Note:The following is an extract from “Bechayil U’v Ruach," the last book that Rav Haim Drukman wrote and approved for publication before he passed away, less than a year before the start of the war in Gaza. The title of the book hints at the verse, “Not by might nor by power but by my spirit, the God of Hosts says" (Zecharia 4:6). The army of Israel applies this principle, as it fights - “By might - with the spirit of God."
(Translated and edited by Moshe Goldberg)
Brotherhood and Fellowship of all the Nations
When speaking of the great value of the army in Israel and the true significance of Israel's wars, one must remember that the purpose is not war itself - rather, the real goal is peace. Wars are merely a means to ultimately achieve true peace, which will bring a blessing to humanity and to the entire world. But how can it be that wars lead to peace - and not just any peace, but peace for the whole world?
To understand this, one must understand the essential difference between the wars of the other nations and the wars of Israel.
The wars in which the nations of the world take part are driven by selfish needs - property and territory, revenge and honor, imposing religion and a way of life upon the other side, and so on. Israel's wars have an entirely different purpose, as the Rambam states in the Laws of Kings and Their Wars (7:15): “and he should know that it is for the sake of the Unity of the Name that he wages war … and his intent should be solely to sanctify God’s Name."
The people of Israel are the people of God, and their wars are the His wars. Upon the people of Israel rests the great mission of bringing all humanity to recognize the reality of God. “I formed this people for Myself, so that they shall tell of My praise" (Yeshayahu 43:21). And just as the priests among the people of Israel must lead the entire people to devotion to God, so the people of Israel are required to lead all humanity to devotion to the Creator - “and you shall be for Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation" (Shemot 19:6).
Because of this, Israel's wars have a direct effect on how God is perceived by mankind: when the people of Israel are victorious the Name of God is sanctified; and, heaven forbid, when the people of Israel are defeated the Name of Heaven is desecrated. This means that it is specifically wars that can pave the way to the world peace toward which the eyes of the whole world are turned. This does not mean a false peace, in which nations desire war but fear its destructive results, but rather a true peace, in which the very possibility of war is not even considered.
This is the great vision of Israel - bringing world peace, brotherhood and fellowship among all the nations of the world. To realize this vision, many actions are necessary, including struggles and wars, but the goal is always the same - true world peace.
The Path to Peace - Israel's Sovereignty in Its Land
In order for the people of Israel to fulfill their great mission of leading all humanity to world peace, which is the gateway to the greatest happiness, they must live according to the Torah in the fullest possible way. This means that settling the Land of Israel is what enables the revelation of the word of God in the world with the greatest intensity, and the revelation of the word of God is the key to the manifestation of all the real good.
The mission of Israel is to illuminate the world with the light of God, and to bring happiness and blessings to all of humanity. The main way to fulfill this mission is by renewing the living and powerful bond between man and God. And this is possible only when Israel has settled in its land.
Our struggle for full independence in all parts of our land is not a self-interested struggle for our own particular national existence. Rather, Israel's independence in its land is the key to the true good and happiness of all humanity, to true world peace, as stated in the vision of the prophet: “And it shall come to pass in the end of days … and He shall judge among the nations, and shall decide for many peoples; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks… Nation will not lift up a sword against nation, and they will not study war anymore." (Yeshayahu 2:2-4).
Only after the people of Israel merit national sovereignty in their land and become strong and powerful enough, and the Holy Temple stands rebuilt on the Temple Mount - only then will all the nations awake and come to the people of Israel to seek Torah. Wars will cease throughout the world, and true peace will prevail among humanity.
Indeed, in order for the Temple to be built, for the Divine Presence to dwell completely, and for holiness to be revealed in its entirety - it is necessary that the whole Land of Israel be under our control, as Rabbi Avraham Azulai wrote, about four hundred years ago: “Just as the Divine Presence is not complete as long as the Temple is not standing in its place, so too the Divine Presence is not complete as long as the Land of Israel is not complete within its borders." (Chesed L'Avraham 3:7).
It is important to emphasize that the manifestation of the Divine Presence through the settlement of the people of Israel in the Land of Israel is not something external - it is a matter of actual life. Even in our generation we are called upon to take part in the commandment of settling the land and to increase immigration - “that You bring us joyfully to our land"; to strengthen our dwelling in all parts of our land - “and plant us within our borders"; and from there to advance to the next stage, that of the Temple service - “and there we shall offer our sacrifices to You."
The commandment of settling the land is not limited just to its material building. For the building to be complete, alongside the material standing of the settlement, its spiritual standing must also be established - instilling a spirit of holiness in the Israeli settlement of the land, strengthening the soul-dimension of the State of Israel. It is incumbent upon us to strengthen the Israeli settlement of the land in all areas, both private and public. This is the path that will ultimately lead us to complete redemption.
The happiness of all humanity will come only when we reach “resting and the inheritance" (Devarim 12:9). The true and absolute good for humanity and for the entire world depends on our complete redemption. Our struggles and our wars are significant stages in the great process of revealing the divine truth in the world. Thus, it is specifically through our wars that we advance toward the fulfillment of the wondrous prophecy: “and they shall study war no more."
Struggle Against the Nations - or Blessing for the Nations?
The Holy One, blessed be He, promised Abraham our father that his descendants would in the future defeat their enemies in war (Bereishit 22:17): “And your descendants shall inherit the gates of their enemies." Yet, one verse later, God promised Abraham that in the future all the nations would bless themselves through his descendants: “and all the nations of the earth shall bless themselves."
Rav Kook, of blessed memory (Olat Re'iyah, vol. 1, on the portion of the Binding of Yitzchak) explains that each of these promises refers to a different stage in Israel's redemption, since the people of Israel appear in the world in two ways - in a revealed manner and in a hidden manner. Rav Kook writes that “Israel's first appearance in the world" was “in its revealed aspect, as a people among the peoples, a people surrounded by enemies wishing to devour it, and it overcomes and defeats them - that is the trait of the revealed blessing in Israel."
In their first appearance in the world, the people of Israel are not essentially different from the other nations - they also struggle against the others, and they will ultimately defeat them all. However, this appearance of the people of Israel is a temporary and passing reality. It is “only a transition and preparation for the great future, when the hidden light of God will be revealed upon Israel, and all the nations will recognize that Israel is not simply one people among the peoples of the world, but rather the appearance of the word of God within humanity and within all existence!"
When all the nations understand the true purpose of the people of Israel and the blessing it carries for them, they will no longer contemplate opposing it or fighting against it - for its whole purpose is for their own good!
When this reality arrives, the second promise of God to Abraham our father will also be able to be fulfilled - the promise which is the purpose of the first: “and all the nations of the earth shall bless themselves by your descendants." The two promises to Abraham are not contradictory or opposed to one another; rather, the second is the goal, and the first is the means to achieve that goal. In order for the people of Israel to bring blessings to the whole world, it is first necessary for it to defeat its enemies. Only after Israel has secured its place in the world will its light be able to break forth and shine upon all the nations.
It would be best if the nations already recognized the great role of the people of Israel, so that we would no longer need wars and struggles. But the world was not created in this way. In the reality of this world, struggle is necessary in order to advance, and therefore only after the people of Israel are victorious in their struggles will they be able to bring good to the whole world.
World Peace Depends on the Status of Israel
After the terrible bloodshed of the First World War, when the whole world hoped for peace, Rav Kook warned (Igrot HaRe'iyah, vol. 3, p. 137): “There is no doubt that as long as the condition of Israel is not rectified through the return of its stolen land - this terrible war will not bear any fruit for general human peace!" As long as the Land of Israel is not returned to the people of Israel true peace will not prevail in the world. Peace is rooted in the redemption of Israel and their return to their land; this is the true key to peace and to the end of world wars.
It is important to understand that the prophecy “and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks" will be fulfilled only as part of a long and slow process - and not in a single day. In order to reach this sublime reality, the world must advance and be refined, to become full of the knowledge of God. Thus we are promised in the prophecy of the end of days (Yeshayahu 11:9): “They shall not hurt nor destroy in all My holy mountain - for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea." The end of the world's harm and destruction will come only when the earth is filled with the knowledge of God.
The people of Israel are destined to lead humanity to become filled with the knowledge of God, and thereby to remove the evil that corrupts the world. This is one of the great and important missions of the people of Israel, and they will be able to fulfill it only when they live full lives in their complete land, as is stated in the prophecy quoted above:
“And there shall come forth a stem out of the stock of Yishay, and it will grow out of his roots… and with righteousness he will judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the earth… They shall not hurt nor destroy in all My holy mountain, for the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the Lord, as the water covers the sea… And it will come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall set His hand again the second time to recover the remnant of His people… and He will set up a sign for the nations and assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth…" (verses 1-12).
Bringing true peace to the world depends on the people of Israel reaching the height of completeness, dwelling in the Land of Israel and led by “a descendent from the stock of Yishai." Our return to the land and taking hold of it is part of the process of establishing true peace in the world.
Our wars of existence in our own land are the key to world peace!