[5742]
Hon. . . .
New York, N.Y.
Greeting and Blessing:
After the long interval, I was particularly pleased to receive your letter, with the enclosures. I appreciate your thoughtfulness in sending me a copy of the news release.
There is surely no need to point out to you that relations between Eretz Yisrael and the USA have, unfortunately, not improved, nor have they moved in the right direction. I trust, therefore, that you will not rest content with your efforts so far, but will continue to do all you can to bring about a more positive attitude on the part of the American Government.
As the old saying has it, a full stomach cannot understand an empty one. It does not help to explain to a person who has never known the chronic pangs of hunger how a hungry person might feel. It seems that this is particularly true of the American attitude towards the state of mind of our brethren in Eretz Yisrael in the matter of security. Having been blessed by the Almighty with all the blessings that a nation and a country could wish for, and not really knowing what it is to live with such a problem, Americans find it hard to understand how deeply concerned every Jew in the Holy Land is about the constant and real threat to their very existence by implacable enemies who openly declare what they will do the moment they have gained the upper hand, G-d forbid, as they have also demonstrated on numerous occasions.
While Jews may be expected to do what in the natural order of things is necessary to protect themselves, regardless of the attitude and opinions of others, we, as Jews, must always remember that ultimately our real Protector is He of whom it is written in our Torah, “Behold, the Guardian of Israel neither slumbers nor sleeps.” We also feel certain that by pursuing the ways of the Torah, which are ways of pleasantness and peace, the good relationship between the two countries will be fully restored and that, above all, there will be peace in the Land of Israel, as promised in the Torah, “I will give peace in the land, and you shall lie down, and none shall make you afraid...neither shall the sword come through your land,” and that will also be fulfilled the promise of our prophet, which is inscribed on the facade of the UN in our great city of New York: “They shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore.”
You do not mention your father or other members of your family, which I take as a sign that all is well with you and all the members of your family.
With blessing,
Tehillim 121:4. See Mishlei 3:17. Vayikra 26:6 Yeshayahu 2:4. See also Sefer HaSichos 5752, Vol. 2, p. 365, fn. 26 and p. 368 fn. 55.
