[Be-Ahavah U-Be-Emunah – Beshalach
5774 – translated by R. Blumberg]
People ask: Bombs are falling from Gaza and a
million people in the area have to stay home and flee into their bomb shelters.
Why does the army remain silent and not respond with force?
Obviously, it is not the army who decides but
the government. To the point, however, every attack certainly does deserve a
forceful response, just as King David went to war because the enemy removed
half of soldiers' beards and cut off half of their garments. Yet things are
different now. The army operates according to a response hierarchy. Responses
are proportional, tit for tat. The army cannot respond any differently, due to
international war conventions, whether signed or not. In Latin this is called, Jus
in Bello, the Law in Waging War.
Why must we uphold the Law in Waging War?
For three reasons:
1. Commitments: We have made commitments in
the United Nations, explicitly or inexplicitly.
2. Morality. Not all the people in the Gaza
Strip are evil. There, too, you'll find unfortunates.
True, we say, “War is War,” but as King Shaul
said to Kenites, “Come, withdraw at once from the Amalekites, that I may not
destroy you along with them” (Shmuel 1 15:6). In other words, "even though
you are my friends, if you are there, I might hurt you. You are best off
leaving." Taking pity on those not at fault requires morality.
3. Mutuality. How we behave is how others will
treat us. It is not a matter of worrying about the enemy, but of worrying about
ourselves. We require the assistance of the nations. We cannot live alone.
True, it says, “Israel shall dwell alone” (Bemidbar 23:9), but in practical
affairs it is not like that. For example, during the Yom Kippur War, we ran out
of ammunition. It was very embarrassing, but the Americans organized an airlift
for us and transferred ammunition to us. If they had not, it would not have
been the end of our country, for we had thirteen missiles suited with nuclear
warheads. Still, such things cannot be done in secret. There are satellites
that see everything. The Russians already had ships in the region with nuclear
bombs, and that's no picnic either. It was the Americans who told the Russians
to desist. Until the Messiah comes and we are responsible for the entire planet
we are not alone. In the meantime we are dependent.
Some people say: Since we are dependent on the
nations, it is impossible for us to say Hallel on Israel Independence Day, for
we are not independent. That is wrong. There is no country on Earth that is not
dependent on others, not even the Americans, the Russians or the British. They
don't do anything without taking others into account. They, as well, are not
alone in the world.
One particular Rabbi, not a defeatist coward
by any means, related that one time when Israel's foreign minister returned
from a visit to America, he was criticized for having capitulated to American
pressure. Rav Tzvi Yehuda told that Rabbi, “Do you think we never have
to take the Americans into consideration?”
We also have our tension with the Iranians. We
need world support against them. The fact is that at present the nations are
working on our behalf against Iran. You can't always be fighting on all fronts.
In education, as well, you cannot be fighting
on all fronts. You pick the most important front and you ignore the others.
In one of the Yeshivot, the Mashgiach [spiritual
director] suddenly entered a room and found students playing checkers. They
quickly hid the game under the table. The Mashgiach said, “I will
explain to you what checkers is about. You always move forward. When you get to
the top, you can do what you want. You
sacrifice one in order to win two.” He turned it into a lesson about behavior.
In running the country, as well, you sometimes
sacrifice one in order to win two. We are not alone on this Earth.
A major principle regarding the Nation living
in Zion is this: We go to war only when there is “no choice”. According to the
statistics of the World Health Organization, every year 800,000 people are
killed in the world by terrorists and other murderers. So why do we have the
impression that more are killed here? It is because we know and love one
another. An American living in New York is not connected to somebody killed in
Miami. Yet when a Jew is killed or suffers, that creates large ripples.
Still we cannot go to war over such incidents.
And the Nation dwelling in Zion would not agree to it either. Our soldiers are
our citizens, and we cannot send soldiers who are not convinced that we must
fight. Such wars are called “elective battles”. When there is a war of no
choice, everyone goes out to battle, the Right, the Left and the Middle Ground.
And they fight with self-sacrifice. It is not just the government who thinks we
shouldn't go into battle over every incident - the Nation dwelling in Zion
thinks it too.
Some say: “But there a million people stuck
there!” True, but you must look at matters in proportion. There are worse
problems still. When I was born, I had to be hidden away so I would not end up
in a concentration camp. My paternal grandparents on my father's side died in
such camps. That is suffering. The rule is this: we must thank G-d for
what we have, and not bare open wounds over what we don't have. Sure there are
problems, but we don't have to go overboard. We must increase our national
fortitude. This is not accomplished by
shouting at our Prime Minister and army.
In conclusion, we must strengthen the
residents of the South, and in general, strengthen our Nation and believe in
our country, our government and our army. If we are always saying that the army
is weak and the government is weak, we are weakening them. “What I have dreaded
has come upon me” (Iyov 3:25). In other words, it's a self-fulfilling prophecy.
A source for this is Berachot 60a. The Mishna there states: “If someone enters
a bathhouse he should say, 'May it be G-d's will that You save me from this and
other such things. Let no corruption or sin befall me, and if they do befall
me, then let my death be an atonement for all my sins.”
Abaye responded to this, “A person should not
say this prayer, so as not to give the devil any ideas.”
Now we might ask: How could Abaye, a Talmudic
sage, dispute the Talmudic ruling of the Mishnaic sages who preceded him?
Rav Kook answers this in Ein Aya: The Mishnaic
sages were heroic men who feared nothing.
Hence they could say, “I am going to the bathhouse and I hope not to
die. If I do die, then I shall die.”
Yet the Talmudic Sages were weaker, and could
not talk that way. Had they said, “If I fall prey to sin, let me die as an
atonement,” they would have been dead.
Therefore, one should not express himself this
way. Rather, we should say that we are strong and heroic, and that is the
truth. The army is on the right course with its self-restraint. Sometimes, the
army waits in order to be able to attack more forcefully later.
Let us be strong
and courageous.
