Rosh HaYeshiva, Machon Meir
Sorah commanded Avraham, “Drive away this slave together with her son. The son of this slave will not share the inheritance with my son Yitzchak,” and the Torah commented, “This troubled Avraham very much on account of his son” (Bereisheet 21:10-11). For Avraham, a man of kindness whose whole being was devoted to reaching out to those far removed, it was exceedingly painful to part from his son, but G-d commanded him, “Do not be troubled because of the boy and your slave. Do everything that Sorah tells you.” (Ibid., v. 12). Rashi comments, “Because Ruach Hakodesh speaks from her throat. She is greater than you in prophecy.”
While Avraham acted in accordance with the emotions of a loving, merciful father, he was now forced to send Yishmael and Hagar into the desert, out of recognition of the truth of Sorah’s words.
Right now, the intent to separate from the Arabs, Yishmael’s descendants, as a solution to the Arab-Jewish conflict, seems similar to Avraham’s separating himself from Ishmael. Yet the two are really exceedingly different. It is true that Avraham sent Ishmael into the desert because he well understood Sorah’s argument, “The son of this slave will not share the inheritance with my son Yitzchak.” Yet the intent today to separate from the Arabs, and simultaneously to leave them in control over parts of the land of our ancestors is in opposition to Abraham’s deed, has tragically backfired, despite all the warnings given. As it says, “Avraham gave all that he owned to Yitzchak” (Bereisheet 25:5; see Sanhedrin 91a).
As we now see, this effort was inherently doomed and could not succeed. The power struggles have been renewed between the Jews and the Arabs for control over our land. As we gather and deploy our military strength, we must also gather matching spiritual resources, to fight for our very survival and our control over Eretz Yisrael.
Yet the sword will not consume forever. The divine promise, “For the L-rd will not cast off His people, nor will He forsake His inheritance” (Tehilim 94:14), shall live and endure forever and ever. Both the Arabs and the other nations will ultimately recognize the right of the Jewish People to rule over Eretz Yisrael, and they will repent: “When the L-rd brings back the captivity of Tzion, we will be like dreamers.... Then the nations will say, ‘The L-rd has done great things for them, and He has done great things for us as well ” (Tehilim 126:1-2).
Only then will the vision of Yishayahu be fulfilled: “Nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore” (Yishayahu 2:4).
Looking forward to salvation,
With the Love of Am Yisrael and Eretz Yisrael,
Shabbat Shalom.
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