The Wars against the Jewish People

by HaRav Dov Begon
Rosh HaYeshiva, Machon Meir

Why is a war being waged and what will it lead to?

From the dawn of Jewish history until our own times, the various enemies of Israel have been fighting against us. These enemies of Israel are enemies of G-d. The Torah says, “Arise, O L-rd, and scatter Your enemies! Let Your foes flee before You!” (Numbers 10:35), and Rashi comments, “These are those who hate Israel, for whoever hates Israel, hates ‘Him whose word brought the world into existence’.” The wars of Israel are wars fought by the children of darkness against the children of light, by those who wish to bring darkness to the world by extinguishing the light of the universe, the Jewish People. The Jewish People have illuminated the world with divine light down through the generations, by means of their noble soul and the divine Torah stored in them. That Torah is revealed generally through the way they lead their lives, and specifically in Eretz Yisrael and Jerusalem, heart of the universe.

Today, the war against us is no coincidence. Moreover, it is not being waged merely over national interests involving lands, economic interests, etc. Rather, it is a war of the Arabs and the nations of the world “against the L-rd and against His anointed one” (Psalm 2:2), who are being revealed in the guise of the Jewish People rising up to rebirth in their land. Our enemies will never truly make peace with us until we utterly defeat them.

Only after Abraham defeated Chedorlaomer and the kings with him, did they arrive at “Emek Shaveh [Level Valley], now King’s Valley” (Genesis 14:17). Rashi comments, “It was the valley where all the nations unanimously agreed [hushvu] in appointing Abraham as prince and leader over them” (Beresheet Rabbah 43). Only because Abraham had defeated them did they honor him and appoint him king and supreme commander. Moreover, they recognized that the G-d of Israel is the G-d of the universe, and that G-d’s kingdom has sovereignty over all. In the future as well, only through a resounding defeat of our enemies will we see with our own eyes how “they shall dwell in the land that I have given to Jacob My servant, in which your fathers have dwelt. They shall dwell there, they, their children and their children’s children forever. My servant David shall be their prince forever. Moreover, I will make a covenant of peace with them. It shall be an everlasting covenant with them.... I will magnify Myself and sanctify Myself. I will make Myself known in the eyes of many nations, and they shall know that I am the L-rd” (Ezekiel 37:25; 38:23).

Looking forward to complete redemption,
Shabbat Shalom.