Israel, Tell The World The Truth!
By Ariel Natan Pasko (11/02/05)
This past Shabbat (Saturday) Synagogues and Temples around the world began reading the Torah from the beginning of Genesis again. Jews of every stripe read about G-D beginning to create everything. And the commentary they turned to most often to understand the message, printed under the text of the Torah itself in most printed books, was that of Rashi - Rabbi Shlomo Yitzhaki - the famous 11th century French Biblical and Talmudic commentator.
In the beginning, literally, of Genesis, Rashi asks a question, "Why does the Torah start with the story of creation? Since the Torah is a book of laws for the Jewish People, why doesn't it begin with the first law given by G-D to the Jews, the law for establishing a calendar?"
Rashi answers, that it starts with the creation narrative to establish that G-D is the Master of the Universe. Then Rashi says the most amazing thing that still resonates almost a thousand years later. Based on earlier sources and a thorough knowledge of the meaning of Judaism, Rashi says, "So, that if the nations come to Israel and say, 'you are thieves - in Hebrew, She-Kevash-Tem, you conquered and occupied - the land from the nations living there', you can tell them that all the universe is G-D's, He created it and gave it to the nations, and when He decided, He took it from them and gave it to us."
Three things become starkly clear today.
First, that Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has begun using regularly the same Hebrew root/term - Kibush, occupation - as the Israeli Left has used for years to denigrate the miraculous victory of the 1967 Six-Day War. It's the same term, "occupation," used by most of the world in their criticism of Israeli policies in the "territories". The Israeli Prime Minister has adopted the language of the self-haters among the Jews (those disconnected from Jewish history and tradition) and the Judeo-paths among the nations.
Second, that Rashi's explanation of the Torah has in fact come true. The nations today claim, as Rashi explained they would, that we "stole" the land from others, namely the Palestinians.
And finally, that the only basis for the Jewish People's national life in their homeland is G-D's promise as set down in the Bible, not history, not security, but G-D's promise to their forefathers. Rashi told the Jewish People to tell the world, "He took it from them and gave it to us."
A true Israeli leader needs to stand up, not frightened of anyone or anything, and declare, "The Master of the Universe took it from them and gave it to us." The Promised Land belongs to the Jews exclusively, and not to any other nation!
Any Israeli Prime Minister, who can't get on TV or go to a meeting with world leaders or speak at the UN, and say these words, should either quit or commit suicide before rejecting the promises of G-D and working to help another group take over part of the Land of Israel. As King David said, "If I forget you Jerusalem - a term for the entire Land of Israel - let my right hand wither - rather than sign any false peace agreement - let my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth..." (Psalms 137: 5-6) rather than agree to foreigners taking over part of the Jewish People's homeland.
What would King David have done to Sharon, for his Gaza Expulsion Plan?
If "Palestinians" can blow themselves up to gain a land not their own, if kamikaze pilots can kill themselves in war, if soldiers can risk their lives in "suicide missions," then the Israeli Prime Minister can quit or "step out" rather than lie to the world and say, "We must end the occupation". Occupation is when you steal someone else's land. The Jewish People liberated parts of their Promised Homeland in stages, first in 1948 and then in 1967 with G-D's help. The Jewish People didn't "steal" anything.
Israel, Tell The World The Truth!
Every Jew, in fact, every Christian and Muslim, know that the Land of Israel was promised to the Children of Israel, the Jewish People, by G-D forever. The same G-D they claim to worship. So why continue to perpetuate this lie called the "Peace Process"? The Palestinians might gain some temporary control over the land - for G-D's own reasons - but in the end, it will be taken from them and returned to its rightful tenants - I didn't say owners - because G-D is the only true owner of everything.
It's true that an elected government in Israel, might choose for political expediency to transfer control over parts of the Jewish People's homeland to others (such as with Gaza), and that in political terms it might be seen as legitimate, but in the Court of Final Justice, above, there never will be any Spiritual Legitimacy to the act. Anyone going against the will of G-D will ultimately have to account for their actions, reward and punishment is a basic concept in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Heaven help those who try to take away the "Promise Land".
Why lie to the Palestinians? Why make them believe they are right, that Israel "stole" their land? Why fool them into believing that Israel will give them land and a state for keeps?
What's most important for them and the world to understand is, that no matter what the Israeli government decides to do, it has no Religious Legitimacy in Judaism. No Israeli leader or government has the moral, historical, or spiritual right to take away parts of the Promised Land from the Jewish People and give it to others. It's not theirs to do with as they please; the Land of Israel is an inheritance from G-D and it is not for one generation to decide what to do with it. It is also for all future generations of Jews. It will never be accepted by Jews steeped in their heritage and tradition, or by G-D.
Gaza and elsewhere will return to the Jewish People...
"Ani Ma'amin... I believe with complete faith in the coming of the Messiah, and even if he takes a long time to come, I believe every day, he's coming!" It's one of the thirteen principles of faith as codified by Maimonides. The Jews will get back their homeland; the Palestinians will not have a state. So why start now so close to his coming?
The Land of Israel was promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The Master of the Universe told them that even though their children will suffer terrible exiles - an educational and cleansing process - in the end, He would bring them home. In the 1948 War of Independence, G-D gave political sovereignty to the Jews for the first time in almost 2,000 years. In the 1967 Six-Day War, G-D returned the Holy City of Jerusalem in its entirety - including eastern Jerusalem and the Temple Mount - to the Jewish People. Hebron - Judaism's second holiest city - with the Cave of the Patriarchs, the burial place of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the city King David ruled from before Jerusalem, was returned as well. Truthfully, Judea and Samaria - the so-called West Bank - is drenched in Jewish history and Jewish holy sites.
The Jewish People have been brought home!
Those who have built their world-view on security needs and have claimed that we cannot allow a Palestinian state to come into existence because of that, have missed the point. The Palestinians, and the world, are playing the "Peace Card". Even if they promised up and down, that there would be a thousand years of "Peace," how can Israel spurn G-D's promise?
Once there was a nice family who lived in a rough neighborhood...
They wanted to get along with their neighbors, but the neighbors hated them, and used to throw rocks and break their windows all the time. One day, the leader of the neighbors came over and said, "This is my house," and demanded it. The owner, father of the nice family replied, "No it's not, its mine." The neighbor insisted. Not wanting any more trouble, the owner invited him in to talk. The neighbor demanded the house and refused to leave, he threatened the owner. The owner decided to "be nice" and offered him a room. Later, the neighbor claimed that the owner's wife was in fact his wife. He implied he would kill the owner. The owner of the house, thought for a moment, "My wife, my life" and then decided to share his wife. "Why cause problems?" He thought. The neighbor emboldened, next claimed the owners arm. "Give me your arm or else," he demanded. Well, the owner had a tough time, he thought, "my arm or my life, hmmm" and he meekly cut off his arm. Finally, the neighbor d!
emanded, in the most insolent way imaginable, "Give me your heart..."
The Land of Israel is the Jewish People's heart!
Members of the ruling Likud Party and the National Camp have for years based their claim to the "occupied territories" meekly on historical claim, and more importantly have said for security reasons they couldn't give it away. The Israeli Left in contrast, argued for quite some time that control over Judea, Samaria, and Gaza was a security liability and not an asset. Sharon also said this recently about Gaza and Northern Samaria. The Left argued that the only true security is in "Peace" with the Arabs and not the status quo. The American President, George Bush has basically said the same thing, recently, following the lead of European leaders.
And what about settlement leaders, those so-called right-wing extremists who spurn all talk of "Peace"?
After the Israeli cabinet's decision to accept the "Roadmap" with objections, the spokesman for the Yesha Council - of Jewish Settlements in Judea, Samaria, and Gaza -Yehoshua Mor-Yosef said, "What is done is done. What we can do is try to amend the roadmap and shift it to the right." Shift it to the right? It's not a matter of a little shift here and a little shift there. And these are the so-called leaders of the 'Settlement Movement'.
No wonder their pathetic "resistance" to the Gaza expulsions was so anemic...
Sharon, the Likud, the National Camp, the Yesha Council, have all missed the point. The Israeli Left never had it. To the world, well what can we say? Except, "He took it from them and gave it to us." There is no spiritual legitimacy to retreat from the Land of Israel. There is no spiritual legitimacy in refusing to graciously receive G-D's Promised Land. There is no spiritual legitimacy to any of these so-called "Peace" agreements. There is only G-D's Plan...
Israel, Tell The World The Truth!
Ariel Natan Pasko is an independent analyst & consultant. He has a Master's Degree in International Relations & Policy Analysis. His articles appear regularly on numerous news/views and think-tank websites, in newspapers, and can be read at: www.geocities.com/ariel_natan_pasko
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