If only there was an Israeli leader who would recognize that we are “a people that will dwell alone,” and realize the tremendous strength of the Jewish People. The Israeli leadership has remained impervious to this strength, and insists, even during moments of great victory, that we toady to the nations of the world.
1.
Ten years ago, Defense Minister Moshe (Bogey) Yaalon, then-head of Israel’s military intelligence, and his colleagues announced that Iran was planning to develop a nuclear bomb. Yet, this story didn’t really concern anyone in the halls of Israeli government. The prime minister at the time, Mr. Ariel Sharon, didn’t think that it was necessary to deal with the Iranian threat. He was far too busy with plans to throw his Jewish brethren out of Gush Katif and the northern Shomron. The Iranian threat was trivial. It wasn’t anything concrete, rather a mere curiosity for journalists probing theories whether the Iranians will ever get the bomb and how it will influence security for the residents of Eretz HaKodesh.
A decade has passed since then. Sharon’s successors sought to thrust the Iranian problem onto the world community, until the incumbent Prime Minister, Mr. Netanyahu, came along and turned this approach into a passionate ideology. At every opportunity he claims that there is only one viable strategy for fighting against Iran’s atomic weapons program: turning it into the world’s problem.
What can we do when we’re dealing today with the same world that remained silent seventy years ago while millions of Jews were murdered in the gas chambers and burned in the crematoriums? And let’s not forget that this is the same world that recently sat quietly while a thousand children were killed in Syria with chemical gas. Indeed, this world really isn’t interested in decency and justice, nor will it automatically rise in defense of the weak and the oppressed. The nations of the world have their own rules, and striving for the absolute truth is not always high on their list of priorities.
Last week this strategy went up in flames. The outrageous agreement signed between the West, a.k.a. America, and the Islamic Republic of Iran has given significant legitimacy to the Iranian nuclear program. From this day forward, Iran’s non-conventional armaments have been sanctioned by the Government of the United States. Yet, while Iran has made a commitment to dismantle its nuclear weapons within six months, this agreement isn’t worth the paper it was written on – just like those signed by other leaders who made “peace” in the Middle East. Similar to mass murderer Arafat, may his name be erased, or the far more clever Anwar el-Sadat, the Iranians keep on smiling – perhaps on their way to a future Nobel Peace Prize.
2.
There is only one lonely voice being heard regarding the absurd situation the government of Israel finds itself in today. It’s the voice of the Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach, declaring the call of the Torah, “A nation that will dwell alone, and will not be reckoned among the nations.” How many times did the Rebbe cry out against the Israeli submissiveness of kowtowing before the Americans and placing our fate in their hands? What will all these political leaders do now, after they proclaimed that the government of Israel will bomb Iran – with or without America?
This isn’t just submissiveness; it’s sheer stupidity. The Americans show honor for Jewish pride. They respect those who respect themselves.
As it was during the Yom Kippur War, so it is today. Israeli prime ministers, past and present, know exactly what they have to do. Yet, they are unwilling to make a preemptive strike, out of fear that the President of the United States and his Secretary of State won’t respond cheerfully when they hear about the Israeli military action. This is what happens when we abandon our Jewish pride in favor of a desire to placate Uncle Sam in Washington, D.C. What’s most absurd is that they continue to act in this manner despite the fact that it gets them nowhere. They see that the Americans don’t take their opinions into consideration, as they proceed blindly along their illusionary path without showing a shred of respect for the security concerns of the millions of Jews in Eretz HaKodesh.
If only there was an Israeli leader who would implement the concept of “a people that will dwell alone.” Instead of understanding that G-d did tremendous miracles during Israel’s wars, they boast about “my strength and the might of my hand.” Those politicians have ignored the fact that during the Six Day War, the People of Israel defeated all the Arab armies within a short period of time. Similarly, the Yom Kippur War was won with tremendous miracles. Yet, instead of thanking Hashem for these miracles, they boast about the great power of the Israel Defense Forces… Now, they stand perplexed while they are the ones who are lessening the strength of this same IDF, refusing to believe in its capacity to defeat Iran.
3.
It’s interesting to note that this agreement was signed just before the onset of the holiday of Chanukah, when we thank Hashem for the miracles He has done for us – “You delivered the mighty into the hands of the weak, the many into the hands of the few.” The message of Chanukah is that through the power of the oil – the power of faith that we transcend nature, the Jewish people have survived the worst forms of persecution. The oil represents the essence of the soul – the essence of faith. This is exactly what is lacking in our generation today. We need greater trust in G-d with the simple understanding that it is not “my strength and the might of my hand that has accumulated this wealth for me,” rather the strength of the Holy One, Blessed Be He, and His great kindnesses.
Whenever the Rebbe spoke about the territorial integrity of Eretz Yisroel, he would mention the Tanach. It wasn’t just an excellent means of persuasion before the world; it also served as a firm anchor in a turbulent sea. If we have faith in the Tanach, we will realize that we aren’t in Eretz Yisroel because of our strength, nor is this the reason we have been saved time after time from Arab armies seeking to annihilate us. It also won’t be our strength that will save us from this new threat and eradicate the Iranian nuclear capability. The determining factor will be the Divine promise of a “land that Hashem, your G-d seeks out; the eyes of Hashem, your G-d, are always upon it, from the beginning of the year to the end of the year.”
During these difficult times our main job is to spread this message and to encourage the Jewish People that “the Guardian of Israel neither slumbers nor sleeps” and that Eretz Yisroel is the safest place in the world. The Rebbe’s holy words from the days of the Persian Gulf War still reverberate. Even then, there was talk of chemical weapons and a nuclear threat, however, G-d’s promise was far stronger, and the war ended with great miracles.
We fully expect the same as we prepare for this new potential danger. In the meantime, we will continue to spread the message of the prophet of our generation and bring to the Jewish People the announcement of the True and Complete Redemption.