In this week’s Torah portion the Almighty asks, “How long will this nation provoke me…how long with they not have faith in me despite all the miracles that I have performed?” (Numbers 13:11).
It certainly is no coincidence that the “disengagement” plans of Prime Minister Ariel Sharon reached the agenda of the Israeli government precisely the same week we read the Torah portion Shelach. Here, the Torah distinguishes between those Jews who shamefully declared “We cannot ascend to Eretz Yisrael because the enemy is stronger than us” (Numbers 13:31) and the faithful Jews who declared “Let us ascend and possess the land for we can succeed in overcoming all the hardships” (Numbers 13:30).
These Jews of faith explained that “If G-d favors us, He will bring us into this land and give it to us” (Numbers 14:8). The determining factor creating the difference between the two camps is the recognition of the Divine leadership determining the flow of events. Those not imbued with the faith in the leadership of the Almighty allowed themselves to be frightened by the appearance of the giants, and as a result they said: “When looking upon them we felt like
grasshoppers and we are sure that is the way they looked upon us” (Numbers 13:33).
This breach of faith in the G-d of Israel who miraculously delivered them from Egyptian slavery, brought them victory when Amalek attacked, and on the desert trek provided them daily with heavenly nutrition; this weakness in faith caused the fierce Divine response of the Almighty: “How much longer will this nation provoke me…how long with they not have faith in me after all these miracles?”
I can almost hear these Divine words reverberating in our ears in Hebron today in response to the “disengagement” plan being accepted as official policy by the Israeli government. Is it happening again? Jewish leaders declaring that we cannot hold on to our G-d given land, that we cannot withstand the pains and difficulties, that we must “disengage” – i.e., uproot Jews from their homes while destroying the towns we have built.
We must flee from Palestinian terror, hide behind fences and walls, and close our eyes to the rockets that explode in our faces. These rockets have reached Sderot, Nahal Oz, and Sa’ad – towns not even part of Yesha. How absurd that this scenario is presented as a solution for our problems leading toward a “peace process.” Our leaders guarantee us that this is the right direction because this plan ensures us the support of Mr. Bush, Kofi Annan, Mr. Chirac and even Mr. Mubarak, the president of Egypt.
I want to comfort our dear readers by emphasizing that there is another path that we in Yesha have chosen – the path of faith, the path of life, the path that recognizes the Divine dimension leading us in this Zionist process of redemption. This is the path of Yehoshua and Calev, who against all odds continued to express their faith in the Almighty, and therefore were privileged to lead the Children of Israel to their destination in Eretz Yisrael.
We are actually continuing the path of classical Zionism. The only realistic explanation for the astonishing success of the Zionist process of settling and building the Jewish state is the Divine spirit that has been a pillar of inspiration and strength. This Divine spirit has created the boundless devotion and self-sacrifice of pioneers and idealists from Hanita, Rosh Pina, Rishon L’zion, Petach Tikva, and Jerusalem, Hebron, Bet El, Eli and Shilo.
All these pioneering efforts succeeded in the face of Arab terror striking against us in the last hundred years; generation after generation of Jewish settlers and builders projected the unique character of the pioneers of Eretz Yisrael. Their infinite faith in the power and reality of creating facts on the ground became the determining factor in securing the boundaries of our holy land.
Thirty-seven years ago, the Six Day War elevated us to a higher level of perceiving the spirit of the Almighty leading us on the path of redemption. This Divine spirit helped create the great reality of Jewish life in Judea, Samaria, the Golan and Gush Katif. Close to three hundred thousand Jews in villages, towns and cities are living a complete Jewish life of faith, joy and appreciation of our blessed lot.
Only those who are disengaged from the historical reality of Zionism and its Divine spirit can have such terrible ideas of uprooting Jews from their homes and destroying Jewish life, while thinking that they are bringing peace and security to our people.
We, the descendants of Calev and Yehoshua, feel blessed and privileged to be able to continue in their path of faith. Thank G-d there are already three generations motivated by this faith living in Yesha, along with thousands of Jews in all of Israel who support us.
I must admit that we have no choice but to continue on this path, because we know what the other alternative is – it appears in this week’s portion, Shelach. I tremble when I read these verses again. I turn to my government and prime minister: A responsible Jewish leadership, especially in these difficult times, must put its mind and heart to the Divine words describing the crisis in the desert and the Divine solution expressed by the words of two great Jewish leaders,
Calev and Yehoshua.
Mr. Sharon, with all due respect, it is not Mr. Bush or Mr. Powell or European leaders, and certainly not the terrorists, nor the ancient biblical giants, who determine the course of Jewish history, but the G-d of Israel, Whose spirit and inspiration have created the vitality and beauty flowing in the stream of Jewish life in all of Israel. He is the One who guides and determines the direction of Jewish destiny.
Always remember the words of Calev and Yehoshua: “Tova ha’aretz me’od me’od? – “The Land is exceedingly good” (Numbers 14:7).
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