Kudos to one of the great living heroes of the Jewish People, Rav Shmuel Eliyahu, for passing along an insight that should shake the foundations of the Jewish world, particularly here in Israel.
As reported in Israel National News, Rav Eliyahu was told by a friend of his that in a conversation with a senior Arab official on the Temple Mount, the official revealed that there has been a precipitous drop in the number of Muslims visiting the Mount, and why that has happened.
According to this official, Muslim visitation has dropped by half, and the reason for it has to do with the new guidelines and protocols that Jews can follow in visiting the Temple Mount.
Here is his explanation: “The reason is that you started bowing to the Holy One, Blessed be He. When we see you bowing we are afraid of you, because you humble yourselves before G-d. If you humble yourselves before G-d, who can stand against you? So, we don’t come anymore."
Wow. The message of this statement is earth shattering, both in its straightforwardness and its implications. Bottom line, the world is taking its cues from us.
When Jews respect themselves enough to honor G-d openly, directly, with no apologies and no reservations, guess what happens?
The world notices. Our adversaries worry and our friends celebrate. And us? We are being who we should be. And being ourselves is a powerful sign to the world.
For years Jews have been treated as second class citizens on the Temple Mount. I was once told to remove my kippah there (by a Jewish policeman no less) because the Mount was “a Muslim holy site."
How self-demeaning can one get! The messaging was unmistakable: if you, the Jews, don’t revere your most important site and place, how long will you cleave to anywhere here? You will ultimately give it all up or let it be taken away from you.
The lack of Jewish self-respect generated rampant disrespect, particularly among our Arab neighbors.
The insight that Rav Eliyahu has passed along pertains not only to the Temple Mount, but to the Jewish presence in the Land of Israel. Our adversaries respect power and are contemptuous of weakness or non-caring.
When they see us cleaving to our faith, to our tradition, willing to sacrifice to protect it all, including our Land, we are feared and respected. We might not win friends, but we develop something akin to grudging admirers.
This applies not just to our adversaries. For years our Christian Zionist friends have expressed befuddlement about our ambivalence, our ambiguity, our unwillingness to flat out assert our ownership rightful control of the Land of Israel. We are chided for in effect apologizing for our sovereign success.
Thankfully, in its way, October 7th has helped to change that mindset. A new generation of prospective leaders has discarded ambivalence in favor of full-throated belief and belonging.
We have learned the importance of bowing before Hashem and of standing straight in front of the world. And we know that the world will follow suit and respect us for our faith and conviction.
This is the updated version of the new Jew that Nordau and others pined fo in the early days of organized Zionism. It is not a political development today, but an existential one.
Who can stand before us when we bow before Hashem and stand straight before the world?
No one. Am Yisrael chai!
Douglas Altabef is the Chairman of the Board of Im Tirtzu, a Director of the Israel Independence Fund, and a former Director of Byadenu.