Ideas and Opinions of Religious Leaders on the Disengagment
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An Interview with Rav Shlomo Aviner (English)Entered: 23/Aug/2005 |
On Relating to the Israel Defense Forces
Question: In our synagogue we are accustomed to saying a prayer for the Israel Defense Forces every Shabbat. How can I continue to pray for the I.D.F. when it has announced that its main function in the coming year will be to expel Jews from their land?
Answer: It is not correct that this is their primary function. The I.D.F. works day and night to protect the people of Israel and the Land of Israel. It always sanctifies G-d’s name. The primary mission of the I.D.F. is not debatable. The unfortunate issue of the disengagement is a secondary purpose, and will always remain secondary. Ninety-nine percent of the time our soldiers are involved in three other functions: 1) The protection of the people of Israel – working day and night to save Jews; 2) Protecting Eretz Yisrael – without the I.D.F., who knows what our neighbors would try to do; and 3) Sanctifying G-d’s Name – when non-Jews oppress the Jewish people it is a desecration of G-d’s name, and thus when we protect ourselves with strength it is a sanctification of G-d’s name.
Even when they are involved unfortunately in evacuation, a majority of soldiers are still on watch against the enemy. The army is always in a state of preparedness that involves self-sacrifice and that is not lessened by the evacuation. We must distinguish between the primary issues and the secondary issues. We therefore must strengthen the I.D.F. and pray for its welfare, even one who does not agree with a particular mission that was placedon its shoulders.
Question: But the army should only be involved in constructive activity. How are we to understand that it is involved in an opposite task?
Answer:In many areas there are questions and difficulties. There are questions about the actions of the government and about the I.D.F. There are also questions about the activities of the Chief Rabbinate and about the religious community. We must gird ourselves with patience – to see the essence and the overall direction, and not to be confused by these questions. In 1940, a young boy came to Yeshivat Mercaz Harav and found an institution that was neglected. He asked our teacher, Harav Tzvi Yehudah: “What is special about this place?” Our teacher answered: “This is the yeshivah of the High Priest.” He continued to ask: “But it is a dangerous and abandoned place?” Our teacher responded: “The spirit of the High Priest always hovers within it.” Indeed in the course of time, thousands of students and students of students sprouted from that yeshiva. You have to see the spirit and the direction, and not give up hope because of the birth pangs.
On Relating to the State
Question: How can we continue to cooperate with the state, which fights religion on every front – the settlement of the land, the maintenance of yeshivot,Shabbat observance, family values, and bringing non-Jews into the country?
Answer: This is a distortion. Our country is not against Torah. Students are even sent here from the Diaspora because it is filled with Torah. The state is against religious coercion, but not against Torah, and certainly not against personal observance. They do not prevent individuals from observing Torah and mitzvot. On the contrary, the state funds religious education, religious youth groups, yeshivot and synagogues.
Question: What about the relationship to the judicial system?
Answer: Here, too, there is no fight against individual religious observance. The courts make a great effort to ensure freedom for everyone. For example, in the United States, there is a separation of religion and state. Yet, 98% of the religious community does not fight against it. But here, we think to combine religion and state – to establish a Torah state.
Question: But can a state that does not want to be particularly Jewish be ’the first flowering of our redemption”?
Answer: We must be careful regarding the worship of immediate gratification – the now generation – and not to forget the exile that we were in. The “revealed end of days” comes to expression essentially in our ability to return to Eretz Yisrael after thousands of years of exile. This is the beginning of salvation, and we are obligated to recognize the good bestowed on us and to express appreciation to G-d for it. With regard to this, the Rabbis said: “There is no greater revealed end of days than this, as it says: ‘But ye, O mountains of Israel, you shall shoot forth your branches, and yield your fruit to My people Israel; for they are at hand to come.’” (Yechezkel 36:8, Sanhedrin 98a) In this area, we are always rising. The ingathering of the exiles always continues – in some years thousands come and in some years tens of thousands come. Our population in Israel is already in the millions. The next step was the establishment of the state, an enormous accomplishment after thousands of years of wandering. We cannot take everything for granted. After this came the wars and the victories – war after war, attempt after unsuccessful attempt to destroy the state, G-d forbid.
Question: But these are all frameworks. What about content?
Answer: With regard to content, we have merited an immense increase in Torah study. The country is bursting with yeshivot, ulpanot, midrashot and michlalot – more than ever existed at any time in our exiles. There is a strong trend of interest in Torah and spirituality. There is a tendency to see the past as rosy and the present as black. “Say not thou: 'How was it that the former days were better than these?' for it is not out of wisdom that thou inquirest concerning this. “ (Kohelet 7:10) There is a negative tendency to forget all of the difficulties of the past and to ignore all of the positive things that we merited to have today. We are unwilling to see how we are slowly developing and rising. The source from which our Sages learned that the redemption would come in small steps was Mordechai. First he sat by the gate of the King’s palace, then there were other intermediate steps until he rode on the horse, and finally there was light and rejoicing. (Jerusalem Talmud, Brachot 4b) The author of Sefer Hacharedim asks in his commentary how is it possible to learn from this story that redemption is a gradual development? In this story there was not only ascent and development? For example, between the first and second stages, the decree to kill the Jews was issued and we lived through twelve months of pressure in anticipation. The conclusion is that there is also retreat within the process of development. Look at what a decline there was – an actual decree of death. Nevertheless, we continued to slowly rise until we arrived at light and rejoicing.
Question: Then why are people having difficulty recognizing the good things that the Rav has mentioned?
Answer:We have simply become spoiled. We have also become part of the now generation that worships immediate gratification. Therefore, the minute there is a difficulty, we think that everything is falling apart. Already, we have concluded that there is no state, there is no life. People decided what, in their opinion, the state and the redemption would look like, and when things don’t happen according to their vision, they break down. But G-d did not sign a contract with anyone, and did not commit to a particular pace or a method through which things would develop. The complaints reflect a negative personality trait. We must see the good – to remember and be grateful for health, income, etc. – to be grateful for everything (Messilat Yesharim, Ch. 8). We have become part of the now generation. When mashiach comes and places tasks upon us, will he confront a group of complainers? So what does G-d do to turn a group of complainers into a strong group that is able to deal with the challenges of redemption? He gives them challenges and difficulties – not as a punishment. This is not an individual judgement that requires taking stock of errors, but rather a period of national redemption through affliction.
On Relating to Difficulties on the Way to Redemption
Question: I could see the light if we were talking about small difficulties, but these are tremendous difficulties that undermine everything?
Answer: These are not tremendous difficulties. Someone who wants to understand what tremendous difficulties are should learn about Egypt where infants were thrown into the river daily, or the holocaust. These were tremendous difficulties. In comparison to those, we are experiencing relatively light difficulties. However, we are spoiled. The connection of people, land, and Torah within the state is the correct path. A long process does not frighten the eternal people. We can learn from farmers: Tosafot explains the words of our Sages as recorded in the Jerusalem Talmud: “Faith is the Talmudic order of Zeraim (agricultural laws).” The farmer is a man of great faith. He plants and invests his efforts. “He believes in the Almighty and plants.” (Tosafot, Shabbat 31a, “emunat”). Sometimes he suffers from pests or drought, but he continues to plant in the next season. Sometimes he loses money because the market drops, but he continues to invest. He slowly develops his farm without getting flustered by the downs that are sometimes significant.
Question: A hundred years ago, the Zionist movement began. Although it was secular, we cooperated because it was Zionist. Today it is not Zionist. Why should we continue to cooperate with tem?
Answer: The left wingers also dedicate themselves to the army. Thirteen percent of the secular community does not go to the army. If we assume that 3% are unable to serve, that leaves about 10% that just don’t go. In other words, 90% of the secular community serves with self-sacrifice for three years of their lives! They do this for the sake of society and the state! The vast majority are Zionists! Our teacher, Harav Avraham Yitzchak Hacohen Kook, taught us how to judge people favorably. Even people who are doing negative things with regard to the people, the Torah, and the land, are also doing a lot of good things. Even the negative things that they do, they do with good intentions based on the education that they received. (Orot Hakodesh, Vol 3, 326-327). We do not have to degrade them, or act as if we build the state and they destroy it. We need humility and not conceit. There is indeed a minority that is post-Zionist, but most of the society is not. The vast majority build, serve in the army, and fight with self-sacrifice. The decisive majority is Zionist.
On Our Current Role
Question: What primarily is our role now?
Answer:The emblem of the country is the menorah. But, in the Torah there are actually two menorot. In Parshat Terumah there is a menorah that is not lit, and in Parshat Tetzaveh there is a menorah that is lit. The menorah is made of one piece. Our role is not to cast off the state, but rather to kindle the menorah – to increase and awaken faith, and to spread light and ideals. If we feel that others have given up hope, we should not also give up hope, but rather increase faith. We must increase strength. We are built through struggle. We must increase the light of faith, the light of love for the Jewish people, the light of ideals. We should not degrade and complain. We must build, enlighten and believe.
Harav Shlomo Aviner is the Rabbi of Beit El and the Rosh Yeshiva of Yeshivat Ateret Cohanim
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