The reality is very clear: the Nukhba terrorists deserve to die; our soldiers are the heroes; the State Attorney's Office has been weakening the nation for a generation; The hypocritical left, which dares to talk about insubordination and dismantling the army, is not even worthy of a response.
At the same time, the reality also contains another fact: a small part of the Jewish people, in a convoluted and evil way, has created a situation in which some of the government institutions are still held captive to what is popularly known in Israel as the “conceptsia”. Whether we like it or not, this is the situation now and it is not possible to immediately dismantle all the obstacles in these systems, certainly not in time of war.
This week's Torah portion Matot-Masei describes the war the people of Israel waged against Midian, a war of revenge against pure evil, a war that got complicated and at the end of which Moses got angry at the fighters. Without going into a discussion of what their mistake was, Moshe's basic message is that the war must be conducted systematically, in control and with self-control (then, by the way, the lack of control was excessive compassion for the enemy).
The national and traditional-religious camp has responsibility for the state and therefore we will never dismantle the government systems. This was the case when the state was established ("there will be no civil war"); this was also the case in the expulsion from Gush Katif. We will act in the long and immediate future to change the reality within (!) the systems with the prices that go with it. Protests, yes; breaking into military bases, no.
This generation needs "nerves of steel," as Rabbi Tzvi Yehuda [Kook] said in his time, and now is the time to keep using them.
I want to remind all of us that the real enemy is at the gate. They are waiting in the north and on the other fronts and just want to see the destruction of Israel’s systems. That is not going to happen.
And in fact -
The latest news has made us stand tall and proud. In the midst of a multitude of struggles against enemies from outside and those who weaken us from within, we have been reminded that evil is ultimately eradicated and that good wins. We heard happy news that filled the heart of an entire nation.
In the portion of Matot that we will read on Shabbat, the subject of vows is mentioned extensively. "If a man takes a vow to the Lord". Today we are careful to add "bli neder" [please God] to any commitment lest we fail to fulfill it, but the principle of making vows comes to cement great moments in life. Like a lightning bolt on a dark night, there are moments when God's providence is revealed to us the world. A moment of pure happiness.
Just then, there is a little elf who whispers in our ear: "we will soon be back to the days of routine and to the feeling of drabness". This is the moment to make vows, to commit to good deeds that will remind us of the light even in the gray days that will come.
We have a long way to go. There will probably also be consequences for these assassinations that we will have to deal with, but we must not let those moments be forgotten. The day after the vote to establish the State of Israel, the first terror attacks of the War of Independence began, but people who participated in dancing in the streets that night say that they have never forgotten this moment, and it remained in their hearts long after the war subsided.
I suggest that each and every one take upon themselves today, bli neder, a specific commitment. To fight evil and to do more good. Both on a personal level and on a community level. I wanted to take it upon myself to go back to dieting, but the baklavas they handed out today prevented me from doing so. We will find something else with the help of God. Bli neder.
The bad will pass
The good will prevail
With God's help.