Parashat Vayishlach 5784
by HaRav Nachman Kahana
Jews often wonder, “Even now, after returning to our God-given homeland following 2000 years of repression and degradation, why must we still fight for our survival? Ribono Shel Olam – isn’t enough enough?”
The answer is an emphatic NO!
I will explain:
In parashat Vayishlach, Shimon and Levi annihilate the residents of Shechem for failing to bring Shechem ben Chamor to justice for what he did to their sister Dina. What was behind this seemingly excessive and disproportionate reaction by two nice Jewish boys?
Answer:
Avraham Aveinu, having arrived in Eretz Yisrael more than 100 years prior to the Shechem incident, was met by the pagan and tribal descendants of Cham, son of Noach – the Canaani, Chieti, Emori, etc.
Despite the religious and cultural opposition of these pagans, Avraham made impressive advances in the teachings of monotheism. He even established a yeshiva-hotel where many gathered to hear the word of God.
This was anathema to the religious and political establishment. Avraham was undermining the core beliefs of society by introducing God and morality into matters such as family, law, treatment of slaves and ethics in business.
By the time of parashat Vayishlach, the charismatic Avraham and his wife Sarah were long gone. Yitzchak was old and disabled. Ya’akov, the ben Torah, had not been seen in Eretz Yisrael for over twenty years. The only relevant descendant of Avraham was Aisav, with whom the idolators got along fabulously. They considered him as one of their own.
For all intents and purposes, Judaism was no longer a threat to the religious and social fabric of the land. The idolatrous natives could happily return to their old ways, uninterrupted by pangs of conscience caused by those “holier-than-thou” Jews.
Suddenly, Ya’akov the Jew and his family reappear in Eretz Yisrael. His arrival could have been restrained and muted like that of our Zionist chalutzim (pioneers) at the beginning of the last century, when they bought “a dunam (a quarter of an acre) here and a dunam there,” built a house here and a house there, planted orange trees and drained swamp land, with no impressive message signaling their presence.
However, HaShem “speaks” to people in the language that they understand. To Am Yisrael, HaShem speaks in the language of a father teaching Torah. To the gentiles, HaShem speaks in the language of strength, aggression, and violence.
Ya’akov returned. The evil inhabitants of Shechem were felled by the swords of Shimon and Levi in the name of common decency and justice. It took less than a day for the electrifying news of Shechem’s destruction at the hands of Ya’akov to reach all the land and beyond. From then on, the Canaanite occupiers of Eretz Yisrael would have to learn that life in the Holy Land would no longer be the same.
HaShem, the ultimate playwright, brings about Ya’akov’s return to the stage of history in an explosive manner. The reappearance of the Jewish people and their zealous conduct in the name of good over evil creates the desired impression upon the descendants of Cham. It is the language the gentile understands – the language of strength.
When Ya’akov and his 69 relatives left the Holy Land to join Yosef in Egypt, the land was once again devoid of Jews and Judaism. It was not until 250 years later, under the leadership of Moshe and Yehoshua, that the two superpowers of Og King of Bashan and Sichon King of Emori were annihilated, and 31 idolatrous city states destroyed.
The news reverberated throughout the Middle East and beyond. The world was in shock! The Jews have returned! “Moral conscience has returned to haunt us. Where have we gone wrong?” was the pitiful wailing of the sons and daughters of Cham.
Once again, the chosen of HaShem reentered the land, not by “dunam here and dunam there,” but in the language of strength that the gentiles understood.
For the last 2000 years, the main body of the Jewish nation was in exile, with only a small remnant remaining in the land.
With the Holocaust, our enemies were certain that it was only a matter of time before the world would be “free” of the “conscience-arousing” teachings of Judaism. The “Wandering Jew” would soon become the “Vanished Jew”.
Then in 1948, the Jewish nation in Eretz Yisrael again leaped onto the platform of history with an explosion that caught the attention of the world. On the day following our declaration of statehood, the nascent Jewish State was invaded by seven Arab armies in the “War of Independence”.
The world was certain that 600,000 people with only a ragtag army, no air force and no mechanized machines would not be able to withstand the ferocious Arab onslaught. Notwithstanding an arms boycott on Israel enforced by the United States and European countries, Israel trounced the Arab forces, doubling the land area of the State. The world stood in awe – Ya’akov had returned home!
In 1967, we were again in existential danger. The combined forces of Egypt, Syria, Jordan, and others had sworn to erase Israel from the map. It took two hours on the morning of June 6, 1967 to demonstrate to the world what Kind David wrote (Tehillim 20,8-9):
Those come with chariots and those with horses. And we come in the name of the LORD, our God.
They have bowed down and fallen, and we have risen and stood upright.
News of the Medina’s miraculous military victories and its development at the cutting edge of almost every scientific and intellectual field has reached the far corners of the world.
The War of Independence, the Six Day War, the Yom Kippur War, the blowing up of the Atomic Reactor in Iraq, the present destruction of the Islamic, psychotic Chamas (Hamas), and more. This is the language that the nations of the world understand. We long to establish here a society of Torah, of justice, uprightness, and peace. Yet our enemies understand only the language of force. In order to prepare for the next phases of our people’s history – the Temple, the Davidic Dynasty, the Messiah and more – the nations of the world must undergo several more learning experiences.
A short relevant story:
An Arab entered a bank in Yerushalayim, just as the automatic mechanism closed the safe until the following morning. In reply to his demand to receive cash, the teller told him that the safe was locked and could not be opened until eight o’clock the following morning. The Arab became very nasty and vocal, threatening the life of the teller. At this point, the bank manager approached the Arab, picked him up and threw him out.
While the Arab was nursing his wounds, the bank teller approached him saying: “Didn’t I tell you that the safe is closed until tomorrow morning?” The Arab turned to the teller and said: “Yes. You told me, but he explained it”.
There is no rhyme and reason to tell our anti-Jewish enemies of the folly of their ways. They will understand only when it is explained to them, in the spirit of “Fear of the Jews was upon them.”
We will exterminate the evil, sadistic Chamas Nazis. Will the “enlightened” nations of the world join us in eradicating international Chamas that draws its inspiration from the Koran? Probably not! So, each country that hosts Moslems will have to undergo the experience of Chamas and repent for not learning the lessons of Gaza.
For two thousand years the land of Israel was in suspension, as a wife impatiently awaits the return of her beloved husband who was called away.
Nations and religions came and went after failing to plant roots in the holy land. But from the time we returned, the land re-awoke to life and turned its deserts into paradises.
We are now at a juncture in history. Close to half the number of world Jewry have already returned home and with the unrequested help of the anti-Semites the other half will come home or will have to pay for their folly.
Today, the God of Yisrael is again shocking the world as Medinat Yisrael destroys all those who seek to uproot the Jewish people from our God-given homeland.
In time, Medinat Yisrael will become HaShem’s medium to bring His message of Torah to us, and the Noahide laws and hope to a fractured, dissonant gentile world.
At the present our contemporary Maccabees -Tzahal are fighting in the tribal area of Shimon. However, we might shortly find ourselves fighting on five fronts: Gaza, Lebanon, Syria, Shomron-Yehuda and Yemen. And in the wings ready to come out swinging are Iran, Jordan, Iraq, possibly Russia and China all preparing to swat the “nuisance mosquito” aka the “State of Israel”.
It is a scenario that will encourage many “fair weather” citizens to leave the country for greener and more serene pastures, leaving here us; the authentic Jews who bear a passionate love for HaShem’s holy land.
Welcome home, Ya’akov. Baruchim Haba’im, the holy people of Am Yisrael.
Shabbat Shalom
Nachman Kahana
Copyright © 5784/2023 Nachman Kahana
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