Jewish Tradition and the Intifada

It does not take much wisdom to realize that since its establishment, the State of Israel has never faced as many difficulties as at this moment in time. Israel has undergone many wars, lost many of its soldiers and lived from crisis to crisis. Still, the latest conflict with the Palestinian people is of a very different kind. While all previous conflicts were wars with Arab countries which took place on the battlefield, this time the war is taking place on the home front and Israel has to deal with daily terrorist attacks in the center of its cities in which Palestinians blow themselves up, killing tens of Jews and injuring hundreds.

Over the many years the Israeli army withstood mighty hostile armies and succeeded in defeating them. While it paid a heavy price, it was always victorious. This time, the Israeli army is confronted with a group of terrorists that are no match for it at all in terms of numbers or power. Therefore, it seems to be child’s play. It would not take more than a few hours for the Israel Air Force to end this Palestinian mini-war entirely without one Israeli soldier being killed or wounded. But while other armies have done exactly that—killing thousands of people, including women and children, in the process—the Jewish nation has no such option. Since its Jewish conscience does not permit it to kill people who are innocent (or even not so innocent), Jews pay a heavy price for being decent. At the same time, it is clear that no other nation would restrain itself under similar circumstances.

Are we losing our nerve?

There is much more. We all feel that there is something else going on that we are unable to verbalize. Somehow it is clear to Israeli Jews and to many Jews who live outside Israel that this time the situation is unusually serious. Not only is the army having difficulty coping with the enemy, but there is also a realization that the rules of the game have changed—the sand is shifting, the Jewish people are more vulnerable than ever since the establishment of the state, the Jews are losing their nerve and the Jewish state may be losing the very ground under its feet. There is an uneasy feeling that we Jews are not what we used to be, and that our four thousand years of survival capacity seem to have become exhausted.

We realize not only is our army being forced to reveal its weak spots, but that we are also dealing with a government led by one of the most experienced men in the history of modern Israel, but which seems nevertheless to be at a loss as to what it needs to do and what governing is all about.

While we were once a strong-minded people, capable of standing up against the largest empires in the world, today we seem confused. We have exchanged self-confidence for limited hysteria and we do not even know what has happened to us. We do not know where to turn and how to start finding answers.

It is in the light of these facts that I humbly offer the following observations. Yet before I do so, I should make it clear that interpreting current events is a very risky undertaking. After all, who knows why things happen the way they do? Studies show that the interpretation of history is built on much speculation and little consistency. We are not prophets and we do not have enough knowledge to understand the problem fully.

As religious people we are asked to look for the deeper meaning of world history, since one of the foundations of our belief is that God has a hand in the unfolding of history. In order to do so, we are used to consulting biblical and Talmudic sources, examining them and drawing conclusions. However, this is not done without serious danger.

Often, these texts are open to a great many interpretations that frequently contradict each other, leaving us in confusion. To apply these texts and to declare that we have unraveled “the ways of God” is not only dangerous but presumptuous. It could backfire on us with disastrous results.

Few things are more dangerous than claiming to have definite insights into the mind of God. This is arrogance and impudence of the first order, something to which religious people have frequently fallen victim, bringing religion into disrepute.

On the other hand, these texts were given to us so that we could make them relevant. If they are not, they become meaningless and ultimately lose their reason for existence.

Therefore, we are left with only one option. We must study these texts as if they are relevant. Above all, we must try to discover the moral lessons from these texts that inspire us to be better human beings and Jews. In other words, it is our obligation to learn from these texts those matters that increase our moral consciousness without stating that they are unique or even an authentic interpretation. It may be that these texts were deliberately written in such a way that they can apply to several circumstances, yet remain open to various interpretations without a definite meaning.

With this in mind, let us ask some questions. What could possibly be the reason why we find ourselves in this terrible crisis? Remember: as religious people we must look beyond politics for a deeper reason. What are the moral and religious implications? In other words, what can God be trying to tell us? What can we, as individuals, do about it? What are our obligations?

Before we try to answer these questions, we should realize that the observations we will make could easily be misunderstood and even misused. It is for this reason that I beg my listeners to be extremely careful with the words I offer. My words are those of a humble man who wants nothing more than to help his people. As in every other case in which certain claims are made, the speaker must take risks, knowing that he may play into the hands of those who harbor bad intentions. We can be sure that as far as our discussion is concerned, there are many who belong to that camp. Nevertheless, honesty demands that we speak up even when doing so may make us unpopular with some of our listeners.

Geviha ben Pesisa and Alexander the Great

Let us first look at a Talmudic story found in Tractate Sanhedrin 91a that tells about a legal claim brought by the descendants of the Canaanites—the earlier settlers of Israel in the days of Yehoshua—in the International Court of Alexander the Great.

When the Bnei Africa—thus called because the Canaanites’ descendants lived in Africa at that time—came to plead against the Jews before Alexander the Great of Macedon, they said: “The land of Canaan belongs to us! As it is written [in the Torah of the Jews]: “The land of Canaan with the coast thereof [Bamidbar 34:2]. Canaan was the ancestor of our people. So we are the legitimate owners of the land and consequently we want it back!”

After Alexander had told the Jews about this, a Jewish ignoramus by the name of Geviha ben Pesisa came to the sages of Israel and said: “Authorize me to go and plead before Alexander in favor of the Jews. Should they defeat me, you can say: ‘You have defeated one of our ignorant men,’ but if I defeat them, then tell them: “The Law of Moshe has defeated you.”

They authorized him, and he went and pleaded with them. He asked: “From where do you derive proof that the land is yours?” And they said: “From your own Torah!” He said, “I, too, will bring you proof from the Torah, for it is written in the story of Noach [after Noach became drunk and undressed himself and his son Cham, also called Canaan] witnessed his nakedness and told his two brothers, Shem and Yaphet, about it. Yet instead of relishing the secret with Cham, they covered their father’s nakedness. On waking, Noach cursed his son Canaan and said: “Cursed be Canaan. He shall be a servant of servants unto his brothers.”

Geviha ben Pesisa continued: “So you are our slaves, since we are the descendants of Shem. Do we not have a rule that states that whatever slaves acquire belongs to their master, since the slaves themselves belong to the master? Consequently, the land belongs to us even if your claim is correct! Moreover, you have not served us for many years.”

Then Alexander told the Canaanites, “Answer him. The Jews seem to have a strong claim.”

“Give us three days,” they pleaded.

So he gave them a respite. They sought a response but could not find one. Immediately they fled.

The Maharsha, one of the most important commentators on the Talmud, analyzes this Talmudic passage (ad loc.) very carefully and asks some penetrating questions.

He asks: how could the Canaanites turn to the Torah as their proof text when, if they had only turned the page, they would have seen that although the land may have belonged to them once, God gave it to Avraham and his descendants, the Jews? Were they not guilty of selective reading and ignoring those facts that were not to their liking?

Even more difficult to understand is Geviha ben Pesisa’s response. Why did he cite the story of Noach and his curse against Canaan to defend the Jewish claim? Why did he not use all the obvious biblical passages such as the promises to Avraham? Why was he using an argument which is a little far-fetched and circumstantial?

The Maharsha’s response is revealing: In no way were the Bnei Africa guilty of selective reading. They knew of all the passages in the Torah in which God promised the land to the Jews, but they claimed that these passages were no longer relevant. They understood that their unethical behavior, which included violence and corruption, was the reason for their expulsion. Therefore, when the Jews came to take possession of the land in Yehoshua’s time, it was indeed the fulfillment of God’s promise to Avraham, Yitzchak and Yaakov. At the time, it was legitimate.

Yet, they argued, the claim no longer applied since God gave the land to the Jews on condition that they live by the Torah’s laws and ethical values. The Jews were no longer living by these values and, just like the Canaanites before them, were guilty of unethical behavior. Since they had desecrated the land, they had lost the right to live there. Therefore, the land should be returned to the original owners, the Canaanites. The Maharsha continues that this is also the reason that Geviha ben Pesisa could not use the verses that mention the promises to Avraham. Since he realized that their statements were somewhat justified, he could cite only a (problematic) proof from the story of Noach.

Living up to our calling

In truth, we have a great society that does a lot of good. Nowhere in the world is so much chesed—kindness and charity—done as in our country. Still, let us be honest. However painful it may be, we have an obligation to ask ourselves whether this story does not reflect our situation today as well. Could we perhaps be losing this beautiful land because we are not living up to the conditions under which it was given to us? Could a foreign nation that lived sporadically in this country before the State of Israel was established perhaps be reminding us that we need to improve ourselves if we want to hold on to this country? Although we cannot know for sure, do we not have an obligation to take this story seriously and at least draw the conclusion as if it relates to our case?

Let me quote a statement made by Rabbi Naftali Zvi Yehuda Berlin (the Netziv), the last dean of the Volozhin Yeshiva. Commenting on the verse: “The Rock is perfect in His works; righteous and straight is He” (Devarim 32:4), he writes:

The meaning of this verse is to vindicate the judgment of God with the destruction of the Second Temple in a generation that was perverted and twisted. While the people in those days were righteous and pious in their religious obligations, they were not honest in dealing with their fellowmen. They suspected anybody who did not agree with them in the way they served God, calling them apikorsim, heretics and Sadducees. Because of this, there was bloodshed and the nation became divided, which ultimately led to the destruction of the Temple. So Divine judgment came and allowed the Temple to be destroyed, since God is honest and does not tolerate such “righteous people.” He protects only those who are straight and not crooked, even when their motivations are in their eyes done “for the sake of Heaven.” The main reason for this is that such behavior and attitudes destroy our social structure and our successful settlement in the land and the world. (from the introduction to his commentary, Ha’amek Davar, on Bereshit)

Strong words, which we would do well to heed! The Netziv warns us not so much about the violation of religious obligations such as Shabbat and kashrut (however important they are), but about the way we treat each other and how our in-fighting will ultimately lead to the destruction of our society. Should all of us—including myself—not be obligated to take these words seriously, especially now when we see our society so shaken?