Emuna: At the End, Who Came First?

by Rav Avraham Vasserman, translated by Hillel Fendel.

Which came first, secular Zionism or religious Zionism? Rav Tzvi Hirsch Kalischer's Zionism of the late 19^th century paved the way for the modern secular movement.

Many of the disagreements in Israeli society begin and end with this question: Why and for what are we here? Are we running from pogroms and the Holocaust, or are we striving for Redemption? Was it secular Jews who initiated the establishment of the State in order to build a Western capitalist democracy with Jewish trappings, or did Torah-observant Jews lead the way in their striving to actualize the dreams of generations to return to Zion?

The historic truth that some try to blur is this: Those who initiated the Jewish settlement entity that became the State of Israel were righteous Torah scholars, and they did not lay the ideological and practical infrastructures for the State because they sought to escape anti-Semitism, but to bring about national Redemption.

Rav Tzvi Yehuda Kook, son of the late first Chief Rabbi, HaRav Avraham Yitzchak Kook, was asked how and when our period of Redemption began. He wrote: "It was Rabbis Kalischer and Gutmacher, students of the famed Gaon Rav Akiva Eger, who aroused and inspired the nation to make Aliyah and to found the agricultural yishuv (settlement enterprise) in the Land of Israel."  

The occasion of discussing this important issue is the 150th anniversary, this week, of the passing of Rabbi Tzvi Hirsch Kalischer, a leading Torah scholar active in 19^th-century Poland. His book Drishat Tzion, published in 1862, was groundbreaking in its time in its refutation of the prevalent perception that the Messiah would come from Heaven with no need for action on our part in returning to the Land. Citing many Rabbinic Torah sources, he showed that the Redemption is to come in stages, after the Nation of Israel on its own returns to its Land. Rav Kalischer therefore called for Aliyah, renewed settlement, and even for a renewal of the sacrificial services. His influence among the Jewish communities was notable, as he was very admired throughout the Jewish world, and especially in eastern Europe.

Rav Shmuel Mohilever, some 30 years younger, one of the leaders of the Hibat Tzion (also known as Hovevei Tzion) movement, adopted Rav Kalischer's ideas and similarly called for Aliyah and Jewish agriculture in the Holy Land. The First Aliyah (1882-1891), which was inspired by these and other rabbis, was mostly of religious Jews, and it served as the basis for all the subsequent Aliyot.

There is much more to say about Rav Kalischer in honor of his 150^th yahrtzeit. Because he learned from the Ramban (Nachmanides) that the Redemption and return to Eretz Yisrael must come about with the permission of the nations, and not as an act of rebellion against the international community, he insisted that all efforts be made to obtain such a license for the establishment of a State. The "spring of nations" of the mid-19^th century inspired him to exhort his brethren to exhibit mesirut nefesh, devotion and self-sacrifice, for the Jewish national revival. This was a novel concept in the Jewish world, which for centuries of difficult Exile had largely forgotten it.

But though other national movements were being jump-started at this period in history, it was not as simple for the Jewish Nation. For one thing, we are warned not to rebel against the nations. Rabbi Kalischer therefore made a particularly bold proposal to activate the enormous economic power held by the Rothschild and Montefiore families. In his opinion, it was the hand of Divine providence that their influence was so great within many of the important nations, and they could help attain the needed political support. Rabbi Kalischer even spoke about establishing a Jewish army, calculating that the entire religious Bible-believing world, Muslims and Christians, would help fulfill the prophecies of the return to Zion.

This later became partially true – with regard to Christians: The support of English Prime Minister Lloyd George for the Balfour Declaration stemmed from his Christian faith and reading of the Scriptures.

Rav Kalischer wrote to Anshel Rothschild and asked him to offer to purchase the Land of Israel from the Ottoman Turks, or at least parts of Jerusalem – or at least the Temple Mount. His goals, of course, were large-scale Jewish settlement in the Land, and also so that sacrifices could be offered. In addition, he met with Sir Moshe Montefiore, who in turn met with Muhammad Ali [whose Egyptian empire had conquered the Holy Land from the Ottomans] and asked to lease plots in the Land – but Ali turned him down.

However, Rav Kalischer was able to persuade Rothschild to build Mikveh Yisrael, an agricultural school that would teach Jewish children to work the land. Rav Kalischer was even invited to serve on its Board of Directors. Mikveh Yisrael did ground-breaking work in the areas of settlement, absorption of new immigrants, and military efforts. Ben-Gurion said: "If Mikveh Yisrael had not been established, it is doubtful whether the State of Israel would have been established."

Rav Kalischer's writings served to introduce the Jews of his times to the notion that Redemption was a realistic possibility – even a necessity – even then, and that it could come naturally, not miraculously. Many historians often credit Rav Kalischer and his colleagues with "heralding Zionism" – but in fact, as Rav Kook writes, these early rabbis were more than town criers: They were actually the primary and original Zionists, upon which secular Zionism was built. However, the latter then tried to sway the movement in secular directions, which Rav Kook and many others tried desperately to counteract. However, he did this with love; even though he said that the secular Zionists should engage only in building the physical aspects of the Land of Israel, he added that "our job is not to fight them, but to uplift them."

In recent years, Rabbi Kalischer's ideology has been making a comeback. It is not only prominent in the Torah-Zionist sector, but even haredi elements, who are generally unwilling to connect with secular Zionism, see Rav Kalischer as their guide as they engage in the "Redemption of Zion in purity." Restoring our national revival to its original path and source is in fact the mission of our lives, for the success of the State in all areas.

Toldot: The Holy City of Gaza

by Rav Netanel Yosifun, Rosh Yeshivat Orot Netanya , yeshiva.org.il, translated by Hillel Fendel.

It is told that a Jew once came to the late saintly Rabbi Mordechai Eliyahu (Chief Sephardic Rabbi of Israel, 1983-1993), and told him that he was intending to reprint the exalted and famous Sabbath hymn Y-ah Ribon Alam. Rabbi Eliyahu said to him that where the name of the author, Rabbi Yisrael Najara (d. 1628) appears, it should also be noted prominently that he was the Rabbi of the city of Gaza (in which he was also buried). Why? Rav Eliyahu explained that it should be publicized that Gaza had a large Jewish population and that it is an integral part of our Holy Land.

The entire Land is sacred, of course, and in our times it is particularly important that we discuss and emphasize the holiness and prominence of the city of Gaza and of the Gaza Strip in general – especially this week when this area figures significantly in our Torah portion of Toldot (B'reshit 25,19-28,9). (There is even talk in some circles of resettling the area now, to "atone" for the Disengagement and destruction of Jewish Gaza, known as Gush Katif, in 2005.)

We read in Parashat Toldot that our Patriarch Yitzchak was commanded not to leave the Holy Land. He then went in the path of his father Avraham and lived in Grar – which, according to modern research, is located practically adjacent to the Gaza Strip, in the area known today as Re'im [the epicenter of the calamitous Hamas slaughter 14 months ago].

Our forefathers fought many times in history over this area with the Plishtim. In Toldot we read that the struggle was first expressed in the digging of wells: The Plishtim plugged up the wells that Avraham had dug, and Yitzchak re-dug them, and the Plishtim again fought with him over them. Only when Yitzchak dug a third well a bit further away did the Plishtim leave him in peace, and even forged a treaty with him.

The famous Biblical commentator Rav David Kimchi (the Radak, d. 1235 in France) writes as follows:

"All these stories about the digging of the wells and giving them names come to tell us that Yitzchak was able to dig without being bothered in the uncontested parts of the Land of Israel … And this was a sign for them that G-d was to give them and their descendants that land – but the land of Plishtim [known today as the Gaza Strip], even though it is part of Eretz Yisrael [emphasis added], was not securely in their hands, and this is why there was a fight about the border. All this says that this area will not be secure in their hands [until] the days of the Messiah."

That is to say: Our holy Patriarchs fought for this area because it is a part of the Land of Israel, but this struggle will last for all generations, until Messianic times.

And here we see something astonishing, which indicates the importance of the Gaza Strip as critical in the conquest of the entire Land and the building of Jerusalem:

The Torah tells us that both Avraham and Yitzchak forged treaties with King Avimelekh of Grar. In Deuteronomy (2,23) we read: "The Avites, residing in Hatzerim up to Gaza – the Caftorites living in Caftor destroyed them, and settled in their place." Onkelos translated the word Hatzerim as meaning Rafiach, none other than today's Rafah. This tells us that the Avites lived throughout the Strip, from the city of Gaza southward to Rafah.

Rashi there explains why the Torah saw fit to tell us this little tidbit: "The Avites are of the Plishtim… and because of the oath that Avraham made to Avimelekh, [we] his descendants were unable to take their land, therefore [G-d] brought the Caftories upon them; the Caftorites destroyed them and took their land – and now Israel is permitted to take that land from them."

We thus see that because of the covenant between Avraham and the king of Grar, we were unable to conquer the entire Strip, because the descendants of the Grarites lived there, until the Caftories took over, enabling us to inherit the Gaza Strip.

Let us go a step further. The Ramban states that this issue actually delayed the Israelites' entry into the Land following the Exodus from Egypt! He explains that this is why we did not enter the Land directly via the Gaza area – as is written, "G-d did not lead them along the Plishtim route even though it was shorter" (Sh'mot 13,17) – because "Israel did not inherit the land of Plishtim until the oath was expired, that is, after three generations of Plishtim had died."

The Ramban cites in this context the Medrash Mechilta as explaining "even though it was shorter" as meaning, more literally, "because it was short" – it was too soon after the oath between Avraham and Avimelekh!

This seems to apply even to Jerusalem. See Radak on Yehoshua 15,63, which implies that the reason the Israelites did not conquer Jerusalem in Yehoshua's time was because the Yevusites – descendants of Avimelekh – still lived there. Only after Avimelekh's grandson died did King David ascend and conquer Jerusalem.

We thus see that the liberation of Gaza is the key to our conquest of our entire Holy Land! With G-d's help, may we soon merit that our defeat of Hamas in Gaza will lead to the complete and absolute liberation of Jerusalem and to the construction of our Holy Temple, speedily in our times, Amen!

Emuna: Faith is not Just an Add-On

by Rav Tal Haimowitz, Yeshivat Hesder Maalot , yeshiva.org.il, translated by Hillel Fendel.

The Torah begins with the story of Divine Creation, and not with commandments, in order to emphasize the importance of developing faith in G-d.

We have been reading the Torah portions in B'reshit (Genesis) of late, particularly the ones dealing with our Patriarch Avraham and his interactions with G-d and man. Certainly the lessons taught here are profound and critical, but yet a sharp question constantly seems to sneak into our consciousness: "For what? Why does the Torah have to tell us in such detail what our righteous forefathers did and didn't do? Isn't the Torah supposed to be a book of rules and practical guidance, as indicated by the Hebrew word 'Torah' [from the root meaning teach or instruct]? In B'reshit there are altogether no more than three commandments!"

Actually, we can ask as follows: Is Judaism a religion of orthopraxy - correct conduct, both ethical and liturgical – or is it one of orthodoxy, true faith and beliefs? During the 18th-century days of Moses Mendelsohn, who was an observant Jew, very many modern German Jews held, like him, that their religion was one of orthopraxy, and that the Torah did not intend to teach us what to believe, but rather what to do and what not to do.

The very first Rashi in B'reshit seems to support this position: "R. Yitzchak asked, why did the Torah begin with the story of Creation, and not with the first commandment issued to Israel?" The implication is that the Torah's job is to give laws. The Ramban (Nachmanides) did not accept this question, explaining that Judaism is actually a religion of Orthodoxy: "There is a great need to begin the Torah with the story of G-d's creation of the world, for that is the source of faith altogether, and one who does not believe this but feels rather that the world has always existed is a heretic who has no share in the Torah at all!"

How then does the Ramban explain R. Yitzchak's question? He says that R. Yitzchak was merely asking why the story of Creation takes up so much space in the Torah, when it could easily have been told briefly, as in the Ten Commandments: "Remember the Sabbath day… for in six days G-d created the Heavens and the Earth."

In fact, the Ramban is correct: Whoever is lacking the fundamentals of faith, even if he fulfills the Torah's commandments, truly cannot be considered a Torah-observant Jew. The great teacher of Israel, the Rambam (Maimonides), makes this very clear in his Laws of Repentance (3,6). He includes there, based on our Sages' teachings, a list of those who have no share in the World to Come – and a quick perusal thereof shows that more than half of them are guilty not of practical sins, but of heresy and false conceptions!

The Rambam writes: "And those who have no share in the Next World, but who will be cut off and lost and judged forever for their great sins, are the atheists, infidels, rejecters of the Divine origin of Torah, deniers of resurrection and the coming of the Messiah…"

The fact is that a deficiency in faith can prevent ideal fulfillment of mitzvot altogether. One who does not believe in a Creator Who watches over the world and hears our prayers – how can he stand and pray? Or, one who believes in some kind of dual cosmology, such as the once-popular Zoroastrianism, is not recognized as a Kosher Jew in terms of his ritual slaughter and other Halakhic matters (Tr. Hullin 13a). As such it is clear why our Sages taught that one must first accept upon himself the Yoke of the Kingdom of Heaven, and only afterwards the Yoke of the Mitzvot; this explains the order of the passages in Kriat Shma (Mishna B'rachot 2,2).

Not only that, but our historic experience has shown that Torah observance does not last if its main pillar is a list of do's and don'ts. The famous historian Tzvi Hirsch Graetz, author of the classic "History of the Jews", wrote that with just 60 years after Mendelsohn's passing, half of his followers had already converted to Christianity.

We learn in the Talmud in the name of R. Samlai: "Six hundred and thirteen mitzvot were told to Moshe… David came and 'stood them' on 11… Micha came and 'stood them' on three… Havakuk came and stood them on just one, as is written, 'The righteous man will live by his faith'" (Tr. Maakot 23b). The pillar of faith thus encompasses the entire Torah. This shows us how pointless is the attempt to shape a Torah life on deeds alone.

Believers, Sons of Believers

Why is there such resistance to the idea that the Torah is essentially founded upon specific principles of faith? One reason is because of the notion that people cannot be commanded to think a specific thought. But in fact, the opposite is true. The Torah demands that we believe specific truths – and also explains how this is possible! Thoughts and beliefs are actually quite dependent on our free choice, and we can shape them as we wish. For instance, the Torah specifically exhorts us not to be stubborn (Deut. 10,16) by denying clear manifestations of Divine Providence and attributing them to mere coincidence and the like.

This principle is a function of the way our souls are designed: We set and determine our beliefs only after we have interpreted a given situation in a particular manner. The situation exists, but it is given to various explanations – and these are dependent upon the way we want to explain them. One who chooses to interpret events in the light of Divine Providence, will merit to see Divine Providence clearly in everything that happens to him. This is precisely what the Torah commands us to do. The ability to believe and have faith hinges upon our desire not to reject what we see by employing crooked and negative logic.

Aside from all this, we must also note that belief in G-d and His providence is a permanent fixture in our souls, as the Sages taught: "Israel are believers, descendants of believers." A deficiency in faith that we might find in ourselves is nothing more than a speck of dirt on our souls, preventing us from expressing our true nature, and must be simply cleaned off.

This ability to believe in and cleave to G-d and His mitzvot and desires is something we inherited from our Patriarch Abraham, the father of Jewish faith in the living G-d. This critical point, on which the entire Torah and Judaism are founded, must be emphasized at the beginning of the Torah – and this is why the stories in the Book of Genesis that we read so eagerly recount the details of the lives of our Forefathers and thus shape our faith (Nachmanides, Introduction to Genesis).

When we continue to grasp on to this rock of our national existence, it will also illuminate the way to victory over our enemies and will lead us to a secure and joyful national existence in our Land.

Chayei Sarah: What to Look for in a Spouse

by Rav Moshe Leib HaCohen Halbershtadt, Founder and Director of YORU Jewish Leadership, yeshiva.org.il, translated by Hillel Fendel.

In this week's Torah portion of Chayei Sarah (B'reshit 23,1 - 25,18), we read that Avraham sent his trusted servant Eliezer to find a wife for his son Yitzchak. Avraham asked Eliezer to vow "by the Lord G-d of the heavens and the earth, that you will not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, in whose midst I dwell, but rather go to my land and my birthplace, and take a wife for my son, for Yitzchak." (24,3-4)

Avraham also insisted that the designated wife not remain in her father's house in Padan Aram, but rather that Yitzchak should marry her in Canaan, the land that G-d promised to give Avraham and his descendants.

Was it too hard for Avraham to find a wife of good character from the land of Canaan? True, the Canaanites were not of the highest moral caliber, but could not Avraham have found one girl with the traits of goodness and kindness that he sought? And what about the daughter of Eliezer himself? He was Avraham's loyal student who lived a life of faith in G-d, who knew the importance of kindness and dedication to others, both spiritually and materially, and whose daughter grew up in Avraham and Sarah's own house – would she not have been a fine match for Yitzchak?

Instead, what does Avraham do? He sends Eliezer to find a wife for his son to Aram Naharayim, of all places - a place filled with idol-worship! And he sends him to Avraham's family, which had quite its share of moral defects: The father was an evil and lecherous idol-worshiper who even tried to kill Eliezer! (See Yalkut Shimoni 24,109 and Medrash Lekach Tov 24,33) And Lavan, Rivka's brother, was a known con-artist, with no respect for his elders (Rashi to verse 50), and a glutton who even tried to steal from Eliezer (Rashi to verse 29)! From that type of family Avraham wished to find a wife for his son, just because they were his relatives!?

To answer this, let us take a look at the Mishna in Pirkei Avot (Chapters of the Father 2,2), which teaches in the name of R. Yehuda ben Teima: "You should be bold as a leopard, swift as an eagle, fleet as a gazelle, and brave as a lion, to do the will of your Father in Heaven." The great late saintly tzaddik and Mussar master Rav Dov Yaffe (d. 2017) explained that the Mishna could have simply said, 'Be bold, be swift, be brave,' etc. – but instead added that we should have these traits just as the respective animals have them. That is, we must strive that these traits should be so totally deep-rooted within us, just like a leopard's boldness and the lion's courage. If these traits do not become a genuine part of our nature, we can never know when we might fail to activate them when needed; it will be a "sometimes yes, sometimes no" proposition.

Rav Yaffe even added that when the great Rabbi Eliyahu Lapian sought a match for his own daughter, he asked the venerable Rav Yerucham of Mir to find a boy whose good character traits were less "acquired" and more based on his very nature.

The holy Torah wants to teach us that we should follow in Avraham's footsteps when we seek a shidduch for our children. He refused to find a girl for his son from among the Canaanites: "Cursed is Canaan" (9,25). Avraham understood that the traits of Canaan and his descendants were problematic from their very nature. Even if an individual Canaanite had good traits, or lived among people with positive attributes and consequently worked on himself to improve his character, this is great – but a person like that is not yet on the level of one whose good traits are totally imbued within him or her, and is therefore not suitable for the olah temimah, "unblemished offering," his son Yitzchak.

Avraham Avinu understood that a family like his that was able to produce someone like himself – we know him as the "pillar of chessed (kindness)" – as well as someone like his wife Sarah, whose 127 years were all equal in their goodness (Rashi, 23,1) – that is a family with the DNA of a moral, kind nature. And in fact, Rivka had this nature as well, as evidenced when she brought as much water as was needed for Eliezer's camels. And the ultimate proof was the fact that she reached such a high level of kindness and modesty despite having grown up in the family of Betuel and Lavan. The Torah even emphasizes precisely this point by repeating more than once that she was "the daughter of Betuel from Padan Aram, the sister of Lavan." As Rashi says to verse 20: "This was her praise, that she was the daughter of a wicked man, and the sister of a wicked man, and she lived among wickedness, but did not learn from their actions."

Rivka was not an "occasional" righteous person, but rather a naturally good person. Only someone like her was worthy of becoming Yitzchak's wife, our Matriarch Rivka.

Emuna: "Mama Rachel" and the Rebuilding of Israel

by Rav Bnayahu Bruner, President of Yeshivat Hesder Tzfat, yeshiva.org.il, translated by Hillel Fendel.

This week, on the 11^th day of Mar-Cheshvan, the Jewish Nation commemorated the passing of our Matriarch Rachel near 3,680 years ago. Rachel, wife of the Patriarch Yaakov, was a woman of the Exile, in many ways. She was born outside the Land, married Yaakov in Haran, and died shortly after entering the Holy Land with him; she was buried along the way outside Bethlehem.

The Prophet Jeremiah teaches us that Rachel wept for her descendants as she watched them limp along into Exile: "So says the Lord: A voice is heard on high, one of lamentation and bitter weeping, Rachel crying for her children; she refuses to be comforted for her children, for they are gone."

But G-d comforts her in the next verse: "Refrain your voice from weeping and your eyes from tears, for there is reward for your work, says the Lord; and they shall come back from the land of the enemy. There is hope for your future, says the Lord, and the children shall return to their border."

Rav Kook, the visionary Chief Rabbi of the Holy Land until his death in 1935, saw how these words of solace began to take shape and form. Not only did he see the nation begin to return to its Land, but he also saw how this return itself enabled the "writing" and formation of an original Jewish creation: "A truly Israelite enterprise, in thought and in practical life, can be effected only in the Land of Israel." The bonds between the Nation of Israel and the Land of Israel are intrinsic and essential, and therefore such a creation and be formed only when the Nation is in its Land. Any Jewish creation formed outside the Land is not essentially Jewish/Israelite; its creative forces are drawn from the general world, and not from the Jewish Nation.

…

Another aspect of Rachel is seen in her son Joseph, whom she bore to Yaakov. Joseph is he who saved his family (and much of the world) from the debilitating famine, and took care of all their needs. He merited to receive the birthright from his father Yaakov, and thus his two sons received inheritances in the Land as if they were Yaakov's sons. From Joseph emerged the force of "Mashiach ben Yosef," the materialist/physical aspects of the Messianic period.

Today, as well, whoever devotes his life to Israel's Redemption on the practical plane is a successor to Yosef. He also has the attribute of "good communication" with the Gentiles: He was the viceroy of King Pharaoh – the second-highest position in the Egyptian empire. Still and all, he remained loyal to his G-d; he remained Yosef HaTzaddik, Joseph the Righteous.

Yosef's successors in future generations, and today, also have this attribute, and therefore they are able to face off with the nations and emerge victorious over the descendants of Esav. Rav Kook writes:

"The Medrash teaches us that the deeds of the forefathers are signs for their descendants [to learn from and to do]. Yosef was the provider whom G-d sent "to revive a great nation" [B'reshit 50,20, referring to the sons of Yaakov], and he brought physical life to Yaakov and his sons with needed food, while the other nations came to Egypt for the same purpose. Yosef knew how to blend in with the Gentiles, and he knew 70 languages – showing the aspects of commonality between Israel and the nations – but still he knew and preserved the strength of his sanctity. Precisely for this reason we are taught that Esav will fall [to the Jews] at the hands of Rachel's descendants."

We see from the above prophecy that Rachel senses deeply the grief of the Nation as it goes into Exile, and she cries bitterly. The future kingdom of the "Mashiach ben David" is to emerge from the seed of Leah (Yehuda) – but the present is given to the descendants of Rachel. Rachel is the "family foundation" that forms the basis for the "national foundation," on which the nation will be built. As Rav Kook writes:

"The present and the future are the two pillars on which will be built the great fortune of the nation and the individual… When the leadership is perfect and protected from all pitfalls along the way, then the present will be revealed in all its light, and will be able to be a fine guide to the future that is exalted above and beyond it [i.e., the present]."

In our generation, we have been privileged to free large parts of our Holy Land from desolation and/or foreign rule, and to establish our State, and to bring home millions of Jews. The process that began in Rav Kook's lifetime has expanded and broadened. Though Rachel is no longer crying bitterly as she once was, we still need her help so that we can stabilize our grasp on the Land and reinforce the Jewish family unit so that we can be ready for the Davidic kingdom.

In this month of Mar-Cheshvan, when we remember the death of Rachel as she traveled, let us fortify our grasp as we journey to the Complete Redemption, may it come speedily in our days.

Vayeira: The Binding of Isaac – 3700 Years Ago and Today

by Rav David Dov Levanon, Jerusalem Rabbinic Court, yeshiva.org.il, translated by Hillel Fendel.

According to the approach that Yitzchak Avinu was 37 years old at the time of the test of his binding, this year marks exactly the 3,700^th anniversary of this historically defining event. How so very relevant it is this year!

As we read in this week's Torah portion (Vayeira) about the Binding of Isaac (Akedat Yitzchak), we poignantly note that the Nation of Israel is facing its own heroic, national Akedah test this year. Our people's greatness is being revealed in countless deeds of self-sacrifice, unceasing volunteerism, and general jumping in to save lives and offer help, to an extent that we possibly have never seen before.

We have heard this year an endless amount of stories of faith and heroism from families whose sons were killed in war for the Sanctification of G-d's Name, or who otherwise took part in the courageous fight for our existence here in the Land of Israel. We have heard from parents whose children are in cruel captivity in Gaza, yet who encourage the Nation of Israel in its present existential struggle to continue until victory, without negotiations with terrorists – and perhaps in this merit, the children will return home safely.

One story that we recall is that of the woman whose daughter was taken captive on that tragic Simchat Torah day. She brought a Torah scroll to her home, performed the mitzvah of separating and sanctifying dough, and heartfully and tearfully prayed to G-d for the sake of the girl's safe release. We all saw her on our screens, and it touched all of our hearts – especially her surprising final words of prayer: "O G-d, I love you!" What greatness of spirit to express such emotions at a time of her great pain. And then it happened: Within a few weeks, her daughter was miraculously freed.

From where do all our soldiers and mothers and fathers draw the strengths for such self-sacrifice? Let us recall the Medrashic story of Chana and her seven sons, whom she encouraged not to bow down to idols even though it meant their death. When her youngest son was about to be killed as well, she kissed him and said to him, "Go to Avraham Avinu and tell him for me, 'You bound up one son for slaughter, while I have given up seven! And you thought to do it, while I actually did it!"

Was Chana actually saying that she had surpassed the self-sacrifice of Avraham Avinu? I heard an explanation of this point in the name of the late saintly Rav Shach (1899-2001). He said that Chana meant that Avraham Avinu was the very inspiration for her deed; she learned this attribute of sacrifice for G-d from him – and that she carried out in practice what he taught her in theory! And in fact, it's impossible to explain the amazing national phenomenon of self-sacrifice, today and throughout our generations, other than by realizing that these are strengths that have been implanted in the depths of our souls, beginning with Avraham.

The Medrash concludes by saying that a Heavenly voice was heard praising Chana with the words from Psalms, "The mother of the sons is happy." What happiness could possibly apply here? It could be that Chana saw that her sons had merited a very privileged place in the World to Come – and it could also be, after hearing how bereaved parents this year have responded with such great faith, that she, and they, feel privileged to have had sons whose lives were so meaningful that, ultimately, they stood wholly for the sake of their nation. In this I heard an echo of that Heavenly voice…

 The entire story of the Akedah abounds with Avraham's fatherly love for his son, especially as evidenced by his frequent use of the word b'ni, "my son." When G-d originally told him to take and bind the son "that you love," Avraham answered, according to the Medrash, "Which one exactly? I love both of them!" Could it really be that he loved them equally, given that Yishmael actually had to be banished from Avraham's home? The answer is that his love for both his sons was infinite, and as such, there was no difference between the two loves.

How was Avraham's love for Yitzchak manifest during the Akedah? For one thing, just as Avraham answered G-d by saying, "Hineni – here I am, ready to serve You," he also answered Yitzchak with the same word: "Hineni, my son; tell me what I can do for you." That is to say, his love for G-d and for Yitzchak were the same. By agreeing to perform this painful act of the Akedah at G-d's bidding, Avraham was saying that he is not running from his love of G-d nor from his love of his son; the two are united together as one, in a profoundly deep and faith-based manner that our cold logic alone cannot grasp.

As the Medrash states: "When Avraham took the knife in hand, his eyes shed tears that fell into Yitzchak's eyes… – and even so, his heart was happy to carry out the will of his Creator." Love of his son and of G-d were united within Avraham in the source of his love for G-d Who, from His own love of Avraham, gave him his son – and there is no contradiction; crying and happiness at the same time.

May G-d help that in the merit of the sacrifices made by so many soldiers and others for the Sanctification of G-d's Name over the course of the war, and in the merit of all the volunteers who arose to help with great dedication wherever they were needed, and in the merit of our great faith in G-d – the prophecy of "In [despite] your blood, you shall live" (Yechezkel 6,16) should be fulfilled, in our generation.

And so may that of Zechariah come to pass: "With the blood of your covenant, I have freed your prisoners from a pit in which there was no water. Return to the stronghold, you prisoners of hope… I will restore to you a double promise." (9,11-12)

Lech Lecha: What Motivated Avraham's Kindness?

by Rav Moshe Leib HaCohen Halbershtat, founder and head of the Yoru Program for the Training of Rabbis and Community Leaders, yeshiva.org.il, translated by Hillel Fendel.

This week's Torah portion of Lech Lecha (B'reshit 12-17) begins with G-d's command to our Patriarch Avraham to leave his homeland and go "to the land that I will show you." Avraham then took his wife Sarah and the rest of his family and all those they had taught about G-d, "and they set off for the land of Canaan."

The Medrash Rabba (39,1) quotes the simile cited by R. Yitzchak: 

"[Avraham is] analogous to a traveler passing from place to place, who saw a building with a candle burning inside. He said: ‘Could it be that this building has no one in charge?’ The owner of the building looked out at him and said: ‘I am in charge.’ Similarly, because Avraham was saying: ‘Is it possible that this world has no one in charge?’ The Holy One, blessed be He, looked at him and told him: ‘I am the owner of the world and I am in charge.’"

Rashi explains that Avraham Avinu saw the heavens and earth, and the sun in the daytime, and the moon at night, and the shining stars, and said to himself, "Could there be such a vast enterprise as this without someone running it?" G-d looked down and gave him the answer: "Yes, Someone is in charge – Me." 

This opening passage of Lech Lecha also tells us about the people that Avraham and Sarah "made." The Medrash (ibid. 39,14, and Yalkut Shimoni 66) quotes R. Elazar ben Zimra: 

"If everyone in the world would gather together to try to create even one mosquito, they would not be able to give it life – and yet the Torah states that they "made" souls in Haran?! [Answer:] This refers to the people that they converted [to belief in G-d]. But if they converted, then why does the Torah say that they "made" them? It teaches you that whoever is mekarev [from the same root as "kiruv," meaning "to draw near"] an idol worshipper and converts him, it is as though he has created him. And why is it written in plural ["they made"]? R. Huna said: Avraham converted the men and Sarah converted the women."

Later on we read, "Avraham planted an eshel in Be'er Sheva" (21,33). The Gemara tells us that this a form of rest stop, or possibly an orchard, where he could give passersby room and board, and from there accompany them along their way. In short: Avraham was a one-man kindness operation. The above verse continues: "and there he called in the name of G-d, Lord of the Universe." The Sages say that this means Avraham proclaimed G-d's name to all the people and caused them to recognize and say His name. How so? "After they ate and drank and were about to thank him [Avraham], Avraham said, "Was it my food that you ate? It is food that belongs to the G-d of the universe! Thank and praise Him, He Who spoke and created the world!" 

Avraham Avinu was born in a generation of idol-worshipers and spiritual darkness – and he was the one to bring it light. He looked around and came to a simple and logical conclusion that if there is Creation, there must be a Creator. Avraham set out on his Divinely-ordained journey, and wherever he traveled, he brought the message of faith in the Creator. Thousands of people flocked to him, and Avraham and Sarah taught them faith in G-d. As a great man of chessed, kindness, Avraham hosted and fed them, accompanied them on their way – and taught them that everything is from G-d. 

If we were to ask what was the main legacy that Avraham left to the world, it would seem that he symbolized the essence of faith in G-d, for this was his main message to the world. 

However, let us look at these sources:

*  "You will keep truth with Yaakov, kindness to Avraham" (Micha 7,20).

* "Simon the Just was one of the last of the Men of the Great Assembly. He would say: 'On three things the worlds stands: on the Torah, on service of G-d, and on acts of kindness." (Pirkei Avot 1,2). Rav Chaim of Volozhin explained: "Yaakov Avinu instituted the pillar of Torah, for he was a "dweller of tents." Yitzchak instituted the pillar of service (prayer)… and Avraham instituted the pillar of kindness, as is known: He "planted an eshel in Be'er Sheva" [as we explained above]."

We see that the Prophet Micha, and then the Sages after him, when they defined the flagship attribute of Avraham Avinu and what he symbolizes, their answer was clear: Chessed! Why is this? Certainly he raised up the concept and actualization of chessed to heights that the world had never seen before, helping thousands of people as he did. But still, how can this be compared to the message of faith in G-d that he brought to the world? This message brought about a change in the world that still reverberates among all mankind even today, thousands of years later! Even the chessed that Avraham did was recruited for the purpose of spreading the tidings of faith in the Creator!

Let us explain.

There can be various reasons why one is motivated to do chessed. Some of them are negative, in that he might want to gain influence over people so that they will support him politically or otherwise. Or it could be that he wants to help those who are suffering in order to quiet his conscience. Alternatively, it could be he has reached the logical conclusion that the right thing to do is to help others in need. There might be other motivations as well.

Avraham Avinu did chessed for none of the above reasons. Rather, he simply wanted to be like G-d. The Gemara (Sotah 14a) teaches: 

R. Ḥama son of R. Ḥanina says: "What is the meaning of that which is written: 'After the Lord your G-d you shall walk' (D'varim 13,5)? How it is possible to do so, given that 'the Lord your G-d is a devouring fire' (4,24)? The meaning is that one should follow G-d's attributes. For instance, just as He clothes the naked, as is written: “G-d made for Adam and his wife garments of skin and clothed them” (B'reshit 3,21), so too, you should clothe the naked; just as He visits the sick, as with Avraham Avinu (18,1), so too, should you visit the sick; and just as He consoles mourners, as is written, "it came to pass after the death of Avraham, that G-d blessed Yitzchak his son” (25,11), so too, should you console mourners; and just as G-d buried the dead – Moshe Rabbeinu (D'varim 34,6) – so too, you should bury the dead.

Avraham Avinu discovered his Creator on his own, and sought to cleave to Him in every aspect of life by walking in His paths and exemplifying His attributes. The reason why he spreads the truth of G-d among all mankind is because he wishes to do kindness for them. Everything that he does is simply chessed, because this is what G-d does; his motives are totally pure, for the sole purpose of being like G-d. The Prophet Micha revealed to us this innermost and essential truth of Avraham: the attribute of chessed. Avraham did not welcome guests and feed them, etc., simply to teach them about G-d; rather, he did so purely to do what G-d does and to help people. He did so both spiritually and materially, and all from the same pure and true motivation. And this is why what symbolizes him is, in Micha's words, "Chessed l'Avraham."

Emuna: Refusing Anti-Torah Military Orders

by Rav Eliezer Melamed, Rabbi of Har Brachah, yeshiva.org.il, translated by Hillel Fendel.

Back in 2005, when the late Prime Minister Ariel Sharon decided to carry out the Disengagement – a unilateral Israeli withdrawal from all of Gaza, including the destruction of 19 Jewish communities whose 9,000 residents were scattered around the country (some of them in new communities) – it embroiled Israel in one of its most scathing controversies. One of the questions that arose was how a soldier must act if ordered to participate in the destruction of Jewish communities.

Rabbi Eliezer Melamed, Dean of the Yeshivat Hesder in Har Brachah, explained in an article at the time why such refusals were a Torah imperative.

The Fundamental Mitzvah of Settling the Holy Land

Our Sages have taught (Medrash Sifri, Re'eh 53): "Living in Eretz Yisrael is equal to all the other Torah commandments." This is because this mitzvah is not only fulfilled by individuals living in the Land, but is also the very basis for the complete and absolute existence of the Jewish People, and facilitates the fulfillment of their destiny to disseminate faith and Torah for the rectification of the entire world. 

It is therefore clear why it is such a cardinal mitzvah, and why the Prophets spoke so frequently about the future flowering and building of the Land, and why our greats throughout the ages pined so strongly to grace its very dust. 

This mitzvah of building and settling the Land also embodies the principle of Jewish Unity and Love of all Israel, for it is fulfilled by the nation, for the nation. It is so important that the Torah even commands us to endanger our lives by warring for the Land and for its protection, and sometimes even husband and wife must be separated in order to fulfill it (Shulchan Arukh Even HaEzer 75,4).  

Religious Zionism

The mitzvah of ensuring that the Land of Israel is built-up and remains in our hands is the foundation and basis of the Religious-Zionist Movement's approach to Aliyah, settlement, defense of the Land, and the establishment of the State of Israel.

It is, furthermore, the root and source of the Religious-Zionist view of the entire process that the Jewish People has been undergoing for well over a century, namely, that it is the "beginning of the sprouting of our Redemption," as foreseen in the visions of the Prophets. All of the educational institutions of the Religious-Zionist movement teach and inculcate the values of love of nation, land, and state, as well as service in the IDF, participation in the social and economic yoke of the country, and involvement in all networks of our national life, not only in Israel but even abroad. 

Cooperation With All?

A sharp rabbinic dispute arose towards the beginning of the modern Zionist movement, as to whether religious Jews could/should cooperate with the secular Zionists. Many of the rabbis who became the beacons of today's flowering and extensive Religious Zionist movement, such as HaRav Kook, Rav Herzog, Rav Amiel, Rav Uziel, Rav Goren and many more, ruled that because of the tremendous importance of the mitzvah of settling the Land, it is important to work with the secular movement in order to build Eretz Yisrael and its institutions and hasten Israel's Redemption. 

As such, it is clear that one may not take part in any activity that uproots the great mitzvah of settling and building the Land – that which is the basis of all we stand for and all we do. As such, even if one is ordered to do this in a military framework, he must find the way to avoid doing so, even at the expense of outright refusal. 

That is to say, if there is a collision between the values of supporting the government of Israel in all its activities and the basic principle of building Eretz Yisrael, our Rabbis ruled that there is a clear and absolute preference to the timeless values of the Torah over the rules of a given government or regime, which by its very nature is not permanent. 

This principle applies to all the mitzvot of the Torah, and not only to the great commandment of settling the Holy Land; the government has no standing to negate a Torah commandment. So ruled IDF Chief Rabbi Goren, without fear of the Chief of Staff's rebuke. (See Bavli Sanhedrin 49a and Rambam Kings 3,9.)

Ideally, of course, we must do all we can on the political and legal planes in order to avoid or head off anti-Torah commands from being issued in the first place. We must do all we can to void and retract the Disengagement. And if we don't succeed at first, we must stand with self-sacrifice in passive resistance against anti-Torah laws and regulations, which, as Rav Tzvi Yehuda Kook said, are "null and void in comparison with the eternal statutes of the Torah."

What About How it Looks?

Many fear that the image of the entire Judea and Samaria settlement enterprise will be tainted if its members refuse military orders. This is of course an important point, and rabbis and experts must be consulted any time this danger exists in order to recommend the best approaches. 

But at the same time, we must remember that short-term damage is not always that which determines how we act. Often, the educational value of a given act is more important, even if it causes some temporary harm to the cause. This is true in this case, because it defines very clearly the importance of the mitzvah and of our connection with Eretz Yisrael. It also establishes in our hearts the overriding value of the Divine command over transient political values. By standing strongly and stubbornly for the Torah's values, we are marking the right and true path, along which we will all walk one day. This has been borne out many time in our history. 

But what happens if left-wingers see that we are refusing orders in the name of our Jewish values, and decide that they can also refuse orders that contradict their liberal values? They might refuse to serve in the army if their job is to protect "settlers" and take part in the "conquest" of the land from its Arab residents!

The answer is: We must distinguish between truth and deception. Our stance is one of truth, founded in Torah and even in logic, while theirs is one of falsehood, based on mistaken human misconceptions. While we are loyal to eternal truths, human morality sometimes finds itself on the side of a Stalin, the "sun of the nations," and sometimes embracing and kissing Arafat, the father of modern-day terrorism. The values that guide us are not only moral, but are those that build the nation, while the values that call for the expulsion of Jewish residents and for a refusal to fight our enemy are those that destroy us from within. The dispute regarding refusal of orders must focus on this point, and not only the formal and external symmetry between the different types of "refusal."

Outposts Too? 

Under the Rabin government [10-12 years before the Disengagement], Rabbis Goren, Yisraeli, Kapach, Neriah and Shapira ruled that soldiers must refuse order to evict residents of Jewish communities. But later a different issue came up: What about hilltop outposts, which are not yet full-fledged communities, but rather the beginning steps towards building them? Is it permitted to take part in IDF actions to take them down? 

Some rabbis ruled that if the intent of the evacuation is not to give the hilltop over to Arabs, but just to maintain the rule of law and even to "show the world" that we are not violating international norms and the like, then military orders to do so need not be refused. However, others, including myself, feel that such an evacuation causes great harm to the Jewish settlement enterprise in the Land, and that bringing desolation upon any part thereof is forbidden. 

In any event, the question has not been totally resolved, and therefore the body called the Rabbis of Judea and Samaria issued this ruling: "Every settled hilltop is part of the mitzvah of settling the Land, and it is forbidden to evacuate it… We ask every soldier to ask his commander to release him from all activities having to do with evacuating Jewish outposts, for reasons of conscience and faith." 

And what happens if one's commander does not agree to release him? In such a case, as of now and until there is an agreed-upon ruling, which we hope to reach soon, each soldier must consult with his own rabbi and follow his instructions.