Hope In the Face of Destruction

Jewish News of Greater Phoenix
November 29, 2002/Kislev 24 5763

When will the madness end? Young children are dying in bus bombings; soldiers are being killed in ambushes in Hebron as we are about usher in the holy Sabbath, a time when we wish people a "Shabbat Shalom," a Sabbath of peace. How ironic that there is such bloodshed juxtaposed with the sweetness of the day of peace and rest.

It is hard to rejoice when innocent people are dying. There is no method to the madness. Eleven people were killed Nov. 21, brutally murdered: six children on their way to school, two of which were holding on tightly to the hands of their grandparents. All dead.
The father of the bomber glowing with pride as the news breaks. Israelis running through the streets, utter chaos. The cries of mothers for their children can be heard vibrating off the walls of Jerusalem stone. "Why my baby? Why?" There is no answer, just silence and the sound of sirens blasting hauntingly through the minds of those within range.

Do I really want my children to grow up here? Do I want them to see their friends die either in combat or just waiting for a ride to school?

There is no question that life right now in Israel is extremely difficult. The matzav (political situation), coupled with both political and economic problems, has depressed thousands, even destroyed the lives of many. What is the point of being here during this extremely trying time in the history of the state of Israel?
At some point, after watching CNN or FOX News, listening intently, eyes glued to the TV, ears trying to listen to both the sounds of the TV and the radio simultaneously for over an hour, trying to find out all of the intricate details - where it occurred, what time, how many killed, how many injured, who was responsible - one cannot take it anymore. It is just time to disconnect and return to reality; today is Thursday and I have a Talmud shiur (class) that started over an hour ago.
At some point we must also ask ourselves, "What makes Israel more dangerous than Washington, D.C.? The world right now is a scary place to live, but does the fact that we are scared stop us from living our lives?

With all of the problems Israel is having there is something beautiful and magical which counteracts the terror. Have you seen the sunset over the hills of Jerusalem, reflecting off of the Jerusalem stone? The hustle and bustle of Macheneh Yehudah on a Friday afternoon as thousands shop for their fruits and vegetables?
Crawling through the Bar Kochba caves, we are about to celebrate Hanukkah, the festival of lights, the celebration of the survival of the Jewish people.
There is a Midrash that states that the reason we are commanded to put the Hanukkah menorah on the left side of our doorway is because the mezuza is on the right side, and during this special time of the year, every time we light the Hanukkah candles, we are surrounded by mitzvot. Imagine if you were able to light these same candles in Israel. I cannot think of a greater mitzvah.

I am reminded of a parable from "Psiktah d'Rrav Khana," which I was taught by Rabbi Eliezer Diamond, a professor at the Jewish Theological Seminary of America. This story is of a king who marries a woman and writes her a very substantial ketubah (wedding contract), that included chests of wonderful things such as jewels and other such riches. Later the king left her for many years, and she did not know if he would ever return. Her friends would harass her and say, "How long are you going to sit here? Remarry while you are still young." The woman would stand up, walk back into her house, take out her ketubah, read it, and be comforted.
After many, many days, the king returned and said, "You waited for me?" She replied, "If not for the large ketubah you had written for me, my friends would have convinced me to remarry."

Similarly, in this world other nations harass Israel and say to her, "how long are you going to be committed to your God and suffer? Can't you see how much pain you are in? Come be one of us."

What do we do? We immediately enter the synagogues and the house of study, and we open the Torah and read, "I will look with favor upon you, and make you fertile and multiply you; and I will maintain My covenant with you." (Leviticus 26:9)

When we reach the end of days, God will say to the people of Israel, "I am amazed. How were you able to wait for me all of these days?" The people of Israel will stand before God and say, "if not for the Torah that you gave us, other nations would have convinced us to leave you."

Just because we are living in a difficult period in Jewish history does not mean that the dream of Israel is lost for us and for our children. If we do not take a stand now and say that we are going to return to our homeland and read our ketubah, our children may never have the connection to Israel, we may lose our own connection, and in the process, our "friends" may finally convince us to leave our home forever.

We have the ability to be active participants in the covenant. We have the incredible power to reject everything our "friends" are telling us and actively pursue the dream of the Jewish homeland.

Our ketubah is the Torah, and our home is the land of Israel. With you I place my heart, and I therefore have hope that we will not give up on our people, that we will again remember the love affair between the king and queen, and return to Israel.