Mizrachi SA Jewish Observer - Pesach 2016 | Page 12
CHIEF RABBI
CHIEF RABBI
NATION OF
HEROES
CHIEF RABBI GOLDSTEIN
THE ISRAELI
people are heroes. They have
endured an onslaught of terror attacks that would have crippled
any other nation on earth. Since September 2015 there have been
307 attacks or attempted attacks in 170 days, in which 33 people
have been killed and 360 injured. There have been 192 stabbings,
76 shootings and 39 vehicular attacks.
An extended onslaught of this nature would break the morale and
ability to function of any society. And yet Israelis go about their
daily lives in fortitude and bravery. Children go to school, people go
to work and society continues to function at a very high level, shaking off the constant threat of danger with remarkable resilience.
Jews in the diaspora watch from afar in awe and admiration,
and in unwavering support. What comes to mind are the words
of King David from the book of Tehillim: “May G-d bless His
angels, mighty heroes who … listen to the call of His word.” The
people of Israel are the brave angels of G-d Himself. The Talmud
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says that this verse refer to those farmers who observe the
Sabbatical year, when farmers do not cultivate or harvest their
fields: “It is the normal way of the world for a person to be able
to do a mitzvah for one day, one week or one month, but for an
entire year?! And this farmer sees his field lying desolate and he
sits silently. Is there any greater hero that this?” The Talmud sees
such personal discipline and commitment to doing the right thing,
as heroic and brave, indeed, even angelic and super-human.
Certainly the same can be said of the brave people of Israel
today. To apply the thinking of the Talmud to the current situation one could say: It is the normal way of the world for people
to endure terror attacks, for one day or one week; but the Israeli
people have endured terror attacks on their streets now for
months, and yet they face these challenges with enormous bravery. Are there any greater heroes? Indeed the verse ‘May G-d
bless His angels the mighty heroes’ applies directly to each and
every man, women and child of the Israeli people, who have with
such fortitude endured such an onslaught. And the onslaught of
recent months, is just the latest mutation of an ongoing war to
destroy Israel, one which began at the birth of the Jewish State,
and even before, and has taken the form of seven conventional
wars and many waves of terror. For decades without respite
generations of Israelis have fought with remarkable heroism
and bravery in the armed forces of their country, to defend their
homes and cities from murderous attacks. All the while, they have
created, with G-d’s blessings, a flourishing society, which has
absorbed millions of refugees, establishing a haven of freedom and
prosperity in a region of hatred and oppression.
And they have done so for all these years with positive energy and
even optimism. Israeli society is a place which is filled with a joy for
life and with a will to celebrate every part of it. This is the greatest
answer to the terrorists, who seek to bring destruction and death to the
world. Jews around the world are so deeply grateful to the people of
Israel because it is this bravery and the refusal to bow in submission
before evil violence that ensures that the freedom and independence of
Israel to function as a Jewish State in the Middle East is protected. And
indeed, all decent people in every civilised country should be grateful to
the Israeli people for standing so resolutely on the front lines of the war
against the forces of radical Islam, which seek to assault