Congregation B'nai Israel

Congregation B’nai Israel Friday Night Shabbat Sermon

Rabbi Louis Feldstein

June 4, 2010

Shelach L’cha

Our Torah portion, Shelach L’cha (Numbers 13:1 – 15:40) this Shabbat, teaches us that we are often our own worst enemies. Tomorrow morning we will read from Torah about the scouts who are sent by Moses to check out the land of Canaan. Johanna, our Bat Mitzvah, will speak a great deal more about this in the morning, but I want to provide a larger context. 12 scouts go to see the land. 10 return crying “woe is us”. Two say “things are good”. It is a land flowing with milk and honey. It is our land, God will protect us.

The parasha is quite poignant today. I want to apology before I continue. I always try to speak about things that directly impact our lives and I try to speak, particularly when a child is celebrating becoming a Bar or Bat Mitzvah on a lighter subject. Tonight I cannot.

Tonight I ask, because the world demands I ask – why do they hate us so? Why, no matter what we do, are we, the Jews, we the people of Israel always wrong? No matter the circumstances.

You were probably hiding underneath a rock, if you aren’t sure what I am speaking about. Last week, Israel defended itself…and while it is fair, as many Israeli’s ask, why did things go so terribly wrong…it is NOT fair to ask – why Israel defended itself?

Several years ago Israel said to the population of Gaza, build a nation – go ahead – we are leaving. The Gazans responded by destroying the buildings and the nurseries Israel left behind. They responded by shooting missiles and rockets into Israel! They responded by kidnapping and holding a young Israel soldier, Gilad Shalit since June of 2006!

And now the recent events with the “humanitarian flotilla”, who organizers even said “is not about delivering humanitarian supplies, it’s about breaking Israel’s siege.”

But for some reason, if you read the headlines or listen to the news, you get a very different picture. The headlines do not read, “Blockade breakers attack Israelis” or “Israeli’s offer compromise on aid” or “Turkish sponsors with ties to Iran arm activists”. Instead, the headlines read “American citizen killed in Israeli Raid” (oh yea, he was born here and left when he was about two), “Israeli assault on Gaza-bound flotilla leaves at least 9 dead”, “Deadly Israeli Raid Draws Condemnation”

The world is now calling for an independent international inquiry. Sounds innocent enough. Wrong!!!

Col. (ret.) Richard Kemp, the former commander of the British forces in Afghanistan, told The Jerusalem Post Wednesday, Israel should not agree to an independent international inquiry of the raid on the Gaza flotilla that left at least nine people dead,.

“Israel has a democratically elected government and like every other democratically elected government in the world, Israel should carry out its own investigation,” said Kemp.

“I believe Israel should do it rapidly and comprehensively and should be completely up front if it has made mistakes – mistakes should be admitted by Israel, but I don’t think it should be subjected to an independent inquiry any more than other Western countries are.

“Look at what appears to have been a very serious military error made by the German army in Northern Afghanistan last year when something like 50-150 civilians were killed in an air strike,” he said.

“Where was the independent inquiry about that? Where were the calls for an independent inquiry about that? Why is it that Israel is subjected to that kind of call when other democratic countries aren’t?”

There is clearly a double standard when it comes to Israel and the Jews.

A couple years ago, I referenced a wonderful satire written for Passover. It message is so apropos for today.

"The cycle of violence between the Jews & the Egyptians continues with no end in sight in Egypt. After eight previous plagues that have destroyed the Egyptian infrastructure and disrupted the lives of ordinary Egyptian citizens, the Jews launched a new offensive this week in the form of the plague of darkness.

Western journalists were particularly enraged by this plague. “It is simply impossible to report when you can’t see an inch in front of you,” complained a frustrated Andrea Koppel of CNN. “I have heard from my reliable Egyptian contacts that in the midst of the blanket of blackness, the Jews were annihilating thousands of Egyptians. Their word is solid enough evidence for me.”

While the Jews contend that the plagues are justified given the harsh slavery imposed upon them by the Egyptians, Pharaoh, the Egyptian leader, rebuts this claim. “If only the plagues would let up, there would be no slavery. We just want to live plague-free. It is the right of every society.”

Saeb Erekat, an Egyptian spokesperson, complains that slavery is justifiable given the Jews’ superior weaponry supplied to them by the superpower God.

The Europeans are particularly enraged by the latest Jewish offensive. “The Jewish aggression must cease if there is to be peace in the region. The Jews should go back to slavery for the good of the rest of the world,” stated an angry French President Jacques Chirac. Even several Jews agree. Adam Shapiro, a Jew, has barricaded himself within Pharaoh’s chambers to protect Pharaoh from what is feared will be the next plague, the death of the firstborn. Mr. Shapiro claims that while slavery is not necessarily a good thing, it is the product of the plagues and when the plagues end, so will the slavery. “The Jews have gone too far with plagues such as locusts and epidemic which have virtually destroyed the Egyptian economy,” Mr. Shapiro laments. “The Egyptians are really a very nice people and Pharaoh is kind of huggable once you get to know him,” gushes Shapiro.

The United States is demanding that Moses and Aaron, the Jewish leaders, continue to negotiate with Pharaoh. While Moses points out that Pharaoh had made promise after promise to free the Jewish people only to immediately break them and thereafter impose harsher and harsher slavery, Richard Boucher of the State Department assails the latest offensive. “Pharaoh is not in complete control of the taskmasters,” Mr. Boucher states. “The Jews must return to the negotiating table and will accomplish nothing through these plagues.” The latest round of violence comes in the face of a bold new Saudi peace overture. If only the Jews will give up their language, change their names to Egyptian names and cease having male children, the Arab nations will incline toward peace with them, Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah declared.

Regrettably it is more true than not.

For whatever reason, Israel is NOT allowed to defend itself. Even now Israel is accused of using “captured video” (probably because it affirms Israel’s version of what truly happened). For whatever reason, Israel’s borders are not sacrosanct. For whatever reason, Israeli soldiers must allow themselves to be assaulted and beaten, and even shot at.

Netanyahu was right, “Israel won’t apologize for defending itself.” And that is what the world hates. Once again, to quote Netanyahu, “Israel faces hypocrisy and a biased rush to judgment. “ Would the US allow ships from Venezuela to enter US ports without checking it cargo? Would we permit Iranian ships from coming directly to Iraq?”

Come on people…let's be honest – it is only when Israel defends itself that the world cries – that Israel must stop.

Rabbi Daniel Gordis, recently wrote in response to a Jewish friend who was embarrassed by the incident: “There’s only one country anywhere on the planet about which there's a conversation about whether it has a right to exist. Do you ever think about why that is? What, the fate of the Palestinians is worse than that of aborigines in Australia? Or people in the Congo, or Rwanda? Why all the attention on Israel? Do you really not get it? You think that New Zealand just coincidentally decided this week to make kosher slaughtering illegal? You think it's really about humanitarian commitments? Come on.”

First it was the blood libel. Now it is Israel killing “peace activists”. Do I regret that people died? Yes. Do I regret that Israel did a lousy intelligence job? Yes. Do I regret that Israel lives in a really lousy neighborhood? Yep. But, I have no regrets over their actions. I stand with Caleb and Joshua who came back from their experience still viewing the land positively and with strong resolve. The other ten scouts cried the land is filled with giants. It will be horrible for us. They are like so many in our midst, who refuse to stand strong even in the face of adversity.

I don’t stand with the naysayers, who like Nicholas Kristof in a NY Times editorial stated that he “wants to save Israel from itself” and that “Israel could be so obtuse after all. It shot itself in the foot, blasting America toes as well, and undermined all its longer terms strategic objectives. “

What, because Israel defended itself is undermined its strategic objectives? Israel has one long term strategic objective…to survive in a world that would prefer its destruction.

I used to have a book called “If Israel Lost the War”. It is out of print, but available on Amazon. It is worth the read. It describes in great detail what would have happened if Israel lost the Six Day War. The end of the book tells it all. There are protests, marches, and speeches…. and there is no Israel.

There is an old saying, Israel’s enemies can lose many wars, but Israel can never lose, not even once.

There is a war going on. There are many wars going on for Israel and for all Jews. There is the war for the country’s survival. And there is the war of opinion. And there is the war of Jewish survival… and each of these is linked together.

Tomorrow, Johanna will stand up in front of this congregation affirming her identity. She will be proud. We should all stand as proud as her. Yes, Jews make mistakes and Israel makes mistakes…but defending itself and its survival is NOT a mistake.

We know the narrative. Jews have been expelled from every land; General Grant even tried to expel them from parts of the United States. Jews have been written about with hatred and derision even in countries where there were no Jews. Do not kid yourselves. Today it is Israel. Tomorrow it is all of us.

In 1983 Dennis Prager and Joseph Telushkin wrote a classic, Why the Jews: The Reason for Anti-Semitism. The back cover of the book says it all… “Why have Jews been the object of the most enduring and universal hatred in history? Why is the Jewish state the most despised country in the world today?”

1983- 2010. 27 years and nothing has changed. 12 spies went out. 10 came back with negative views of what laid ahead. Nothing has changed. And nothing will change unless and until we change it…unless we remain strong and determined in our commitment and faith in Israel and Judaism.

The world cannot define us. Only we have that right…and that responsibility. Let us stand with Caleb and Joshua and remain resolute in our faith and in our commitment to be free. Let each of us be like them and not the ten who saw only the negative. Let each of us be strong and stand up to the world around us and not let the world define us. Let each of us be resolute during these challenging times and draw faith and resolve from this adversity. Then, and only then will be strong and will we prosper.

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