Why They Scream “Ad Mosai” in Judea and Samaria

For the past year or so, during which Israel's Jews have had a foretaste of what the future may bring in consequence of the vaunted Peace Process, the prevalent emotion in Israel, and especially among the Jews living in the settlements, has been one of deep fright and anxiety.

For the past week, they have been terror-stricken.

It is possible to say that the Jews living in Judea, Samaria, and Gaza have shown enormous flexibility through the years of Intifada, having their way of life totally disrupted by cinder blocks being hurled through their windshields, shootings, and the agonizingly frequent funerals of relatives and close acquaintances which never, ever seem to end.

But there is a limit even to Jewish compliance, because the bitter fact is that Israel is moving towards an explosion of violence which is unlike anything our people has seen in nature or scope for the past generation.

The day-to-day reality for the men, women, and children who live under constant threat of Arab terror is made much worse by the frustration caused by a situation in which:

1) The government of Israel is unwilling or unable to protect Jewish lives and property, yet at the same time establishes rules for the civilian population which make it impossible for them to protect themselves and remain "within the framework of the law."

2) After a long period of patient flexibility and suffering, when Jews are forced to "break" the insane laws and fire back in self-defense, they are arrested, their weapons confiscated. and usually, they are put on trial.

3) The Arabs do not need to possess keen understanding to see that de facto they have license to continue their attacks, and they do so only with greater boldness and. self-confidence.

4) This of course leads to greater frustration and fear on the part of the Jews who take to the streets of the cities to demonstrate, only to be met by the boots, trampling horses, and water cannons of the Israeli Police. Is there any more eloquent yet grim fulfillment of our Sages' teaching that "He who is merciful unto the cruel, will someday be cruel unto the merciful"?

5) This demonstrating is followed by biter condemnation by Rabin et al., who see in such dangerous expressions of protest “a threat to the very fibre of the democratic nature of the State.” This charge is patently ridiculous, and as any American eighth-grade student of social studies will tell you, one of the most fundamental rights of a citizen in a democratic society is the right to protest – especially when the government has breached its obligation to guarantee the lives and safety of its constituents. If a government either cannot or will not fulfill that obligation, it faces the loss of its moral and legal right of authority. What naturally follows is complete judicial breakdown, as Jewish minors in Hevron are arrested and brutally treated in prison(!) while at the same time Arab terrorists are freed from prison and haild by their brethren and a minister in the Israeli government(!) as “freedom fighters.” These are not only Arabs who participated in “nationalistic crimes,” but also convicted rapists! Meanwhile, there are Jews, who at this moment are sitting in prison, for publicizing halachos regarding the present situation – and the government refuses to even consider “clemency” (as if there is a crime involved in stating plain halachos…)

The most recent befuddled climax in the Israel-PLO Peace Carnival was the day of the signing of Oslo II in Washington last month. At the precise hour of the signing, thousands of Arabs brought their own special brand of peace offering to their Israeli friends by rioting and throwing cinder blocks and metal pipes at their cars and buses throughout the entire Judea and Samaria.

Did the Rebbe foresee the tragic events which are unfolding before our eyes? As faithful Chassidim, we know the answer to be "yes." There have been numerous occasions, ever since before the signing of the Camp David Accords, when the Rebbe clearly spelled out the potentially tragic outcome of such talks for all who cared to listen. And yet, how are we to reconcile the Rebbe's persistent pleas and warnings that the Israeli government's path endangers the lives of millions of Jews, G-d forbid, with the Rebbe's relentless optimism in his repeated avowals that Moshiach's arrival is literally imminent?

The answer is manifestly clear, and yet staggering in its implications for the enormous responsibility which is upon us as Chassidim of the Rebbe:

The Rebbe spoke of three Shleimuyos, or models of perfection which must be preserved: Shleimus HaTorah, Shleimus HaAm, and Shleimus HaAretz - the Torah, the Jewish people, and the Land of Israel. Time and time again the Rebbe stressed the need for an exacting protection over these three inseparable aspects of Jewish spiritual completion. The Rebbe's adamancy regarding these issues is renowned in Jewish and l'havdil non-Jewish circles alike, and it is known to a slight degree that many of the Rebbe's activities in these areas were clandestine in nature.

Herein lies the answer to our question: Moshiach's imminent arrival? Yes. But there are certain issues which are indivisibly linked with Moshiach - which are Moshiach, and Shleimus HaAretz is one of them. And the Rebbe expects and demands that his Chassidim treat these issues with the same seriousness and urgency that he himself does. It is not enough to sit at home and have the correct political opinions about these matters because literally millions of Jewish lives are in danger, right now.

The Rebbe put it eloquently in the Sicha of Shabbos Parshas Noach, 5742 (1982):

"I once spoke with a certain Jew who has great influence - he had a part in the negotiations before signing the "peace treaty" [with Egypt]. He told me that the signing took place under tremendous pressure - despite the fact that they could have just agreed in principle to some "peace treaty," and left the details to a future date when it could be discussed in a more relaxed way, without pressure etc.

"I asked him: 'Now everyone sees the consequences of this treaty - so how can they even consider conducting these matters in a similar way in the future? Why don't they change their conduct?

"He answered me that they were now stuck in a situation which could not be changed, and that we are forced to honor all aspects of the treaty.

"I asked him, 'What will be?' He said to me, 'G-d help us.' Of course I was happy to hear that he believes and trusts in G-d, but I said to him that G-d wants to help when people act within the framework of nature in accordance with His will.

“I asked him, ‘How long will this situation and behavior continue? He answered me, ‘G-d knows!’ We parted in friendship; I believe in G-d and he believes in G-d, but practically speaking, if they continue in this fashion, the ones to ultimately decide how long this situation will continue will be the PLO..."

G-d wants to help when people act within the framework of nature in accordance with His will. Upon this statement the heavens and earth stand trembling, waiting to see if G-d's nation will follow the charge of the Nasi and bring unlimited blessing and good, or G-d forbid, catastrophe. It most certainly is not fitting for one to write such harsh words, as chassidim are taught to speak in a positive vein. But these are the words of the Rebbe - and if the Rebbe screamed not once, not twice, but scores of times that the lives of millions of Jews are in danger - how can we possibly allow ourselves not to shake the earth's very foundations over this issue with the last ounce of our strength?

G-d wants to help when people act within the framework of nature in accordance with His will. How can we understand the Rebbe's charge to "do everything you can to bring Moshiach" in light of this axiomatic statement?

To this question also, the Rebbe provides concise answers. With G-d's help, in the coming weeks we will touch upon some of the Rebbe's directives for his milchamos Hashem. The first ones the Rebbe called upon to act decisively were the Rabbonim, but this does not excuse anyone else from taking initiative in this matter. More about the Rabbonim though, in the next article.

Originally appeared on Beis Moshiach on November 10, 1995