The second experience I want to share with you was our final trip. What was, in fact, the most inspiring part of my short stay was our visit to the me’oras hamachpelah, the day before our return. Of course the me’oras hamachpelah itself was very moving. To stand at the kivrei ho’ovois veho’imohois and daven, to daven there for the geulah, is a singular experience. I was reminded of the words we say in הושענות every year: קול עלזי חבצלת השרון כי קמו ישיני חברון מבשר ואומר. I thought of the story that we say in maaneh loshon, about how the departed soul told R’ Chizkiya and R’ Yose how, upon learning of any troubles in the world, the departed souls will always impart that information to the דמיכי חברון, who will intercede with the Eibishter. I recalled the stories we say in the kinos, of Yirmiyahu hanovi going to the Machpelah, and demanding from the Avos: “Why are you sleeping?! Go to the Eibishter and take care of your children!”
But there was more than that. In addition to the me’oras hamachpelah itself, we also visited the city of Chevron. There, live 20,000 Jews, surrounded by 200,000 Arabs. To be more precise, surrounded by 200,000 vicious, bloodthirsty beasts. Of course, all Yidden, wherever they are, are likened to a כשבה אחת בין שבעים זאבים. But in some places it is not something you have to learn from a maamar Chazal, it’s very readily apparent. There, in Chevron, you have the very distinct feeling that you are visiting an active war zone.
For one thing, I was impressed by the idealism of these people, that drives them to live in a state of constant mesirus nefesh. But more than that, I admired their attitude. They know unquestionably that this land is ours, and therefore they’re there with the greatest confidence and conviction. The presence of the Arabs surrounding them who make their own claim to the land (periodically in a most violent manner) is irrelevant. Of course, the presence of such neighbors is a nuisance, but it only drives them to figure out how to reclaim the land, house by house and block by block. Whatever the Arabs think or say or do doesn’t change in any way the reality that this land is here for the sake of Yidden to live here as Yidden with pride and strength. Their behavior is in no way apologetic or defensive, they are strong in their conviction of their rightness. Let the Arabs be defensive!
Besides being admirable, I think this carries an important lesson to all of us (even those who aren’t about to make Aliya and settle in one of the shtochim): Eretz Yisroel is the center of the Universe, and is a microcosm for the entire world. We know that very soon עתידה ארץ ישראל שתתפשט בכל הארצות. The conquering and regaining control of Eretz Yisroel is symbolic (and much more than symbolic) of the reconquering and taking control of the entire world. The Torah begins with B’reishis because – as Rashi teaches us – כח מעשיו הגיד לעמו לתת להם נחלת גוים. This refers to the conquering of Eretz Yisroel itself, and also to the conquering and transforming of the entire world.
There, too, we are grossly outnumbered, כי אתם המעט מכל העמים. There are billions of goyim surrounding us (Ok, I didn’t count the exact amount) that are insistent that the world belongs to them. They think that the purpose of this physical world is for them; - to provide human beings with pleasure, to provide the latest vacations and amusement parks, the newest gadgets and the most updated thrills, and to enable them (and the גוי אשר בכל אחד ואחד) to live materialistic existences.
But we need not pay attention to them. We have the utmost certainty and conviction that this is our land, our world, it belongs to us. The Eibishter created it for us; - ; כח מעשיו הגיד לעמו לתת להם נחלת גוים. It is for us to conquer and recapture, house by house and block by block, to live in it as it is meant to be lived in with pride and strength.
The other viewpoints – you have to taste this new food, you have to try out this new ride, you have to own this new car – are irrelevant to us, and have no bearing on our focus on our ultimate objective. We have no need to be defensive or apologetic to the world’s viewpoint. It in irrelevant. We need to see the world as it really is, - as our eternal inheritance, here for us to transform into a dira to Hashem, by using it as He directed, for Torah and mitzvos.
Let us strengthen our pride and strength in knowing what the world is really here for and who it really belongs to, and use it accordingly, without any measure of being nispoel from those around us. This will surely hasten the true nechomo, as we read in the haftarah of this week: והיו מלכים אומניך ושרותיהם כי...מניקותיך נחם 'ה ציון נחם כל ששון...חרבותיה ושמחה ימצא בה תודה וקול זמרה!
L’chaim! May we all be clear and focused both on our ultimate destination and on the way to arrive there (in one piece), and may the Eibishter bring us there immediately (to “you have arrived) with the immediate revelation of Moshiach Tzidkeinu TUMYM!!!
Rabbi Akiva Wagner
הנכונה בריאות מתוך ט"ואויוש ק"ורפו ש"לרפו אסתר 'חי בן מרדכי ברוך 'ר לזכות
ס"וכט
!ג"הנרוהנ בטוב ט"ואויוש ,ממש י"תומ ק"לרפושו ,'שי מרים בן ב"שד לזכות
.ט"ואויוש ק"לרפושו ,חנה בן אהרן ת"הרה לזכות
