Ever since the beginning of “the ceasefire” in Israel, I have been asked by many for my opinion on “the deal.” While everyone is ecstatic and grateful to G-d for the return of all the living hostages, the disturbing events of the past few weeks have many wondering about the ethics of the deal. Will it lead to peace, or is it just a matter of time before things get much worse, G-d forbid?
I have no formal security, military, political, or diplomatic training, but Torah is my field, and like everything in life, it provides us with the definitive paradigm through which we can evaluate everything. I will share two points I believe are relevant when grappling with what has been happening based on some messages from this week’s parsha. The opening story of this week’s Parsha is G-d’s instruction to our patriarch Abraham to go to Israel. Although at the time it was known as the “Land of Canaan” because the heathen Canaanites were conquering it from the indigenous Semites, G-d promised Abraham that the land would ultimately belong to his descendants, the Jewish people. The divine eternal promise of the land is mentioned four different times throughout the Parsha, in four separate contexts: 1. Upon Abraham’s arrival to the land. 2. After his nephew Lot moves away from him. 3. At the Covenant of the Parts. 4. When G-d instructed Abraham to do the Bris circumcision when he was 99 years old. The most important message we must know as Jews throughout the world is that the Land of Israel belongs to us. Especially when many nations protest the Jewish presence in the Middle East, we must know with absolute certainty that the Jews living in Israel are in the right place at the right time and should never apologize for it. We don’t need anyone’s approval or support on this matter whatsoever. At the end of this week’s parsha, we learn of how G-d forms a covenant with Abraham through the Bris circumcision. Despite his advanced age and the public mockery he endured, Abraham did not hesitate to follow G-d’s instructions to the letter. In addition to being our deed of ownership, Torah is first and foremost a detailed and definitive guide to life containing clear instructions on how we must ensure our security in our homeland and everywhere else in the world. So-called international law, public opinion, or any other ethical philosophies are irrelevant when it comes to the crucial obligation to protect life. Torah provides the ethical context, concrete instructions, and most importantly, moral clarity in how Israel ought to handle this delicate and precarious situation. International condemnation, isolation, or mockery must be ignored. I highly recommend watching this 8-minute video produced by Jewish Educational Media, providing 3 important points on Torah’s perspective on the current situation in Israel. The Price of “Peace”: The Torah’s View on Israel’s Moral Battle Over Gaza: https://youtu.be/g561t74Wzkw Although most of us are in no position to influence specific change on the ground, as Jews, we have the collective responsibility to know who we are and what paradigm ought to guide Israeli leadership and all the decision makers as they seek to achieve security and stability in the region. In fact, based on Torah’s guidance, it is possible to achieve what most of humanity thinks is impossible: true and enduring peace in the Middle East.