Shabbat-B'Shabbato – Parshat Matot
No 1533: 21Tamuz5774 (19July2014)
AS SHABBAT APPROACHES
The Revenge of G-d - by Rabbi Mordechai Greenberg, Rosh Yeshiva, Kerem B'Yavne
"And Moshe spoke to the people... to inflict the vengeance of G-d against Midyan" [Bamidbar 31:3]. According to the Midrash, Moshe said: Master of the world, if we were uncircumcised or rejected the mitzvot, they would not hate us. They only pursue us because of the Torah and the mitzvot which You gave us. This is therefore Your revenge – to establish the revenge of G-d." [Bamidbar Rabba 22].
The Torah which we have received is the reason behind the hatred of Israel, because through it we represent the world of the Master of the Universe, as is written: "You are My witnesses, G-d says... and I am G-d" [Yeshayahu 43:10,12]. The sages taught us: "If you are my witnesses, I am G-d, but if you are not my witnesses – as it were, I am no longer G-d." [Yalkut Shimoni Yitro 271]. The struggle of the other nations is indeed against G-d. But since there is no way to fight G-d directly, they fight against the nation which represents Him. The Rambanwrote: "'I will reply with revenge to my enemies, and I will repay those who hate Me'– They have done all of this because of their hatred for the Holy One, Blessed be He."[Devarim 32:41]. In his letter to Yemen, the Rambam wrote that because of the Torah "the other nations were extremely jealous of Him... and they wanted to fight G-d and struggle against Him, but He is G-d, who can fight Him directly?"
This concept is repeated in many verses. "We have been killed because of You every day" [Tehillim 44:23]. "They have put their hearts together, they have made a covenant against You" [83:6]. And in the beginning of the book, "Why are the nations excited,while the peoples talk in vain? The kings of the earth take a stand, and the princes gather together – because of G-d and His Mashiach." [2:1-2]. What do they want to do? "Let us remove their strings and throw their ropes away from us!" [2:3]. What strings of ours bind the nations of the world? This was revealed by the infamous Adolf Hitler, before he came into power in Germany, in a talk with the author Hermann Rauschning. "Providence has reserved for me the task of being the great emancipator of man. I save humanity from the limits of conscience and ethics, which have become independent goals, from the vile and degrading torment of the vain vision which is called conscience and morality." Hitler declared his intentionsto the interviewer: "The war for control of the world is only between us – the war between the Germans and the Jews. Everything else is merely for the sake of appearance... The Tablets of Mount Sinai have lost their significance. Conscience is merely a Jewish invention... Israel, the historical nation of the G-d of the spirit, must of necessity have a hatred as deep as the abyssfor the German nation, which worships the god of nature. Peace between these two gods is an impossibility."
Here is what Rav Kook wrote about the reason for anti-Semitism: "Until the coming of the future redemption, the only influence we have on the world is to teach obligations, morality, and justice... The world does not want to accept any obligations, and if they do accept them, they maintain in their hearts a grudge against the main ones who have dissipated the information about the obligations, who do not allow the barbarian soul to expand."
In the future, all the people will recognize the value of the influence of Judaism and its contributions to humanity, and therefore "ten men from all the other nations will take hold of the edge of the garment of every Jewish man, and they will say, we will go with you, for we have heard that G-d is with you" [Zecharia 8:23].
POINT OF VIEW
Surrender or Self-Defense as a Divine Command- by Rabbi Yisrael Rozen, Dean of the Zomet Institute
"Take the revenge of Bnei Yisrael from the Midyanites... And they attacked Midyan and they killed every male... And all of their cities where they were and all of their castles, they burned by fire." [Bamidbar 31:1,7,10].
A Forceful Policy of "Kill him First"
As I write this article, our entire country is being bombarded, from Dimona in the south to Haifa in the north. With the kindness of G-d, the "Iron Dome" over our heads is sealed tight. Everybody who sees and hears about the situation can only give praise, and they all glorify and give thanks to the Master of the Universe, in addition to praising those who developed this defensive weapon.
In the current "war game," as I write these lines, the traditional roles have been reversed. The Palestinians who spit out their terrorist rockets proudly tout their "victories" and consider themselves as David fighting Goliath (the Pelishti!), which we represent. We are protected by armor and the Iron Dome, and they are searching for the cracks in the dome, or perhaps to show that it is too small to give full protection for the entire expanse of our heads, so that they will be able to hit our head with a stone, heaven forbid. I am sorry to say that I have a feeling that our leaders in charge of security have their own doubts about the defense capabilities of the Iron Dome, and they might be anticipating a disaster, to give us an excuse to act with the appropriate level of full force.
Force is indeed called for, and this includes using it against citizens who support the terrorism and collaborators. The Tanach emphasizes that David used the oppressor's own sword to kill him – "And David ran and stood over the Pelishti, and he took his sword and drew it from its sheath, and he killed him. And he used it to cut off his head." [Shmuel I 17:51]. This is exactly what David's acclaimed Chief of Staff, Benayahu Ben Yehoyada did ("a valiant and accomplished man" [Shmuel II 23:20]) – "And he stole the spear from the hand of the Egyptian and killed him with his own spear" [23:21]. What do these passages teach us? This is the Divine (and David-inspired) command: Use the enemy's own weapon, his own tactics, his own sword.
We can conclude that since the Hamas terror organization rains down a thousand bombs on population centersin order to specifically target the citizens, we must steal their own "sword" and not be deterred from using their tactic against their own citizens. There should be no humanitarian considerations for Palestinians who cover for murderers and support them with shouts of encouragement. The clearing of large areas of any population ("they burned all their castles by fire," as quoted above) is an appropriate forceful measure under the current circumstances. The passage describing the "taking of the spear and using it against them" is not merely a recorded fact, rather it is advice and perhaps even a heavenly command: "If one comes to kill you, rise up and kill him first." This does not mean that one has permission to act – rather, it is a command!
This command, "If one comes to kill you, rise up and kill him first," is derived from last week's Torah portion, specifically from the command to instigate a war against Midyan. "'Treat the Midyanites as enemies, for they treat you as enemies' [Bamidbar 25:17-18]. The sages derive from this that if one comes to kill you, you should rise up and kill him first." [Midrash Rabba Pinchas 21]. This idea is based on the double wording – "treat them as enemies... for they treat you as enemies." This refers not only to having harsh intentions (and condemnation by the media), but to physically carrying them out, as is clear in the verses quoted above: "And they killed every male... and all of their castles they burned by fire."
Surrender and a Cry to Cease Fire!
As far as Hamas and real life, our enemies are experts at propaganda and at fooling the entire world, including themselves. They are proud of – and believe in – their own victory. They portray Israel as people who flee into their shelters, pursued by sirens and involved in endless media discussions about the fears of the children and economic damage, and about international threats – in short, people who are worried sick about "What will be?" In order to give them a true picture, it is not enough that the speaker on our side understands the situation. What is needed is for the one who listens to receive the broadcast, to hear it on the same wavelength and at full volume.
We will never win against the arrogance of the people of Azza until we hear them cry out and beg us: Cease your fire!(Note the similar sound of "azut metzach" – arrogance – and the name of the area, Azza.) The Plagues in Egypt teach us that only a plague of hail ("with fire burning within the hail" [Shemot 9:24]) will cause the enemy to declare, "I and my nation are sinners" [ibid]. Only then will "the sounds stop and the hail will no longer fall" [9:29]. And if the plague of hail is not enough, it should be followed by a plague of darkness. In modern terms, this means a total electricity blackout for our enemies (it is the height of absurdityto have to state this). This may well be considered as a non-humanitarian act in the eyes of the "righteous" west, but we can rely on the Prophet Elisha who served as a Divine advisor in the struggle against Moav: "This is what G-d said... Chop down every good tree and block every spring, and fill every good piece of land with a clutter of stones" [Melachim II 3:19]. In modern terms, this means severe economic sanctions, including withholding public utilities, such as water! And in the end, the next step is the Plague of the Firstborn, where "no house remained where there was not a dead person" [Shemot 12:30].
In summary: What is necessary is total surrender by Hamas, "going down on their knees." Anything less will only lead to the next round of war. My assumption is that after the censure which can be expected to come, the "world" will accept the situation after-the-fact, and will even thank us – either openly or in secret – for smashing the snake's head of the Hamas and its natural surroundings: Islamic Fundamentalism.
I must admit that I am left with one unsolved problem, which is the major stumbling block to our victory: "The traitorous Israeli left..."
(Written on the eve of the seventeenth of Tammuz.)
A WOMAN'S ANGLE
Time for a Reckoning- by Terza Frankael, a teacher in "Tehilla" – Evilena de Rothschild, Jerusalem
There are some days and weeks that can make you proud to be an Israeli. This is my feeling as I write this article. The reality of loss, great distress, rockets, and destruction bring out the best in all of us. We all open our homes to those who suffer more than we do, we are nicer to each other on the roads (Do you feel this too? I have really seen fewer cases of dangerous lane changes on the roads...), the politicians are supporting the government as one man, giving it strength and even complimenting it. And when they do criticize, it is in a remarkably democratic and cultured manner, showing respect and restraint. It makes me feel good and pleasant to know that we can act in this way, to see that we are not as unkind to each other as sometimes seems to be the case. And we can add to all of this a feeling of family solidarity which engulfs us all in a time of crisis. We are all in the same boat, we will get through our troubled times together.
This all started with the kidnapping of the three students, followed by eighteen nerve-wracking days. The entire country hoped with the families, a whole nation prayed for the return of the boys, and later on wept together about their death. The "state" of Tel Aviv was not separated from all the rest, everything was united in a remarkable way. The exposure and the familiarity with the charming families greatly enhanced the feeling of unity. Even when Rachel Fraenkel, one of the bereaved mothers, took the unusual step of reciting the Kaddish for her son, her nobility and great spirit were shared by us all.
In shock and anger, we then all stood facing the horrendous act of murder of an Arab youth. The strong denunciations by the rabbis, backed up by the statements of the Fraenkel family from the depths of their mourning, were heard around the country, and I sincerely hope they were engraved into our hearts for all eternity. And now as we listen to the sirens and the echoes of the explosions – both from the missiles and from their being shot down – the entire nation is experiencing a collective unity that we have not felt in many years. As I write this article, there are no words of contempt, no burning hatred can be felt between one sector of the nation and another. I am tempted to say that there is even a bit – a very small measure – of "unfounded love." What a country this is! How good it is to be an Israeli at such a moment – one great family, brothers in arms and in sharing troubles. We are tolerant of such disturbances as modifications of flight schedules, cancellation of summer day camps for children, traffic jams, coming late to work, and more. We are in the mood to forget and forgive, to understand, to accept the inevitable, to let our hope expand – everything else fades when compared to our feeling of solidarity – everything!
We can conclude that when the time comes we really have untapped abilities. All the irritations are not genetic – the exaggerated criticism and our brutality, everybody's absolute certainty that he or she knows how to run things better than the Prime Minster, the Chief of Staff, the Minister of the Treasury, and the Minister of Defense all rolled into one. And this is also true for the frightening violence that is spreading through our midst, the shocking hot-headedness that rises up among us daily. But it turns out that none of this is hereditary, it's all a matter of making decisions. And during these difficult times of terrorism and war we are all willing and able to restrain ourselves, to show some love, to smile, to join together. And if we do criticize, it will be with respect and with a kind heart.
If you feel that my words have something of a flavor of light cynicism, it is only because I truly cannot fathon why we are like this only in times of national disaster. Why do we find it necessary to destroy our own selves so thoroughly in times of peace, to endlessly expand all elements of dispute and argument? Why? Perhaps the experience of these days will give us an opportunity for a personal and national period of reckoning on just this subject!
I write this with great hope for better days. Shabbat shalom.
EDUCATING THE YOUTH
"My House is Empty" - by Eliyahu and Hila Fargeon, "The Jewish Tent"
"I Don't want to Go!"
Part of the process of growing up entails leaving the home – not to a new house, just for Shabbat. The following scene is a familiar one in many families: The parents have arranged to go for Shabbat to relatives, friends, or possibly for a vacation, and the youngster refuses to come along. He is "a big boy" and can take care of himself. This refusal can stem from a feeling of independence, from tension in the family such as an aunt who finds every opportunity to give "gentle" hints about behavior of the children, or because he is bored by a weekend without friends his age.
The arguments almost always come up at the very last minute. Perhaps the parents forgot to tell the children that the family was going away for Shabbat, or it may be that the young man hesitated until the last minute trying to decide whether to disappoint the family. Or it may be that he sees this as the perfect moment to show his parents that they cannot schedule his life for him. The usual result during the early years of adolescence is that we are left to contend with a bitter youth who spends an entire Shabbat in a bad mood. In later years, the family ends up leaving the youth behind.
Is this important? Usually it is a passing youthful fancy, but we cannot simply ignore the many questions, stories, and mishaps about which we have been toldthat are related to this topic. Often, the desire to avoid loneliness leads young people to invite friends to spend Shabbat with them,but they don't always choose friends that the parents would be happy to have as guests.
Dangerous Substances
To get into the subject, we can give you a few examples that we have come across in recent years.
- Some boys who did not all know each other met in a house that belonged to one of them. They drank some unidentified chemical substance. One of the boys did not feel well, and he went on his own to a hospital, where his stomach was pumped out. He phoned his friends and begged them to come and take the same treatment, but they said that this was a known side effect, and they all went to sleep. In the morning, one of the boys did not wake up.