – the result would have been simple: if you want to be 'good' allow yourself to be killed and forego all that you made it your aim to defend: home, country, freedom, hope. The Romans used to say: 'always choose the lesser of two evils. When you are faced with a situation where the exertion of force prevails, only one question may be presented: 'which is worse?'” (Story of The Jewish Legion)
No one in the Jewish community wants a conflict with Iran (or the Palestinian Arabs) – but for Israel it’s a question of survival, and that’s why Israel thankfully has nuclear arms. Survival is king.
Human society is based on reciprocity. If you remove reciprocity, justice becomes a lie. A person walking somewhere on a street has the right to live only because and only to the extent that he acknowledges my right to live. But, if he wishes to kill me, to my mind he forfeits his right to exist – and this also applies to nations. Otherwise, the world would become a racing area for vicious predators, where not only the weakest would be devoured, but the best.”1923 – ethics of the iron wall
Netanyahu can say exactly this every single time he defends and protects Israel.
“Justice means that everyone receives that which he deserves, especially those that have nothing will receive at least something: for example, a nation which has become stateless should be given a country of its own. We Jews too are candidates for this form of justice as equally as others. For as long as we do not obtain that which we deserve, the world is in fact perpetrating an injustice. Anything that hinders the attainment of our just demands is in principle an injustice…” “If ours is a righteous demand than anything that threatens its implementation loses the right to cloak itself with lofty phraseology…. Its true name is nothing other than – criminal.” Ze’ev Jabotinsky in a public speech, July 8, 1927
It’s absurd that perhaps the only country whose very existence is question is the most persecuted people on the face of the Earth – it’s nothing short of criminal.
As Jabotinsky said in 1940, “Life is not always logical”.
At Passover tables worldwide, Jews break the afikomen– a half piece of matzah which is broken. The afikomen represents the full portion of food which was never given to us – only half. Perhaps the half-missing matzah represents the sufferings of the Jewish people – and the hope that the pain the world and Israel’s enemies causes the Jewish people will eventually be redeemed.
Perhaps in time, as in the Kabbalah there will be a time "to fix the broken vessels" – the damage done.Jewish hearts worldwide break – and all lovers of justice too should be heartbroken that year after year Israel and the Jewish people are condemned and Israelis forced to defend themselves.
Whatever it is, and wherever Jews worldwide celebrate Passover, the Jewish people is Omni-present and passed down from generation to generation, and today in April 2012, just as Ze’ev Jabotinsky said in 1937, “Jewish religious tradition is not an archaic object of our history, but an active pulsating power which exists today and will continue for all eternity.“
Am Israel Chai – The Jewish People Live!