Author Archives: Rabbi

Botches

Posted on June 3, 2010 | Comments Off

Was the flotilla raid “botched” ? Sure, in the same way the raid on Entebbe was “botched” – the mission was accomplished and some of the terrorists were killed. One should not lose sight of the fact that Israel had one operational objective: to prevent unsearched ships from landing at the Gaza port. Mission accomplished.

Those who persist in maintaining that another operational objective should be the retention of favorable world opinion have set an unreachable goal that will inhibit Israel’s exercise of self-defense. In the current climate, nothing can be done that engender the support of the “world community,” a union of thugs, despots, potentates, secularists, socialists, religious fanatics, anti-religious fanatics and amoral Goodists who, like lemmings, would eagerly march to their own destruction. Europe, in its death throes as a civilization, is numerically disappearing and seeking to ensure its short-term survival by pandering to the Muslim hordes that are overwhelming it.

It is hard to resist the conclusion that not only was the provocation staged – but so were the “spontaneous” protests across the globe, with the “hastily” manufactured placards, and the vitriolic Jew-hating speeches. Why should we be surprised – this type of rhetorical viciousness has been the norm since the end of the Six-Day War. As one Israeli general said last week, they knew that whatever Israel did would be criticized. There is a sinister pattern that has existed for at least two decades but became most prominent during last year’s Gaza War: Israel is granted the right of self-defense in theory but not in practice. Any military measure taken is considered “excessive” or “disproportionate.” Its civilians are supposed to be rocketed with impunity, and its soldiers attacked without response. The question to the world – “what would you do in similar circumstances?” – is not answered or even taken seriously, because behind the façade of anger is the reality of charade.

Lies are difficult to combat. As King David wrote: “Lord, save me from lying lips and from a deceitful tongue” (Psalm 120). It is impossible to dialogue with, much less persuade, people who traffic in lies – to whom even video evidence is insufficient to convince them of the hostile intent of the dead thugs. After all, whom should we believe – the “activists” and their yelps, or our own lying eyes ?

The second “botch” lamented by many is the state of relations between Israel and Turkey. Indeed, Turkey – as a secular Muslim but non-Arab state – was once a primary ally of Israel. But that changed dramatically – and not this past Sunday. PM Erdogan, whose violent countrymen apparently confused Israeli commandoes with Armenians and never expected a response to their attacks, embraced Iran’s Ahmadinejad – last week. Erdogan, at a public forum in Davos in January 2009 screamed at Shimon Peres that “you know well how to kill,” and stalked off.

There are military ties between Israel and Turkey, owing to the fact that the Turkish military is not fully under civilian control and its generals are the old-school secular Muslims – and those military ties continue because Turkey benefits from the arms and training provided by Israel. But the diplomatic relationship deteriorated when Erdogan, a radical Muslim who is anti-West, anti-American, anti-Israel, and pro-Arab, became prime minister in 2003.

Those who are wax nostalgic over the halcyon days of Turkish-Israel relations sound much like those who pine for the glorious centuries of Jewish life in Muslim countries – where Jews lived as humiliated dhimmis, like every other non-Muslim in the Muslim world.

We must find every avenue to strengthen PM Netanyahu, who currently shows the appropriate resolve (what a great line: “this was not a love boat, but a hate boat”), but has been known to waver under pressure. Israel has seized several fully-loaded weapons ships – does anyone remember Karine-A? – and must retain the right to control the Gaza seas (as stipulated by the Oslo Accords, of all things). If Netanyahu caves and allows a third-party to assert that control, it would be typical Bibi but another obstacle to Israel’s ability to defend itself. So far, he has successfully deflected accusations that he has “botched” this operation.

The world community is hopeless. Hatred for Israel and the Jewish people did not start in 2010, 2009, 1967, 1948 or even 1933. As our Sages state, it stems from Sinai – from the moment the Jewish people accepted G-d’s Torah and became His faithful servants. Sadly, we have “botched’ that relationship from time to time, but a major part of our return is our recognition of the gift of the land of Israel that He gave to our people. In our willingness to defend it from physical and psychological assault, we are defending G-d’s honor and that of His people, and bringing closer the day when this relentless hostile, hypocritical and spiteful world will acknowledge His majesty and that of His chosen tribe.

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Posted in Contemporary Life, Current Events, Israel, Jewish History, Machshava/Jewish Thought

Flotilla Follies

Posted on June 1, 2010 | Comments Off

The only mistake Israel made was not issuing the following statement last week (or, to be more precise, four years ago): “Due to the hostile deeds and bellicose words of the government of Gaza, a state of war exists between Israel and Gaza. The government of Gaza has engaged in relentless and unprovoked attacks on Israel’s sovereign territory and citizenry. For years, Gaza has unhesitatingly fired rockets and mortars that have killed, wounded and terrorized civilians in Israel. For four years, Gaza has held hostage – in defiance of international law – an Israeli soldier named Gilad Schalit, and has deprived him of his freedom and human rights. We hold Gazans – who overwhelmingly elected a Hamas government explicitly dedicated to Israel’s destruction – responsible for all aggressive actions emanating from their territory. Therefore, anyone seeking to enter Gaza without the authorization of Israel, or anyone seeking to provide Gazans with any material support without the express authorization of Israel, will be considered to be aiding and abetting the enemies of Israel and will be treated with the appropriate severity customary in wartime.”

Such a statement would have clarified at the outset Israel’s position, and put the world and the “activists” on notice that any attempt to strengthen Gaza in its war against Israel would be dealt with harshly. Instead, Israel minces words, preferring the illusions of the “peace process” to the reality of persistent conflict. The rhetoric of international protest should not be taken seriously, as it is all part of the game, and with the proper and pointed Israeli response – without apologies, regrets or offers of compensation – will recede within days. Indeed, if Israel’s response – now, properly direct and blunt – becomes limp, flaccid and remorseful, that will only prolong this manufactured crisis. And manufactured it was.

Obviously, the whole point of the charade was not to supply Gazans with “humanitarian aid” (they don’t need it, and Israel in any event offered to unload, search and then deliver whatever was appropriate) but rather to goad the Israelis in killing some “activists.” In that sense, nine dead, for Muslims, is a very small price to pay for a public relations triumph. Sad to say – but unsurprisingly – Muslims do not value life the same way Westerners do. They gladly die for a cause. Those who don’t believe that should ponder a few phrases – suicide bomber, 9/11, jihad – and consider the dozens of countries across the globe that have been victimized by Muslim suicide terror. As a Hamas parliamentarian said several years ago, taunting Israel and the West: “We love death the way you love life.” If so, these terrorist sympathizers not only got what they deserved, they got what they wanted. Spare me the crocodile tears and soppy rhetoric about the “tragic loss of life.”

The only botched part of the raid seemed to be that the Israeli commandoes allowed themselves to be assaulted by these “peaceniks” for almost an hour before they responded in kind. That was an operational failure. Otherwise, there was much good that came out of the raid:

1) Israel’s blockade of Gaza was upheld, and the enemy is on notice that these stunts will not succeed. If tried again, the reaction should be even swifter and less merciful.

2) Since Israel can reiterate to the world that a state of war exists between Israel and Gaza, it should restrict any aid – even humanitarian – until Gilad Schalit is released alive and well.

3) PM Netanyahu had to cancel his scheduled meeting with President Obama. As noted here several days ago, this session would have redounded to Israel’s detriment. My, this new crisis is so serious that perhaps Netanyahu will be unavailable until after the summer, and maybe not even until after the Jewish holidays in the late summer. If he comes earlier, he is foolish.

4) This morning, the UN Security Council passed a resolution stating in part: “The Security Council deeply regrets the loss of life and injuries resulting from the use of force during the Israeli military operation in international waters against the convoy sailing to Gaza”… and… “condemns those acts which resulted in the loss” of lives. And the Obama administration supported this resolution, claiming that it was watered down from an even harsher condemnation of Israel. Result: Israel can no longer count on this US government to defend it from the tendentious and obsessive hatred of the UN towards Israel. Clarity is always beneficial, and so much for the Obama “charm offensive” that is trying to lure liberal US Jews back into the Obama corner.

5) Another proof (as if another was still needed) that the UN is a joke, and a waste of valuable real estate in New York City. The North Korean sinking of a South Korean submarine several months ago killed five times as many human beings as died in the flotilla follies, with no response. Muslim-Arab terrorists have killed in recent years 1000 times as many human beings as died off the Gaza coast, with no response. Rhwanda. Darfur. If the UN has condemned the rockets into Sderot, I do not recall it. I do recall that Noam Schalit this past March asked the UN Human Rights Commission to intervene on behalf of his captive son; he stills waits for their response.

6) Perhaps it will stop people from mindlessly spouting the utter nonsense that Turkey is Israel’s closest ally in the Middle East. That was true for many years. It is no longer true. That was true when Turkey was governed by secular leaders. It has not been true since PM Erdogan – a rabid Islamist – took power in 2003 and shifted policy away from Israel and the West and closer to the Arab-Muslim world. Turkey sponsored this flotilla and dispatched it from its shores. It is today part of the Muslim axis against Israel. It is anti-Israel. That doesn’t mean it will always be anti-Israel; it does mean that today it is anti-Israel, and pretending it is not is misguided. Side note: would that the Turks could muster a fraction of the passion and outrage it feels about the Israeli raid and the loss of nine lives here for the 1,500,000 Armenians that Turkey massacred in 1915 and still refuses to acknowledge.

7) Another blow to the “peace process,” currently in the guise of the George Mitchell proximity talks. All these efforts are doomed to fail, because they all are designed to facilitate Israel’s demise rather than create a lasting peace. The riots across the world are a timely reminder to Jews and Israelis – many of whom suffer from a peculiar form of amnesia – that a visceral, religious-based hatred of Jews and Israel is alive and well, and prospers whenever Israel shows any weakness. Much of the world has not reconciled itself to Israel’s existence or to Jewish nationalism, and all the Oslo agreements, treaties, signing ceremonies, retreats, surrenders, concessions, compromises, good-will measures and handshakes have not changed that one iota. Almost inarguably, Israeli weakness in the last 20 years has exacerbated Jew-hatred and Israel-hatred across the world, especially the Arab world.

8) PA “President” Mahmoud Abbas (whose term expired long ago but in the comical world of Arab “democracies” will serve as long as he wishes) accused Israel of “state-sponsored terrorism.” Well, isn’t that rich (in the sense of cloying) ? Of course, Abbas is an expert on “state-sponsored terrorism,” so he must know it when he sees it.

Jews and people of good will everywhere must remain resilient – physically and psychologically – against the onslaught that has started and will continue for several days. Be strong. These PR battles are not incidental to the war against Israel but one of the major battlegrounds. The enemy has in numbers what it lacks in truth, justice and morality – and the latter are always stronger. Do not parrot the trite and wrong-headed sound bites about the “botched raid.” On the contrary: the raid was not botched at all. The raid was a success. Soldiers go into battle ready to kill and be killed. Israeli soldiers killed so that they should not be killed. Gaza and Israel are at war. That is the nature of war. Israel’s vital interests were protected by its military forces. And Jewish blood is no longer cheap.

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Posted in Contemporary Life, Israel, Jewish History

Invitations

Posted on May 28, 2010 | Comments Off

President Obama’s friendly outreach to PM Netanyahu strikes me as primarily an appeal to a domestic Jewish audience – whose liberal component is deeply troubled by Obama’s tone and substance toward Israel – rather than a genuine attempt to mend fences with Israel and conduct himself as one would expect from a friend and ally. With Obama’s poll numbers declining, he needed to shore up his Democratic Jewish support that had bottomed after he was misled into believing that the leftist Jews with whom he surrounds himself are representative of the Jewish – even liberal Jewish – community. They are not, despite their protestations.

The attempted “charm offensive” began several weeks ago. It included reaching out to US Rabbis for private meetings and the exchange of clichés and platitudes, meetings that – unlike President Bush’s outreach – did not actually include a meeting with the president himself, and now has culminated in what is being billed as a “friendly” meeting (as if that is something unusual), that will even include the presence of a photographer, perhaps a flashy smile, and, if Netanyahu plays his cards right, an entrance through the front door of the White House in daylight instead of the standard (for Israel’s prime minister) rear door entry in the dark of night.

Yet, even this invitation was muffed by the White House. Note the contrast in the invitations of Netanyahu and PA ex-president Abbas (who still functions as ra’is despite the fact that his term lapsed more than a year ago, but who’s counting anyway ?). Netanyahu was “invited” in a throwaway line by Rahm Emanuel who was visiting Israel: “Since you’ll be in Canada next week, stop in…” or something to that effect. The Abbas visit, in two weeks, was announced in a formal statement issued from the White House, with pomp and solemnity. There was no such formal White House statement for Netanyahu.

The Prime Minister should have said “no, thank you… not this time, perhaps in a few months.” He should have deflected this invitation by saying: “Mr. President, your invitations are always welcome and our friendship is strong, sincere and true. But it is not right for me to impose myself on you for a third visit, while you – a world traveler, including across most of the Arab world – have yet to visit me in my humble and holy land. So let us plan a date for your visit, and we shall talk then…” He should not come because the Obama administration is locked into a mindset that is detrimental Israel’s survival: “peace” is on the horizon and it will only be won through Israeli concessions. However that sentiment is couched and colored (the Arabs will renounce terror, incitement, or the wearing of white robes), the bottom line is all tangible concessions must come from Israel. And every new concession is just the prelude to the next round of concessions.

Israel could benefit from some benign neglect, at least until the harmful dynamic is halted or reversed. An interesting commentator wrote (http://www.jpost.com/Opinion/Op-EdContributors/Article.aspx?id=176586) that Netanyahu’s primary goal today should be domestic stability (especially including that of his government) and that Israel would do well to avoid any diplomatic initiatives for the foreseeable future. Every Israeli diplomatic initiative in the last thirty years has left Israel in an impaired strategic posture at its conclusion, as if often winds up negotiating with itself and against itself. Passivity has its place, and even words matter.

Be careful what you say. Surrender begins insidiously, with words that Israel interprets as innocuous even as the enemy and its acolytes invest them with great significance. The Talmud (Sanhedrin 102a) states that “brit keruta lasfatayim” – there is a covenant made with the lips. Whatever people say will be fulfilled in some form, and not always as they intended. In 1978, Menachem Begin agonized over accepting one phrase in the Camp David Accords, acknowledging the “legitimate rights of the Palestinian people.” He didn’t believe they had any rights to the land of Israel, much less legitimate ones. He was convinced to sign (foolishly), likely by advisor Aharon Barak, who later became the irksome President of Israel’s High Court of Justice, who told him that the phrase “legitimate rights,” absent any real definition, meant nothing, and were just empty words.

Not quite. The phrase was almost universally perceived to reflect the “national” rights of an Arab people to the land of Israel, and the rest is inglorious history. Within twenty years, the idea of a Palestinian state went from being anathema to the civilized world and synonymous with a wish for Israel’s destruction to Israel’s being anathematized by the civilized world (and the uncivilized) for its failure to create a Palestinian state, even though it is still synonymous with a wish for Israel’s demise.

Therein rests the danger as well in Netanyahu’s embrace of a conditional Palestinian state last June. Not many remember or care what his conditions were; all people consider is that there few credible leaders in Israel now – right or left – who oppose a Palestinian state. The natural question then becomes: why is Israel obstructing the creation of a Palestinian state that they themselves have endorsed ? That question is difficult to answer convincingly to a world that has tired of Israel’s security laments, and that question – sure to be raised by Obama to Netanyahu next week – weighs like an albatross around Israel’s neck. So why go to a White House altogether ? To coordinate a joint attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities ? That’ll be the day.

Words matter. Words create psychological realities that are often then translated into physical realities. Sure, Netanyahu relieved US and some domestic pressure by this concession, but at what cost? When words are used as concessions, to thwart the relentless pressure coming from our enemies and their supporters, the consequences are profound. The only answer is not to become tired, not to become so fatigued that surrender seems like the only reasonable option. In this, the Talmud guides us as well (ibid 104b): “kal hamaitzik l’Yisrael eino ayaif,” whoever oppresses Israel does not become weary. The enemy is inexorable, and is emboldened when he sees that Jews are tired (as Ehud Olmert infamously said five years ago). But knowing that their relentlessness is a given – and that our passion must exceed theirs – means that we must be vigilant in giving no quarter practically or even verbally. “No” (or “no, thank you”) is also an answer.

So, you are always welcome here, Mr. Netanyahu, but you need not jump just because Obama tells you to jump. He is busy anyway cleaning up the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico that his daughter Malia has been hectoring him about (shades of Amy Carter’s youthful obsession with “nucular proliferation” that bedeviled her father). Let Obama clean up the mess in the Gulf, and when those waters are again pristine, he can try to clean up the mess in the Middle East. Otherwise, there are hazardous and choppy waters ahead for Israel.

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Posted in Contemporary Life, Current Events, Israel, Machshava/Jewish Thought

The Range of Prophecy

Posted on May 25, 2010 | Comments Off

The Torah highlights for us Moshe’s greatness, and even construes it as an article of faith. Hashem explains to Miriam and Aharon: “If there are prophets among you, I make Myself known to them in a vision or in a dream. Not so My servant Moshe, who is trusted in My entire house. I speak to him mouth to mouth in a clear vision without riddles” (Bamidbar 12:6-8). Hashem’s message to Moshe is direct, unimpeded, and unambiguous – and no other prophet had or will ever have such a relationship.

In fact, this principle is one of the fundamental concepts of the Jewish people – that no prophet is like Moshe and no prophecy is like Moshe’s. It is the seventh principle of the Rambam – that Moshe is the master of all prophets, and that all others are inferior to him. We maintain that G-d communicated with Moshe b’aspaklaria hame’ira, with a crystal clear vision, but to other prophets b’aspaklaria she’enena me’ira, with a visualization that was cloudy, opaque, and unclear.

That was Moshe’s greatness. The question is: why is this important ? How does it affect our lives whether or not Moshe was the greatest prophet? Who keeps score ? Why should this be a fundamental tenet of Judaism ? And what is an aspaklaria hame’ira, the clearest mental picture attainable ?

Rav Avraham Yitzchak Kook zt”l explained (Orot 121) that there is a difference between Moshe’s prophecy and that of other prophets, and this distinction affects us greatly until today. The other prophets only spoke of ideals, principles, values, and strivings – of justice and righteousness and kindness. They reinforced to the Jews again and again the basic norms of decent behavior, the foundation of the entire Torah. They never admonished the people for not keeping Shabbat or Kashrut – but for not being good people, or for not being conscious of G-d’s presence. The prophets were not allowed to innovate in halacha, or to tamper with, deviate or supplement the Torah.

Their vision was of ideals and generalities, but nothing specific. It was a vision b’aspaklaria she’enena me’ira.

Moshe’s prophecy was b’aspaklaria hame’ira. He transmitted to us not only the ideals of Torah, but also specifically how those ideals are translated into practical behavior. Moshe spoke not only of justice in the abstract, but also how the particulars of every mitzva produce a just person; he taught not only of the imperative of kindness, but also how the details of each mitzva help fashion the kind personality. Moshe taught us how each mitzva translates the theoretical into the practical – and that is why his prophecy was unique, and itself one of the thirteen cardinal principles of the Jewish faith.

Moshe saw the entirety of Hashem’s message b’aspaklaria hame’ira, with a clear lens. He perceived both the particulars and the principles as one. The prophetic vision can only complement Torat Moshe; it cannot add to it intrinsically.

Certainly, this is no denigration of the prophets of Israel. Indeed, the particulars of Moshe’s Torah – the Mitzvot – are wasted on and easily corrupted by those who observe them without reference to the prophetic vision. And clearly those who speak in the lofty and exalted terms of the prophets while divorced from the mitzvot of Torat Moshe have emasculated the Torah and essentially created another religion.

Both visions form the composite Jewish experience. And yet, both currents today inhabit two different worlds. We are confronted by a Jewish world that, at one end, ignores halacha as not germane to modern life, or, at the other end, is wrapped up compulsively in issues of kosher wigs, kosher water and wormy fish, and the like, that, notwithstanding that it reflects a lack of sophistication about the world (and even a very narrow view of halacha), but is almost designed to make us look peculiar in the eyes of our contemporaries. “You shall safeguard and perform the mitzvot, for they are your wisdom and discernment in the eyes of the nations, who will hear of these decrees and shall say about you ‘Surely a wise and discerning people is this great nation’” (Devarim 4:6). Unfortunately, few people who read of current events in the Jewish world will be moved to exclaim ‘Surely a wise and discerning people is this great nation’. (When the facts remain the same and only the halacha purports to change, something more than sober analysis is afoot.) Much has been lost in the synthesis of Torat Moshe and the vision of our prophets.

We witness some of this dissonance every week. Although prophecy ceased some 24 centuries ago, the words of the prophets ring true until today. They are not written on the subway walls, but read in shul – the weekly haftara. Yet, some of us are so unmoved by them that we literally walk out on them every Shabbat. We may tolerate Torat Moshe – the details of the mitzvot – but we cannot bear to hear the words of the prophets. They do not speak to us, and, like some other mitzvot, often do not remind us of Hashem or evoke a spiritual response. Thus, some may be quite diligent in uttering the correct blessing at Kiddush, or make sure not to turn on the TV on Shabbat, or support Israel generously – but the whole framework of the Jewish experience simply does not resonate. And that is most unfortunate.

Conversely, the world – even part of our world – is filled with spiritual seekers, people trying to get in touch with G-d, their soul, something beyond the physical. That is why kabbala and the New Age and all that other stuff are so popular. They may not know where to look, but at least they are looking; many of us are not even looking anymore. We are content to keep the Indians out of our hair and the bugs out of our water, recite the appropriate prayer formulas by rote, and that is our divine service.

Even worse, parents worry about their children “flipping” in Israel. Many witness the spiritual apathy of teenagers, who, for a time will stop going to shul or observing some of the mitzvot – and wonder what will become of them. They may even pray that their children learn to just go through the motions – “just show up, say the words, bind the tefillin unthinkingly, and move on” ! Like “I” do.

Then, after a year in Israel where a child sees the holistic, fully-integrated system of Torah, and for the first time actually feels a closeness with Hashem, the parents will often wonder what has become of their child. By the same token, the child begins to wonder why his/her parents attend shul primarily for social reasons – to visit and chat with friends – or because of social conventions – it is what Jews do on Shabbat. They feel estranged from their elders who are going through the motions and observe the Mitzvot out of habit and routine, and may even feel spiritually empty. In shul, while the child is talking to Hashem, the parents are oblivious to Hashem and talking to their friends. So, who is really “flipped” ?

Rav Kook wrote that in the end of days, there will be a return of the light of the prophets and then a hatred of the details will prevail – the details which simple people feel hampers their ability to serve Hashem, and which frum people often feel constitutes the totality of their service of Hashem.

We are seeing that today – as a prelude to the return of the spirit of Moshe that infuses every particular of halacha with not just a behavioral component but also with its profound spiritual essence. People will see the inner beauty of the mitzva, and we will coalesce the vision of the prophets with the vision of Moshe. We will be able to view the Torah itself b’aspaklaria hame’ira.

Not all of us can do that today. Some of us may be spiritually burnt out and feel spiritually ice cold. But ice cold is not dead. The embers burn deep within every Jew, and only need to be ignited. We already have the great gift – the Torah. “For I have given you a precious gift…” (Mishlei 4:2). We already have the mitzvot; we only need to bring them alive, appreciate them, embrace them with fervor and enthusiasm – daven, learn, serve G-d, do chesed as befits us as serious Jews – and a thirsty world will turn to us yearningly, with respect and reverence, for the spiritual guidance that it craves.

That is our legacy from Moshe. Only Moshe’s prophecy could transmit to us such a system. Only through appreciating it in its fullness will we merit the true joy of the present and the glories of the future. Only then will we be receptive to and worthy of welcoming the divine presence into our midst, speedily and in our days.

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Posted in Chumash, Contemporary Life, Current Events, Machshava/Jewish Thought