David, Goliath and the Bulldozer

By Moshe Feiglin

Rosh Chodesh Tamuz, 5768
July 4, '08

Translated from Moshe Feiglin's article on NRG

The off duty soldier who killed the terrorist on the bulldozer reminds me of the Biblical David. Not only because he stormed the Goliath bulldozer with a pistol borrowed from a policeman standing by. Much more than that. The soldier reminds me of David, who although rejected and hated by his brothers, eventually saves them.

When the prophet Samuel comes to Jesse's home to find the divinely ordained king and redeemer of Israel, Jesse presents all his sons to the prophet. All of them - except David. As far as Jesse is concerned, David is not a candidate. Only when Samuel pointedly asks if there are any more sons does Jesse reluctantly bring David before the prophet, who immediately designates him as the future king of Israel.

The hero of the bulldozer attack is the same kind of David. He belongs to the sector that Israel's media and elites love to hate. He is a yeshiva student at the settlement of Yitzhar - possibly the most loathed of all the settlements. The Torah by which Yitzhar lives is not subordinate to any establishment. It is the Torah of direct connection to the Land of Israel. It is the Torah of love for truth and for the nation of Israel. It is the Torah of Jewish labor in agriculture and construction. It is Torah without adjustments for those who would prefer a less demanding life. That is why Yitzhar is hated and feared.

When the bulldozers destroyed the homes of Gush Katif - after all, that is what bulldozers do nowadays - nobody stopped them. Most of today's right-wing leaders are subservient to the establishment. Their Torah is good for the study halls, where G-d rules. But outside the study halls they serve the State, whose directives take precedence over those of the Master of the universe. When that happens, the homes of Gush Katif collapse like a house of cards in the path of the bulldozer - Sharon.

Three years pass and a bulldozer just like the kind that destroyed Gush Katif and Amona, just like the kind used to destroy the outposts of Yitzhar - forges a mad path of death and destruction in the midst of Jerusalem. All the brave riot police from Amona, all the courageous police who knew how to tear apart the faces of the protesters against the Expulsion - look on helplessly as the Goliath tractor destroys lives on Jaffa Street in Jerusalem. Two policemen actually do climb up on the tractor. One tries to pull the terrorist's leg off the gas pedal and the other tries to grab the steering wheel. But shoot him? They can't do it.

The death and destruction would have continued if not for our David - the "enemy of the State" who had fought the Expulsion from the rooftop in Kfar Darom. Our David didn't have a gun. He had every reason to stand off to the side like all the police standing frozen at the entrance to the police station as the bulldozer passed them by. But just like the Biblical David with the slingshot, our David is motivated by the spirit of G-d. The fact that he does not have a gun does not deter him. He'll find a gun. And so he runs to the Goliath bulldozer and with pure, Jewish spiritual health puts three bullets into the terrorist's head. Afterwards, he disappears. The kingdom of Saul has not yet finished its process of collapse.

"And G-d said: 'Arise, anoint him; for this is he.' Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the midst of his brethren; and the spirit of G-d came mightily upon David from that day forward. Now the spirit of G-d had departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from G-d terrified him." (Samuel 16:12-14)

Today, we all understand what part of society will save us. We all understand who enjoys the healthy spirit of G-d and who is terrified by a mentality of self-hatred and defeatism. Deep inside, we all know where to find our modern day David. It may take some time. We have not seen the end of the tragic struggles between the collapsing kingdom of Saul and the ascending kingdom of David. But the Davids are our only chance to survive. And in the end, they will have no choice but to lead.