As a someone teaching seminary students who arrive for their year in Israel, I found it especially daunting walking into class for the first time since Succot break. They had started off the year – as did we all – blissfully ignorant of the horrors we would be dealing with the day we capped off the marathon of Tishrei holidays with Simchat Torah.
As I walked into one seminary, the girls immediately requested to learn something pertinent to the situation. The first thing that came to mind was a particular commentary on Chumash Bereshit. I hesitated for a minute thinking it was way too morbid of a topic. But when I opened it up to reread it, to check if it truly was relevant, some many realizations occurred to me that I have since taught it multiple times in the past week and a half.
Rashbam - Rabbi Shmuel ben Meir, lived 1085-1158 and Rashi's grandson -has a rather surprising and prescient take on the Akeda. On the very first pasuk of that story, he states that Akedat Yitzchak (the binding of Isaac) was a punishment for Avraham Avinu for signing a land for peace deal with Avimelech King of Gerar (aka Gaza) that was binding for three generations ("le'nini u'lenechdi"). He says Avraham became arrogant after Yitzchak was born and that's what prompted such a presumptuous treaty. Hashem's reply according to Rashbam was "go sacrifice your son and let's see what will become of your treaty."
Hashem never intended for Yitzchak to be actually sacrificed, just to cause Avraham Avinu two wake up calls:
1. to humble him and appreciate the limits of his power in the fates of future generations
2. to make him appreciate the land. Rashbam points out that Gerar was part of Hashem's original promised land to the Jewish people and Avraham had no right to sign it away to Avimelech, certainly not for generations.
He also continues and points out the midrashic work on the book of Shmuel says "seven times will his children (Avimelech's) go to war against your children and they will win." Rashbam says this is directly a result of the seven sheep (representing the treaty and concession of the seven wells) that Avraham surrendered to Avimelech in the peace treaty.
The reason I'm pointing to this commentary is NOT because of the eerie political parallels. The reason I went ahead and taught it is due to the incredible trend I've been noticing among our cherished soldiers.
I'm a vatika (old timer) and lived through the "Operations" of the last 25 years. Guardians of the Walls and now Charavot Barzel is the pinnacle of a growing paradigm shift among IDF soldiers! Soldiers and their commanders were cocky for decades and thought that the success, or G-d forbid failure, of a mission was dependent solely upon the quality of weapons and their personal prowess. Gradually we've been seeing soldiers realize that their spirituality affects the outcome as much as or more than their physical capabilities! It's true that citizens have been sending food, medical supplies, etc. But the soldiers are begging the nation for tzitzit, tefillin, pocket sized siddurim (prayer books) and most of all prayers. They say "there are no atheists in foxholes" but this is not the case now! What we are seeing is our belov
ed soldiers actually manifesting the tikun (rectification) for Avraham's mistake. We do not neeed anymore akedot because our beloved soldiers are living with every cell on their body what Avraham himself forgot for one second (in his own way).
Because of this wonderful generation (yes, they are wonders!) we may merit to truly own the land. The Akeda was meant to teach Avraham and Yitzchak (and they planted this insight into OUR very DNA, every one of us!!!) that the key to Eretz Yisrael is through hishtadlut (physical effort) and bitul (nullification before Hashem's will). Our soldiers get it and are living it. I see soldiers giving it their all in every sense of the word - but sending videos begging the Jewish people to learn Torah in their merit, asking for children to say Tehilim because only this can bring true victory over our enemies.
It's true that every generation is "dwarves standing on giants shoulders." (Yes historically this is a Christian expression but Jewish sages adopted and "koshered" it) but we see with our own eyes that these "dwarves" can see what even Avraham Avinu couldn't. They see the hand of Hashem behind everything and just ask to be vehicles for Hashem's will. Their humility is their ultimate weapon and they know it. May all of our beloved soldiers continue maintaining this miraculous perspective and may Hashem bless and protect every one of them.
May He bring them home whole and complete both physically and spiritually. From now on may they merit to wear tefillin and tzitzit only proactively and happily, dwelling in the land of Israel with their children and grandchildren. Amen.