On Signing away lands which belong to the Jewish People!

 Recently I received a letter from a Jew in NY. A well-meaning Jew immersed in his studies. He toiled and gathered together statements of our Sages, foolishly trying to bring proof that since these territories were conquered and an agreement signed by Jews who must never lie, he came to the conclusion it is forbidden to retract!

What do you mean, they signed a contract? The property they signed for did not belong to them! This property is the inheritance of the entire Nation of the Jewish People. Even someone possessing all qualities and good intentions has no power of attorney or permission to sell property belonging to someone else, even of a single individual, certainly not of a great number of people. How much more so, property under the ownership of men of this generation and of all past generations beginning with the Divine Promise of the Covenant whereby G-d said to Abraham our forefather “To you I have already given [this Land]”, as brought down in many Rabbinic commentators; that already from that time there was actual physical ownership! 

First they signed an agreement, and then stubbornly insist that since it is forbidden to lie, they are bound to uphold this lie whereby they took away from tens of generations of the Jewish people their possession which they ceded to others! 

Are you master to dispose of property and estates belonging to tens of previous generations and generations after you to the end of all generations?! 

Eretz Israel from Space

G-d chose Israel from amongst the Nations and Eretz Israel from amongst all lands as an everlasting inheritance! Only “through our sins were we exiled from our land, and distanced from our soil”. [Quotation from the additional prayers of the three festivals.] The emphasis of the liturgy stresses the fact that even at the time that we have been exiled from our land, it remains our land! 

Even when we are in a situation [may G-d protect us] of “our sins”, nevertheless it remains “our land”! This is ghetto mentality far from the beginning of redemption! 

Never before have Jews stood in official judgment over Hebron. Jews asking at a public forum– may G-d protect us – whether Hebron is liberated land or conquered land?! Worse still, the world stands by in silence! Here we have Jewish people publicly showing that their view is that Hebron does not belong to the Jewish People, but was conquered by mistake! The government itself recommended surrender!

The proof of this is their use of the phrase ‘they conquered the territories’ [this is how they call it]. In truth however, they are liberated territories, returned Jewish lands and borders to their rightful owners, before the eyes of all nations. Even before the advent of any international pressure, at a time when not one of the gentile nations ever dreamt that there would be discussions with Israel about giving back territories, they, the government of Israel sent emissaries on a special mission. With full intent they have chosen an observant Jew in order to make known that this recommendation is forthcoming in the name of Torah – may G-d protect us! These emissaries recommended that Israel would return to the Arabs all conquered lands of the Six-Day War. 

At that time after the open miraculous victory, not only was there no pressure from Washington to do so, but not even from the Arabs. The Arabs were overjoyed that they were not harmed and would not receive treatment which they themselves would have meted out to the Jewish people had they been the victors. It did not even enter their minds to exert pressure. It was exclusively those Jews who stubbornly took this line. To our great pain, those very same people carry the influence now also. With one difference, now they lean on the broken walking stick; why are they taking this line [of retreat]? Now, because of outside pressure! “If [asks the Rebbe] you are doing so because of pressure, why were you prepared to return land in 1967 when there was no pressure? When there were elections you should have made known that they are electing one who would not change his mind! G-d gives man the chance to repent, regardless of the fact that for 119 years 364 days his conduct was unacceptable. Should he choose to return from his path, then, not only will there be no mention of his past conduct, in fact his deliberate sins will be regarded as merits. When is this true? Only when he regrets the past, or at least he accepts upon himself good intent for the future”.

But he does the contrary. He stated explicitly ‘I have eaten [non-kosher food] and I will continue to do so! Not only does he state so but turns this into a system of thinking [of retreat] pressurizing other Jews that they accept his view. Then when they meet up with gentiles and speak with them, the gentile says to him ‘I don’t even know what pressure you say you are subject to!’ He, the gentile never even dreamt that they would recommend this to him! He, [says the gentile] was only speaking [for political reasons] this way for public consumption, and for that matter, only these last few weeks. 

There arrived here [to the USA] a representative of Israel. When he was in the capital [Washington] and newspaper reporters were not nearby, he was asked: ‘what is going on? What are you talking about? We never dreamt that you would offer to retreat despite our requests which were spoken out of political correctness!

I do not know if he will relay this upon his return to Israel, because then, he would not have fulfilled his mission, and was mistaken in his assessment.  As spoken previously, immediately after the miraculous victory performed by G-d of the Six Day War, [the government of Israel] dispatched the recommendation: ‘Take back all the territories, including Hebron and the Old City of Jerusalem.’ The Mazal was that G-d showed a another miracle in that the nations refused to take up on the offer! The reason for their refusal is because they have no choice in the matter; their conduct is commanded by the Will of G-d. A Jew has freedom of choice that is why he makes this [bad] choice. For the nations however G-d makes the choice for them. However, a Jew also is commanded to “choose life”. One who harms himself does not find punishment by the hand of man; but here he is harming a second Jew, harming all Jews, inclusive of all Jews of all generations! And nobody raises a voice of protest! 

This is the message we can learn from the day of celebration both the birthday and day of passing of the Mitteler Rebbe. Under the power of the Czarist government there were persecutions against the Jewish Faith, Torah and Jewish livelihood. Under persecution and abject poverty of the Jewish People the second Lubavitcher Rebbe raised money from Jewish people, from poor people and with this money he instructed to purchase land in the city of the Patriarchs Hebron, stating that this is his heritage. Should we find ourselves in a situation of material hardship as in the time of the Czar, regardless of his own personal inclinations, nature, education and those that stand about him in scorn, a Jew should have the strength to state openly that there is nothing to debate regarding the status of Hebron.