A firm stand against international pressure will enhance the prestige of the Jewish Nation in the eyes of the world.

Part 2. Sadat's visit to Israel.

As spoken above, the motive of Sadat’s visit to Eretz Israel was not apparent, yet, he was most certainly motivated by intelligent reasoning.

Kotel - Wall of the Temple Mount built by King Herod

By contemplating his reasoning one will learn a lesson in one’s service to Hashem. In unequivocal terms this was as follows:

Presidents of Egypt were always heads of State wishing to act independently. However, of late there are [were] those who have begun telling him how to conduct his political agenda coming both from Washington making the greatest effort to exhibit herself as the superpower, that all minor countries are obliged to conduct themselves as per her directives even in realms of peacemaking. The same stands true of Arab kingdoms [who in truth are no more than ‘a mixed multitude’ hailing from different nations, Egyptian, Ishmaelite and such like].

This pressure propelled him to show the world that he rules independently, reckoning neither with Arab kingdoms nor even with Washington, notwithstanding his dependence on them both for financial and military aid and equipment.

His decision was so powerfully motivated that as soon as he made known his intentions he received opposition from all sides, both from those who were openly against peacemaking and those who would only give slight indication of their opposition; even Washington exerted pressure not to undertake this mission. Regardless, from hour to hour he withstood these with growing fortitude in order to exhibit that he was his own master!

‘Chutzpa’ brings results! By reinforcing his determination both at home and abroad, instead of remaining as he had been over the years a pauper begging at the door running from place to place seeking advice, money and arms, the tables made a complete turn around. National leaders were pursuing him trying to persuade him to relinquish some of his honor and appoint an assistant president. Even Arab countries, the United States and Russia the most powerful of nations, were taking his perspective into consideration.

From all of this sequence of events, the government of Israel needs to internalize a simple and clear message:

Notwithstanding that they are reliant on foreign financial aid, arms and even intelligence; yet, when the issue at hand is of policies [militarily and security] paramount for the well being of the Holy land and Jewish inhabitants, no outside pressures should be taken into consideration: conduct must be sovereign. Such policies, not only will they not bring damage G-d forbid but to the contrary, will raise the prestige  of the Jewish People in the eyes of Nations.

Had we merited, never should we have had to learn this lesson from a gentile [Sadat]. We ourselves should have displayed the appropriate fortitude by virtue of our bond with the King of all kings, G-d Almighty Himself. We should have taken advantage of this merit of opportunity. Instead, to our pain, policies [of the government of Israel] are those of capitulation on matters of significance, succumbing to pressure even on life and death issues. Therefore did Hashem find it necessary to enlighten us by the actions of a gentile.

May it be the Will of Hashem, that this event taken specifically with fortitude as see by our very eyes has its desired effect, that the Jewish nation who have until now acted weak-heartedly, fearful of even the rustling of a leaf and thereby bringing upon themselves further international pressure; that from this day forth they go forward with fortitude, announcing on the world arena that the Land of Israel and her borders as enumerated in the Torah [of which the Gentile World is aware and sanctioned to study] - belongs to the Jewish Nation.  

Following the visit of Egyptian President Sadat to Israel, November 1977, the Rebbe speaks of eight directives the Government of Israel is obliged to learn from this event.

Part 1. Sadat's visit to Israel.

We present a talk by the Lubavitcher Rebbe spoken from his room Motzoi Shabbos Parshas Vayetzei, 9th Kislev, 19.11.1977 just hours after the visit to Israel by the then President of Egypt, Mr. Sadat.

The Lubavitcher Rebbe

1. Clear proof that there is a Master of the World.

2. A firm stand against international pressure will enhance the prestige of

the Jewish Nation in the eyes of the world.

3. The government’s wish not to be seen as an initiator of war at the outbreak of the Yom Kippur War was the cause of thousands killed.

4. As with illness, only a physician can make the ultimate decision, so in life and death security situations, only an army officer is qualified to make a judgement.

5. Rabbis who are unprepared to rely on my knowledge in situations endangering  life, should make their own inquiries forthwith!   

6. Sadat would have been in agreement had Israel not been prepared to hand over Judea and Samaria to the Palestinians.

7. The United States and Russia would accept a decision made by the government of Israel not to relinquish even an iota of land.

8. The Temple Mount must be in Jewish hands notwithstanding that it is forbidden to enter the Temple area.

1. Clear proof that there is a Master of the World.

Well know is the teaching of the Baal Shem Tov, that from all one sees or hears one should take instruction in one’s service to G-d. It is appropriate to learn such a lesson from recent events connected to the Holy Land, relevant to every Jew, also to those outside of the Land of Israel.

Of late there was a turmoil and outcry throughout the world, many attempting to give reason to the bewildering trip taken by President Sadat of Egypt to the Holy Land, a phenomenon which nobody could have foreseen.

Here there are two aspects: (a) The actual visit - as heard of by all. (b) Sadat’s reasoning - which nobody knows.

From both there are lessons to be learnt, but with a vital difference. From the actual visit a Jew needs to contemplate and is given help from Above, to learn from the event. For the unknown motive for the trip, there is no imperative to search for a lesson but remains a matter of personal choice, without obligatory help from Above to comprehend the true reason.

Yet, should one know the reason, this would add quality to one’s service of G-d, therefore is worthy of contemplation. Although one cannot know for certain, should one arrive at a message in one’s service, it would be logical to say that one’s conclusion is the true.

The message of the overall event is as follows:

Even those versed in governance, using their full intelligence/expertise, never could they have envisaged this visit under the natural order of things. Even now after the event, they remain dumbfounded.

This is absolute proof that “there is a Master over the world”, Who is [above human intelligence] not G-d Forbid subject to natural limitations or obliged to abide by natural law. King Solomon in Proverbs [21.1] declares: “The hearts of kings and ministers are in the Hands of Hashem”, both the hearts of Jewish People, and certainly of Gentiles. There took place here a phenomenon which according to all human-natural calculations and governance was beyond the realm of credibility.

Hereby do we have an important principle in our service to G-d: in life, one cannot rely upon human calculation, because even having thought through all natural possibilities, G-d above is able to openly perform the absolute opposite!

The Rebbe's remarks in a private meeting as recalled by Rabbi Chaim Gutnick Chief Rabbi of Melbourne, Australia on Av 5, 5727 (August 12, 1967), shortly after the Six-Day War,

...Three times in our generation, G‑d has granted us an opportunity for the beginning of the Redemption. But these opportunities were missed, and it is the Jewish leadership which is to blame.

Rabbi Chaim Gutnick OBM, Chief Rabbi of Australia

The first opportunity was in 1948. You know that I have a particular enthusiasm for Rashi's commentary on the Torah. Well, Rashi says regarding the waters of the Flood that, at first, G‑d brought down "rains of blessing" upon them and waited to see if they would repent; only after they failed to do so did this turn into the very opposite of "rains of blessing," G‑d forbid.

 In 1948, G‑d sent "rains of blessing." This was a time when even the Russians supported the Jewish people against the British, who had attempted to annihilate the nation of Israel. This was a time of opportunity. But the Jewish leaders stood by and debated whether or not to make mention of G‑d's name in the "Declaration of Establishment." [Independence, adopted on May 14, 1948. Most of the 37 signatories opposed any mention of G‑d in the document. In the end, they compromised by including an oblique reference to "the rock of Israel" in its last paragraph].

Thus the Redemption was put off by fifty years.

The second opportunity was the Sinai Campaign [of 1956]. If the Jewish people would have believed that their salvation would come from G‑d rather than from French MIGs and British warplanes, all would have been different.

But never has there been an opportunity such as this one. This was a war won by Torah and mitzvot. There can be no doubt of this. A Jew in Moscow recited Psalms, and a Jew in Buffalo, New York, put on tefillin, and this helped the Jews defeat their enemies in the Land of Israel.

If the Jewish leaders would have utilized the opportunity to rouse the people to the observance of Torah and Mitzvot, our situation today would be entirely different. Think about it: a young man in Israel was summoned, handed an Uzi, and told: "Leave your wife and children at home and go to El-Arish to fight." In every war there are draft-dodgers; here, no Jew, not even one for whom the word "Jew" is nothing more than an appellation, refused to fight. It was a time when the entire people of Israel were in a state of "We shall do and we shall hear." When this young man fought at El-Arish, his Torah and Mitzvot fought for him. The Shechinah (Divine Presence) came down into the trenches to assist the soldier fighting on the borders of the Land of Israel.

If the Jewish leaders would have told that soldier to utilize the reserves of faith and courage that were revealed in him during the war toward a commitment to Torah and Mitzvot, with the same "We shall do and we shall hear," he, and the entire Jewish nation, would have responded, and everything would have been different. But again the leaders were silent, and the great opportunity was lost. They were too timid to tell the Jew the truth: that this is the time for a return to Torah.

General Arik Sharon wearing tefillin at the time of the Six Day War

The very first chapter of the first section of the Shulchan Aruch (Code of Jewish Law) begins not with Maimonides' "Thirteen Principles of Faith," but with the Rama's ruling that "One should not be intimidated by mockers." Why? Because when one does not fulfill this rule, one is prevented from fulfilling the entire Shulchan Aruch. Perhaps I speak too sharply, but the Jewish leadership is bankrupt. They avoid me because they know that I will demand of them to speak the truth. Their timidness to speak the truth, contrary to the rule, "One should not be intimidated by mockers," is holding back the Redemption.

Chabad boy laying tefillin
with soldier

Jews must be told to keep Torah and mitzvot. I initiated the tefillin campaign--this is only the beginning. My hope is that through the mitzvah of tefillin, the Jewish people will be brought closer to other Mitzvot - to keep kosher and Shabbat, and ultimately the entire Torah. My aim is that millions of additional hands should become tefillin-wearing hands.

The Jewish people will respond when spoken to about Torah and mitzvot. Not only teenagers--also forty-year-olds, people advanced and established in their lives, are ready to hear the truth, if only their leaders will speak it to them.

We still have not lost the opportunity. It's still not too late. Now it is August. If we will do our job, if the shluchim will do their job and tell the world the truth, we can bring the Redemption...

Published (in Hebrew) in Kfar Chabad Magazine, issue no. 806.

The Order of the Hour: Settle all territories of the Land of Israel!

Talk by the Lubavitcher Rebbe spoken from his room, shortly after suffering a heart attack, Moitzoi Shabbat Parshat Lech Lecha, November 1977.

The Order of the Hour: Settle all territories of the Land of Israel!

From the verse in the portion of Lech Lecha spoken by G-d to Abraham: “to your progeny have I given this Land”, we learn that in spite of the fact that there are nations protesting the ownership of certain areas of the Land of Israel by Israel, they go even further in their objection arguing "you are robbers". Regardless, we should take no notice of any of their protestations. And more: these protests are no more than temporary and for a show-effect, because essentially and truthfully they know that the entire Land and her borders belong to the Jewish Nation.

The Order of the Hour: Settle all territories of the Land of Israel!

But in order for the Jewish People to bring this to the surface it is necessary is for us to follow in the footsteps of our Patriarch Abraham as he was instructed: “Arise and traverse the length and breadth of the Land”, that we inhabit all of the territories of the Land of Israel, specifically disputed areas.   

Taking full possession must be exactly as performed by Abraham our Patriarch (“the actions of our fathers set a precedent for their progeny”). When traversing the Land of Israel he built ‘an altar unto G-d’. Similarly we need to build in all of those locations a house of Torah-learning and a Mikva for purification. 

Thereby everyone will openly see the fulfillment of the verse “to your progeny have I given this Land”, and recognized even by nations of the world. Should nations rage and spend their time focusing on Israel for a short while, we need to know the truth - that nations themselves also know the truth, as the verse in Psalms concludes - their protestations are 'empty' - for appearance sake only.  

But in order to expose the truth which the nations known only too well in their hearts of hearts, Jewish people must state with truthful conviction that the entire Land belongs to us.

In order not to cause G-d forbid international pressure it is imperative not conduct ourselves in a strange manner inhabiting no more than some locations because this shows that we our taking into account arguments of those protesters! Furthermore, there is absolutely no sense or logic to make a distinction between settling some locations as opposed to settling the entire border and all of the territories, because the same international fury and preoccupation with Israel would exist either way and to the same degree! 

Should Israel take a truthful stand, difficulties will cease, as G-d states “And I have given (written in the past tense) to you this Land” - it has already been given! The main point is to take appropriate action (not mere talk), by placing facts on the ground and actually inhabiting the Land. 

There is no need for grandiose announcements, and certainly no room for self-pride - ‘that it was our strength and forces which brought us this enrichment’ because, not only is this untrue, but can cause harm. We must proceed as emissaries so greatly empowered by G-d, that there will be no opposition.

Should the government of Israel adopt this policy, not only will nations not protest, (and most certainly be no casualties - no Jew will be killed or even injured G-d forbid, but to the contrary: “All nations will sing unto G-d, all peoples will praise Him because G-d’s overwhelming kindness shields us” (Psalms 117), nations will assist us in all of our need because the Jewish people are still in exile, still prior to the final Redemption.

Not inhabiting the territories runs against normal thinking!              

To our incredulity and great pain, to this very day the territories have not yet been inhabited even though that this policy runs contrary to normal straight thinking, and bringing relentless pressure!

By living in the darkness of mental exile, Israel remains fearful and submissive even to “the rustling of leaves” of a non-Jew; every normal thinking person knows full well that this is no more than “the rustling of leaves”. In reality, exile has power only over the body of a Jew, as is well known: only bodies entered the exile; our souls never did enter into the exile. Yet, there step forward from amidst the Jewish people a small number of individuals  who attempt to drag souls down into the exile that they also be subservient to the gentiles. 

Whatever has taken place till now - one does not cry over the past. But going forward, May it be the Will of G-d that a Spirit from above will envelope even this small group, that not only should they not interfere, but will assist the Jewish nation to settle all of territories of the Land of Israel; not to delay to a later date but carry this forth immediately “in one moment, within the span of one single day” - because this policy will yield success. 

By specifically by taking this path, does G-d state: “and I will give peace upon the Land and you will lie down and none will be afraid”; all blessings enumerated in the Torah (Bechukotai) will culminate in G-d's assurance “and I will lead you upright”. 

May it be the Will of G-d that whilst still in the last days of exile, G-d leads every Jew, both those outside of, and those within the land of Israel, to stand upright and with Jewish pride.  

Two hand written notes by the Lubavitcher Rebbe given out for publication

Subsequent to the previous talk, two hand written notes were given out by the Rebbe with further explanatory points of the ability and urgency to widely inhabit the territories. The two notes were combined as follows and put out for publication in the newspapers. November 1977

1. The [international] outcry and pressure which took place following the establishment of five townships would never have gained such force had the government established townships along the entire length of the border.

2. Absolute proof is as follows. The building of atomic weapon facilities in the Holy Land was internationally well know (including Washington, Moscow, and the capital cities of Arab nations), and now exist, expanding from time to time over the years. Initially the world community wanted to prevent and put a stop to this by applying pressure on Israel. However when Israel immediately responded with absolute firmness that they will continue all of these activities, the international community’s pressure was reduced to a just an official protest stating that this is unacceptable, and therewith the pressure came to an end.  

Furthermore countries who had previously protested in unison actually contribute towards the building of those power plants in many ways, this continuing now for many of years. 

With regard to building of the territories, the incredulity is, and to my great pain, has to date not been carried forward with the required urgency and greatest of speed. And more, the fact is that this can go ahead absolutely within the legality of law, that, at this time can realistically be achieved in one single day should the decision be made, the order given for immediately implementation, requiring no more that two people - the Prime Minister and the official responsible for country planning!

Should an inquiry become necessary with a meeting of the entire government and various committees of the Knesset the following day, after having been firmly established, the winds of protest will die down, especially when all will see the tremendous enthusiasm of the decisive majority of all the Jewish People both from within the Holy Land and also outside of Israel when informed that the territories have been inhabited.

However, this must be done absolutely without clamor or publicity.