Words From Rabbi White

Dear Chevra Shaas/Spanish.

The following letter from Israel was received by my daughter from an internet friend, shortly after a demonstration in Israel last week concerning the draft. It seems to be most appropriate for Tish`a be'av, so I am forwarding it to you.

I'm a mother of a soldier and I physically can no longer take the debate over the draft. / I cannot watch Jews fighting in the streets./ I cannot deal with the hatred pouring out on both sides./ I’m scared. Not just scared for my son — who’s serving G-d knows where right now, doing G-d knows what with G-d knows how much sleep. I’m scared for us. For our people. For what we’re doing to each other./

This week, on the eve of the Nine Days — when we’re supposed to be mourning the destruction of the Beit HaMikdash — our government almost fell./ Not over economics. Not over corruption. But over the age-old question that is ripping us apart all over again: What is best for the Jewish people?/ Which values are holier?/ Who knows better?/ Who carries the truth?/ We all want what's best, and we are so sure that we are right, that we are willing to cut the branch we are sitting on to prove it.

We’ve been torn apart by this before. This is literally, historically, how the Jewish state fell to the Romans 2000 years ago. Over what is the best way to protect the Jewish people. And while we scream at each other over who should serve — the yeshiva boy or the combat soldier — that soldier is dodging mortars while the yeshiva student can't figure out how to pay for daycare while he is learning. And somehow, we’ve decided these two are enemies instead of brothers.

Well, let me tell you something - IT DOES NOT MATTER!

On the eve of Simchat Torah 2 years ago, I told my kids that after the holiday we would go to Tel Aviv for the hakafot shniyot (post Simchat Torah dancing in the public square.) As we all well know, we never went anywhere. There were no hakafot shniyot and nobody could think about Torah or dancing, because we were all trying to wrap our minds around the fact that 200 Israelis died in less than a day and hundreds of hostages were on the other side of the Gaza border (of course that number became 1200, but it took a week).

Everything I thought was critical and imperative and earth-shattering on October 6, was completely irrelevant before the sun set on October 7./ The same exact thing holds true for the draft debate.

There is nothing I hold dearer than Torah and Torah study.  It is the most beautiful, lofty, sweet thing in the world. There is nothing I wish more than for my son to return to the yeshiva and open his Gemara,... And there is nothing I think is more important than protecting this land and our children and making sure that our enemies never ever dare mess with the Jewish people. And yes, I believe in fairness and contributing your part./ BUT NONE OF THIS MATTERS IF WE FIGHT ABOUT IT!

Our sages in the Talmud teach that in the days of King David, his soldiers were all Torah scholars, but they fell like flies in battle./ Why? Because the people weren’t united. But in the days of Achav, the nation worshipped idols — and still won their wars./ Why?/ Because they were united. Unity isn't just nice. It’s literally the difference between life and the opposite.

So for the people who think that the most important thing right now is to get more charedi boys into the army - it is not! If it is done through controversy and hate - you are dooming our soldiers, charedi, dati, secular to you know what! / And for the people who argue that the charedi boys must stay in the yeshiva, because the Torah protects - it does not - not when this is achieved through hatred and controversy. You want to know what protects us?/ Not just Torah. Not just tanks. Togetherness. You can’t scream “Torah protects us!” and ignore the mothers of soldiers sitting up all night in fear./ And you can’t scream “share the burden!” and spit on people who’ve never missed a Shacharit since age 5.  Because let me tell you something I’ve learned, living with a child in combat:/ One hundred thousand more soldiers won’t save us if Hashem isn’t with us. And Hashem doesn’t stick around when we’re tearing each other apart. All of our sons, those wearing the khakis and those wearing black and white - both are fighting for Am Yisrael. And we’ll lose both — if we forget we’re on the same side. We’re not two camps. We’re one people./ We’ve built a country. We’ve survived pogroms. We’ve made it through worse. But we’ve never made it through division./ So if you’ve ever whispered “Ve’ten chelkeinu beToratecha,”/ If you’ve ever cried at the sound of HaTikvah/ If you’ve ever felt your soul light up at the word Zion…. Then please, please remember: Ahavat Yisrael isn’t a bumper sticker. It’s a lifeline. And every word of hatred is a bullet in our enemies' weapons.

Shabbat shalom, An easy and meaningful fast; Rabbi Menahem White