1.
This column was written before the blood of the murdered Samarian pioneers – may God avenge them – massacred in the Eli gas station terrorist attack, had dried. O earth do not cover their blood.
It is already clear that the situation in northern Samaria has reached boiling point, and it would not be wise to wait for further disasters to act comprehensively to stop the process of Lebanonization that is taking place in front of our very eyes within a holler of our major towns. Northern Samaria reflects the state of mind in Lebanon, Gaza and Tehran, and other places in the hostile region that surrounds us. If we do not deal with the nests of terror there in a comprehensive, smart, and aggressive fashion, we will send a message to the other arenas that we have let everything loose and are about to collapse, God forbid. This will lead to further fronts being launched against us, much to the pleasure of the priests of destruction in Tehran.
Follow Israel Hayom on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram
2.
We should go back to the source: These pioneers were murdered for being Jewish. If they could, the terrorists would have murdered Jews in Hadera or Tel Aviv. The communities in Samaria are a buffer zone for the rest of us; the brave residents of Samaria take fire for all of us. The shots were not directed against them, they were directed against us all. Look at Gaza: We left the Strip down to the last inch, and there is not a single Jew left there for them to shoot at, so they fire rockets and missiles at the heart of the country because it is our very presence here that disturbs them. The same thing may happen if there are no Jews in Samaria. The nests of terror will grow into a terror entity that will be able to cast a shadow over us from the Samaria hills and make our lives miserable.
These pioneers guard the entire land for us all. They put right the biblical sin of the spies (Numbers 13) for which we twice suffered the destruction of the Temple and were cursed with exile. It is they who ensure that we can live in the very places that entire chapters of the Bible were devoted to, the places from which we bequeathed eternal ideas to humanity, and to which we dreamt of returning to. Ever since we returned to the Land in recent generations the war has been over our degree of attachment to the Land, over our attachment to the good land that lay desolate for two thousand years waiting and refusing to give its harvest to foreigners, until our return. The land, which in the words of Mark Twain after his visit here in 1867, was barren and cursed, has blossomed, and from thi,s we have blossomed economically, scientifically, and technologically. We did this with one hand tied behind our back as the other hand still holds a dagger against those who seek our downfall.
3.
The community of Eli sits near Shiloh. Eli was the high priest of Shiloh (see the early chapters of I Samuel ). He marks the end of the period of the judges. At the time, there was no central political leadership over the whole country, just a religious center at Shiloh; the society was still tribal (pre-monarchial). Eli's student Samuel the Prophet was tutored by him from a young age and was the link to the next era in our history – it was Samuel who crowned our first king, Saul, and later David. When the elders of Israel (the leadership representing the people, a prototype of the political leadership that operated alongside a judge or king) ask Samuel to appoint a king over them, they describe their intent in doing so: "Let our king rule over us and go out at our head and fight our battles." Security for citizens is a sine qua non of leadership and monarchy. The idea of monarchy was to unite the tribes and bring them together as a people with a national consciousness. The kingdom applies the sovereignty of the people over the land and preserves the people's spiritual and political freedom from those who wish to harm and enslave them. From Eli and Samuel of around the 11th century BCE to Eli and northern Samaria today.
4.
It is not inconceivable that the terrible internecine dispute that has arisen among us – with its ugly expressions and the awful and incredulous statements made by groups against other sectors – has planted hope among our enemies and those who wish us ill that we have weakened and that the time is ripe to attack us. They know how to read what is being said on social media and in our political and media discourse. To their great joy, Jews are calling each other by the most terrible pejoratives. Some of them, until not so long ago, were leaders and commanders, and now, to our great sorrow, they are sowing hatred against others among us who think differently. This is not a dispute for the sake of heaven, but hatred that eats away at the fabric that holds us together.
Two thousand years ago, we learned: "Sages be careful with your words, lest you incur the penalty of exile, and be carried off to a place of evil waters, and the disciples who follow you drink and die, and thus the name of heaven becomes profaned" (Tractate Avot, 1:11).
The basic commentary spoke of caution in study content and being accurate with one's words, so as not to harm tradition – that is, the Torah that is handed down from generation to generation – since a crack in the first generation may lead to the dismantling of the system in future generations.
But there is no study without innovation, and the ancient words ring with meaning today: From a distance of generations, our sages warn opinion makers, leaders, and influencers of public opinion in the media, on social networks, and among our elected representatives, to be very careful with what they say, to avoid irresponsible statements that harm social cohesion, becaus,e in the absence of a shared destiny, we are liable to fall into the hands of our ill-wishers who rejoice at the division and hatred and the absurd historical comparisons to the greatest of our enemies. In the absence of a shared destiny, we cannot truly defeat our enemies, not on the hills of Samaria and not in Tehran. We must beware of the wanton discourse we have witnessed in recent months, so as not to have to endure exile again.
That is not to say we must avoid controversy; not at all. Throughout history, argument has been one of the secrets of our intellectual and scholastic development as a people; every page of the Talmud is evidence of this. The possibility of thinking differently, of presenting a different perspective on any subject, is a cornerstone of Jewish tradition, and our sages have already said, "A knife only sharpens with the help of its fellow blade." Even if we are engaged in a difficult and polarizing disagreement, we should thank each other for presenting the other opinion – like Beit Shammai and Beit Hillel – because without the dispute of opinion, we would not have become a nation that has brought to the world so many treasures of knowledge and faith. We can respectfully disagree with each other. If you read something infuriating, wait a moment or a few before releasing a harsh counterstatement. Refrain from ad hominem attacks, instead speak only against an opinion or idea (ad factum): "Your opinion is wrong, problematic, dangerous" and so forth, rather than derogatory epithets against the person himself who holds that opinion: "You are such and such."
5.
We can wait with the judicial reform. It seems to me that a majority of the public understands that the courts have upset the balance between the branches of power, and while there is judicial review of the legislative and executive branches, there is currently no similar mechanism to monitor the courts. I have written extensively about this and supported judicial reform. But the past few months have taught us that without broad public consensus, we cannot compel by force the will of an incidental majority on matters that pertain to the very root of our existence as a society. Patience. We should be smart and not just right. We need unity among the people to fight our enemies near and far. This is not a statement that blurs our differences, but an understanding based on the lessons of history and on our formative identity stories. It is a matter that is embedded in our psyche.
Subscribe to Israel Hayom's daily newsletter and never miss our top stories!
