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27 Tamuz 5768
Friday, August 1, 2008
1. Sellout of Yesha Council and the Rabbanim prior to Gush Katif. Will the same thing happen for Yehudah and the Shomron? A must see raw filmage video (in Hebrew with Hebrew subtitles)
2. Rabbi Algaze speaks out with clarity regarding the Halachic obligation to speak out for Eretz Yisroel. Please distribute!!! Robin Ticker's comments follow.
Shabbat Shalom!
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1. Sellout of Yesha Council and the Rabbanim prior to Gush Katif. Will the same thing happen for Yehudah and the Shomron?
<pashra@netvision.net.il>, writes (abbrev)
What you have written about is the real tragedy of the Jewish Nation. From my days at Gush Katif I recall the sellout of the Yesha council ( THREE YEARS TO GUSH KATIF JEWS' EXPULSION Must See - Watch and Cry - "Trapped Leadership"
(H) http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-5590102746285413294
PS. In Memory of Katif (H) http://www.inn.co.il/News/News.aspx/178
<pashra@netvision.net.il>, continues
We are in most difficult times as the religious leaders and ultraorthodox and hareidim wait for Mashiach to declare that Israel exists and in the meantime be on the payroll of ANY government coalition so they can study Torah and learn how precious the State/Nation of Israel is. I discovered something very interesting in some reading. There is the 'GREEN LINE' expression that is used over and over again by everyone. Where did it come from. It comes from the Torah in that the Land Of Israel will only prosper when it is occupied by Jews otherwise it is barren. Witness Mark Twain's declaration in the late 1800's that he has never seen such a desolate land in all his travels. Then the Aliyah began and today we have a flourishing green country. But the British before the modern State of Israel was declared adopted the torah expression and declared the borders to be the 'green line' which today refers mostly to the pre-1967 borders. Thus even our enemy the British have based their statements and observations on the Torah recognizing the truth of the Torah by declaring that on the other side of the 'green line' where at that time it was mostly Arabs, it was still barren whereas those areas with the halutzim, Jews from all walks of life were, was green and flourishing with produce orchards etc and able to sustain the people.
BUT OUR RELIGIOUS AND SPIRITUAL LEADERS OF TODAY ARE SILENT AND IGNORE THE TEACHINGS OF TORAH. I BELIEVE THIS TO BE THE GREATEST SIN OF TODAY. YET HOW EASILY WILL THEY SIT ON TISHA B'AV AND RECITE KINOT AND PRAYERS . SUCH HYPOCRISY IS LEADING US TO HAVE ROTTEN GOVERNMENTS AND AS THE MOVIE ABOVE NOTES, GUSH KATIF WAS A SELLOUT BY THE SO CALLED LEADERS.
We must pray for the welfare of the Nation.
pesach
פסח
2. Rabbi Algaze speaks out with clarity regarding the Halachic obligation to speak out for Eretz Yisroel. Please distribute!!!
Rabbi Algaze writes to a fellow Rav, (distributed with Rabbi Algaze's permission)
I had not expected such a lively and fast moving debate but I appreciate very much your input and promptness. Rabbi Ovadia Yosef's position is somewhat puzzling and I am not sure we can really construe it as a valid halachic position. His son, Rav Yosef Yosef, agrees with my opinion on this matter. To my knowledge Rav Ovadia has not published this opinion and for good reasons: to justify giving away the land of Israel is not justified. I do not agree that the halacha is that we may give up the land under some circumstances. The giving away of land is forbidden, but as in the case of all mitzvot (except three) they may be transgressed or ignored only for the sake of pikuach nefesh. The mitzvah is absolute, not relativist. In order to say that we may suspend the halacha--in order to give a practical psak for our times-- a responsible posek or beth din should write their arguments, quoting sources and facts in order that their opinion carry the strength of a valid pesak. Without written arguments, how do we know under which circumstances they applied this suspension of the mitzvah and how long should this suspension last?
To my knowledge, no other posek wrote about the permissibility of giving land away. In the Moetzes Gedole Hatorah of 1937 in Marienbad, the gedolim argued whether it was permissible for us to accept the partition plan which implied the renunciation of half of Eretz Israel. Although the majority voted in favor of partition, they did it because if we did not accept the plan. Israel would have gotten nothing. The situation today is not the same. Today we have the whole land and giving away any part of the land falls under the prohibition of "lo tehonem" (do not give them gifts) and contradicts directly the Ramban who says we are not allowed to leave the land in enemies' hands. If we cannot abandon the land, how much less we are allowed to actively giving away parts of the land. In any case, at that meeting in 1937, although the majority voted in favor of the partition plan, the resolution contained a clear declaration about the inalienable rights of the Jewish people to the entire land, " The foundation of the Jewish people's right to the Holy Land is based on the Torah and the prophets…A Jewish State not based on the principles of Torah is a denial of Jewish origin, is opposed to the identity and to the true stature of our people, and undermines the basis of existence of our people…Any relinquishment of the Holy Land given to the Jewish people by G-d has no validity" (HaPardes 11:6)
Rabbi Nebentzahl position is very confusing. If he agrees that negotiating with the current Arabs in Judea and Samaria is "foolish" (his words), what is the point of accepting the "land for peace" principle? If we cannot give away the land to these people, to whom are we going to give it away? And, if we cannot make peace with these people, why are we talking about "land for peace"? It seems to me that the two points must go together: if there is no one to negotiate peace with, then we should suspend the principle of "land for peace".
We have already agreed that the Oslo accords and the delusional "peace process" has brought only more tragedy and deaths to our people than before the Oslo agreements. To pursue policies that have failed in the past is madness (A. Einstein paraphrase). If the reasons for the suspension of the halacha are no longer tenable, we should simply revert to the original halacha. We should state it clearly and with conviction. Let the world hear what the Rabbis think of the connection between Am Israel and Eretz Israel.
It seems to me that the problem here is not what answers or opinions are given but rather that we are hearing nothing from the Rabbis. That is the problem. To leave matters of such importance in the hands of non religious people, who have abandoned the Torah and our history in the altar of modernity and hedonism, is an egregious error. As Rav Teichenthal complained and campaigned, sadly in vain, against the leaders of his time during the Shoah, this is the time that good people should complain to the Rabbis and demand that they do more. " The Lubavitcher Rebbe said about this state of affairs, "Silence is a sin".
At that conference in Marienbad, the gedole Israel complained bitterly that the discussions concerning the establishment of the State of Israel did not include them. Today, living in a democratic society, when many people look up to our Rabbis for guidance, why aren't the Rabbis speaking up? I firmly believe that if prominent rabbis would speak up even the government and the media would listen. In fact, if the gedole Israel spoke about our rights to the Land, if they did not mince words about our connection to the Land and all that follows from that principle, even the governments of the world would listen and respect us. I would even dare think that if the Rabbis of Israel spoke with the conviction that this is our land and we are not giving it away--even Arabs would begin to see reality in a different light and who knows perhaps even have a change in their thinking.
When Rabbi Steinsaltz says "he does not want to get involved in politics" he is wrong. His silence encourages the political leaders to do what they do and hence he is indirectly assisting them in their nefarious plans. To stand aside when someone needs help is not an blameless act. To refuse to act when action is called for carries a heavy responsibility. I would hope that the Rabbis of the Sanhedrin and especially the revered rabbis Steinsaltz and Nebentzahl have access to this email and my communications. Their thoughtful response to my inquiries would be appreciated not only by me but also by the many who know about this communications and are eager to hear the voice of true Torah addressing these serious and urgent matters for Klal Israel. I formally call upon the rabbis of the Sanhedrin to take up my call and I await their response. Im lo achshav, ematay?
Bekavod rav,
David Algaze
In another email Rabbi Algaze writes to the Rav
Regarding my sentence "no posek ever allowed this (the giving away of land of Israel)" I agree that it was imprecise. I appreciate your filling me in on the symposium at Mosad Rav Kook and would like to hear more about it. I doubt, however, that they made an actual psak that contradicts the clear indications of the Shulchan Aruch and the Ramban. I personally spoke to Rav Yosef in September 1993, after the Oslo agreements and it was very clear that his decision to support the Oslo accords was not based on any specific psak but rather on a military judgment that the agreements would save lives. You well know that after Oslo we had thousands of deaths and many more wounded for life. Can anyone think that that decision still stand today? When I said that there is no psak that allows giving away the land to others, especially sworn enemies, I meant that that was the halacha. There may be situations when a posek or a beth din may decide, letzorech sha'a, to choose not to enforce the application of that halacha, but this would not mean that the basic principle is canceled. That is what I meant. Regarding the decision to temporarily suspend the application of the halacha, I imagine that there are some criteria. For instance, is the agreement working? Do we think that giving away Judea and Samaria to the Fatah forces (which include the Al Aqsa martyrs and other terrorist organizations) would save lives today or encourage another front similar to Hezbollah in the north and Hamas on the south? These are questions that should concern the same rabbis who at one time or another lent their support to similar agreements in the past. I do not think that it is proper to simply rely on old opinions that were given with very specific parameters which may not be applicable or correct today. While we discuss these matters, our people suffer and die. Should our rabbis stand aside while tragedies occur? Can we really trust Olmert and his ilk to make the correct decisions for the Jewish people? Did they save the lives of the kidnapped soldiers? Did they save Sderot? I cannot believe that minds like Rav Steinsaltz and Nebentzahl can admit that the problems facing Israel today are better resolved by Olmert and his cabinet than by high intelligent minds such as the rabbis of Israel in consultation with military and intelligence leaders. At least, they should provide some guidance to the process.The real question is: will these rabbis support the heroic work of our settlers or the negotiating positions of the current government? Can we admit that decisions affecting Jewish lives should be shared with members of Knesset that either oppose the Jewishness of the State or are more concerned with humanistic values than with the mission of Am Israel as prescribed by our Torah? This is the "government" of which you speak. The people of Israel today is leaderless and without vision. If the leaders of Israel, the Rabbis, remain silent, what hope do we have?We need rabbis in Israel, preferably led by the Sanhedrin but not necessarily, to gather together and hold consultations with military and intelligence experts to assess the situation correctly. The US may pressure Israel in countless ways but it would never impose an obligation to give up territory unless Israel itself acquiesces voluntarily. The threat of Iran notwithstanding, Israel faces a terrible threat if it continues to allow the Arabs in its midst to fight. In fact, we may be more able to stop Iran than Arabs in our midst. (witness the case of Sderot and the probable tragedies that may soon come upon the citizens of Israel). Don't worry about US response to Iran. Israel is sure to defend itself. I am not so sure that it will act to protect itself from the more familiar and mundane threats that lurk in its midst.In the 15 years since Oslo, the position of Israel in the world has weakened, not become stronger. Our enemies have become stronger and more lethal. When Hamas, Hezbollah and a Fatah led "Palestine" decide to attack Israel, with the support of all Arab countries, G-d save us. The greatest threat to Israel is not war, it is "peace." Rav Yosef told me that we have to wait for Meshiach to have full rights over our land. I would suggest we use the same logic with regard to peace making. Let us wait for Mashiach to have peace or until our enemies beg us for peace. Until then, let us strengthen our people with clarity of thought--this land is our land, period--and not with vain and false positions that allow Israel to give up its land and its right.David Algaze
One of the tragedies of Gush Katif is that the youth were betrayed by their Rabbincial Leaders that taught them the Torah and to love Eretz Yisroel and to believe that this Land is ours yet when push came to shove the kids were/are left alone to defend the Land, a bunch of kids unarmed, facing an armed army with clubs and riot gear as in Amona, in isolation in the corrupt Israeli court systems etc. and the Rabbinical Leaders, those that teach words of Torah do not show that they are willing to stand up forcefully for what they believe in. Perhaps as the above writer suggests, the fact that they are under the gov't payroll directly or indirectly has something to do with it. Even today as I right these words, the IDF turns a blind eye to Arab provocation such as rock throwing and then arrests the person that shoots in the air in self defense. Ever since 2002 there has been talk of a 2 State Solution. How many Rabbanim made a statement of clarity that the 2 State Solution (suggested since 2002) is clearly against the fundamental teachings of the Torah. This at the very least would validate the struggle of the youth. Instead Rabbanim will collect money for psychological counseling in the hundreds of thousands of dollars for the kids rather than admit their failure to stand up for the Torah thereby causing great emotional anguish to these young innocent trusting souls. Many involved in the struggle for Eretz Yisroel (a lot of them kids) actually had criminal records until the recent vote in the Knesset (some still do) . Rabbi Algaze writes with strength and with clarity. This is the voice of Calev Ben Yefuneh and Yehoshua ben Nun. it will hopefully be a catalyst for change, and thereby do much to start the healing process and bring emotional balm to the pained but righteous souls whose only crime is a love for Eretz Yisroel and our Holy Torah.
Israel the Land of My Possession. A digest of articles in the spirit of Calev Ben Yefunah and Yehoshua Ben Nun! Oloh Naaleh Veyarashnu Osah Ki Yachol Nuchal La! Bamidbar 13:30. Please feel free to distribute!
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