We constantly hear people invalidating
the secular or the religious, the left or the right, government ministers or
the Government. How sad that after 2,000 years of exile, and being
educated through suffering to have Ahavat Yisrael, there are still those who
speak in this manner. Their words are lies, and saying them is considered
lording over others!
We must be extremely cautious
against making generalizations. We live in a world where nothing is
perfect. We must distinguish between one whose only thoughts are
evil and who thinks of ways to destroy the Nation and Land of Israel, and
one whose intentions are good and wants to save the State, but who is
nevertheless gravely mistaken in his path. There is a big difference
between an evil person and a good person who errs. As Maran Ha-Rav Kook
expresses, if we explain to a good person that 2+2 = 4 and not 5, he will be
grateful to us. When someone is mistaken, there is only one way of
convincing him otherwise - and it is not through harshness and insult.
Am Yisrael is not divided in such
a way that one group is completely right and possesses all of the positives,
while everyone else is lacking. There were times like this in the past,
when idol worshipers were completely corrupt and scorned Hashem, but - in our
days - the merits are scattered among the Nation. We even give the
benefit of the doubt to those who divide the Nation: They are idealists, whose
words flow from their heart to defend the Torah and the Land of Israel.
But, with all due respect, they are also mistaken when they cut the body of the
Nation with a sharp knife and use the terms "us" and
"them".
Why do these idealists err so
severely? Rabbenu Ha-Rav Tzvi Yehudah explains that the answer is found
in two words: "Kima, Kima" ([the Redemption arrives] slowly, slowly).
In the Exile, the Nation crumbles. But with its return to its Land,
everything is being rebuilt and revived. This process takes time. It
comes slowly, slowly.
It is easy to prove that this is
the State about which the prophets prophesized. After all, the Nation is
returning home and the Land continues to blossom. This is not the
complete Redemption for which we pray each day in the Shemoneh
Esrei, but we must nonetheless be joyous for every "crumb"
of Redemption. The Nation will not be reborn in a day. Israel will
not return to its Land in one day. The Nation will not come to love
Yehudah and Shomron in one day. And not everyone will begin to keep
Shabbat and eat Kosher in one day.
Reality does not have wings like
imagination. We must therefore gird ourselves with patience. Hashem
has incredible patience. He waited 10 generations from Adam to Noach
before destroying the world and another 10 generations between Noach and
Avraham before rewarding Avraham for all of the goodness (Pirkei Avot
5:2). Hashem waited close to 2,000 years before the appearance of Avraham
Avinu.
Patience is not idleness, but
action based on careful consideration of the pace of reality. What we
have accomplished thus far in the State of Israel has great value, and we must
continue on. We must do all we can, without losing our joy
and optimism. We must rejoice over what we have attained up to
this point, in all realms. It is true that there are many complications,
but one who only sees darkness and no light is lacking in gratitude to Hashem.
We must increase Ahavat Yisrael -
love of our fellow Jews - and the understanding that we are one Nation. That which
we have in common is infinitely greater than that which separates us. We
are in the same boat; we are one soul. And - most of all - we must
remember that difference of opinion is permissible, but division of hearts
is forbidden.
