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| Rabbi Shlomo Goren after the IDF secured the Kotel in 1967 |
After having been threatened for 19 years by Egypt’s charismatic leader Gammal Abdel Nasser to wipe Israel off the map he finally decided to act on that threat and recruited Israel's Arab neighbors to join him in that venture. To his and his Arab allies great dismay not only did he not succeed, he lost the Sinai Desert- and the IDF regained Yehuda and Shomron (the West Bank) from Jordan. It took just 6 days to do that. Surely a miraculous achievement..
I just watched a brief video of IDF soldiers retaking the old city of Jerusalem... lowering what I presume was the Jordanian flag and raising an Israeli flag. I recall never having had so much pride in my people as I had then. I was euphoric at what Israel was able to accomplish in the face of what most of the world thought might just be certain defeat and the end of the Jewish nation. Needless to say Israel was not defeated. It was an exhilarating time for the Jewish people.
Earlier this morning I had a chance to watch a video taken of what looked like thousands of young religious students celebrating this day at the Kotel. This too was inspiring. But not without a bit of reflection about what it is like now compared to what it was like in 1967.
My thoughts then were of finally being able to resettle all parts of Eretz Yisroel. Today those thoughts are no longer realistic. Back in 67 I failed to understand that there was a significant presence of Palestinians living there and that they had been there for decades. They hated us then and hate us even more now and their numbers have increased exponentially since then. Settling all of Eretz Yisroel is not feasible under current conditions. Jewish blood should not be shed for that elusive purpose. No matter the biblical rights we have to that land, it cannot come at that price. Especially with no guarantee that we would succeed in any event! That reality has to be reckoned with. So having that land back in our hands is not the kind of blessing I had thought it would be then. A depressing thought that seems to have no good solution under current conditions.
With respect to the Temple Mount being in our hands - yes. Technically it is. But for practical purposes it is in Muslim hands. Furthermore, for religious reasons Jews are not even allowed to enter the space where the Temple actually stood. So to say to say the Temple Mount is in our hands is a bit of an oversimplification..
And then there is what happened on October 7th. Any pride I might have felt in the prowess of the IDF prior to that day has been tempered by their massive failure to prevent the biggest massacre of Jewish people in a single day since the Holocaust. Many of the hostages they took are still in captivity 7 months later
The war with Hamas (also in its 7th month) is still raging with no firm end in sight, Israel is becoming a pariah to the world; unjustly being accused of genocide and Israel’s prime minister and defense minister, have been accused of war crimes by the International Court of Justice - who have asked for arrest warrants to be issued.
The Euphoria I had on this day back in 67 has evaporated.
Please do not misunderstand. I am still proud of my country, Israel. I am proud of all that Israel has accomplished. I am proud of the vast amount of Torah study the state has enabled. I am proud of the dedication young IDF soldiers have to their country who are ready to sacrifice their lives to protect the Jewish people.
But I wish the war would end, that no more soldiers die or get injured, that the hostages are returned, and that our enemies are obliterated! May they all rot in Hell where they belong. These are things I pray for every day.