In the heat of the argument over the peace agreements and
their
nature, it is necessary to have some format whereby we can
present
the matter through the eyes of a Torah public. The faithful
may not
be well versed in the clauses of the agreement and the
percentages
of concessions and their stages but, on the other hand, they
are certainly
familiar, more than the average, with the figure who is the
partner,
the other side, in the negotiations, for war or peace. They
possess
the certificate given by the eternal Torah, "And he shall be
a
wild, barbaric man . . . " And this should be the starting
point
of our relationship.
When certain factions declare that compromise is desirable
for
the sake of peace, we assert, "Nurse no illusions!" `And he
shall be a wild man.' When others shout that they should be
taught
a lesson or two, that we should react and retaliate, we
counterbalance
it with a warning, "Danger. Beware!" `And he shall be a wild
man . . . '"
Everyone agrees that everyone else is at a loss for what to
do.
Whatever they decide to do, they're taking a risk. Nothing is
certain.
Still, both sides quote chapter and verse to uphold their
particular
position, pro or con, when the explicit truth is there for
all to
see in this very parsha. "And he shall be a wild man."
That is why we do not raise our own voice with the hawks or
the doves,
the illusionaries or the disillusionaries.
As far as we are concerned, it is just another chapter in the
history of our relationship towards the uncivilized threat of
this
savage. We put faith in his word like we would put faith in
the word
of an aborigine or a savage.
*
Instead of focusing on the whip, the true challenge is to
deal
with the hand holding the whip. Theirs is a nation that from
its inception,
was destined to serve as the whirling thong swinging around
our heads,
accelerated to strike.
The words of the Ramban should be familiar: "And Hashem heard
(Hagar's) affliction and He gave her a son who would be a
savage to
brutally harass the seed of Avrohom and Soro in all manner of
persecution."
From the moment he was born, Yishmoel was destined to oppress
the blessed seed of Avrohom Ovinu. Thus we see that it is not
a battle
of this strategy or that tactic; it is an ideological reality
of conflict.
And while every measure of persecution and suffering has a
general
purpose, to rouse us to repent, the oppression we are subject
to under
Yishmoel is different, as it is anchored in the very fact of
his savageness.
This is better explained through the Midrash brought
in Pirkei
deR' Eliezer (chapter 32) where it is written, "And why
was
he called Yishmoel? Because in the future, Hashem would
harken to
the cry of the nation suffering under the yoke of Yishmoel's
persecution,
as it is written, `Keil will hear and will answer them.'"
A person's name generally expresses his essence and destiny
in
the world. Chazal say that Yishmoel was given this name
because he
was destined to oppress Jewry and cause them to cry out to
Hashem
in pain, for help. This seems puzzling: Why this name? It
seems so
much more fitting for the Jews than for the Arabs since it is
the
former's voice that Hashem will heed. On the contrary, it is
the Yishmaelites
who will instigate and evoke the cry. Why, then, was this
particular
name chosen to describe them and their function?
Precisely because of this. Chazal, in scanning the annals of
history and studying the role of the Yishmaelites in
relationship
to the Jews, determined that their characteristic is that
they were
chosen to cause Jews to cry out to Hashem and to make Hashem
heed
their pleas. The Arabs are a loudspeaker, a voice amplifier,
if you
will, of the "voice of Yaakov."
This is a documented fact. Thus, instead of wrestling with
the
whip or the stick, instead of getting worked up over every
single
terrorist incident, the Jewish reaction should be an
amplification
of "the voice is the voice of Yaakov." If some terrorist act
did take place, G-d forbid, it was meant to be. Not the
effect, but
the cause, the instigator. He was born to this role. His
grandfather
was born into this destiny, for this purpose. The name says
all. Yishmoel.
They are intended to cause Hashem to harken and to answer
their cry.
So it is that the lessons which the faithful must derive from
political events are not to be found in the diplomatic
arena.
Preparedness to foil terrorist activities, G-d forbid, beyond
efforts of prevention and contention, are to be found in the
houses
of worship and study. There is the place to preempt with the
voice
so that there will be no need for the barbaric Yishmoel's
`help.'
That's where we need to phase in, to arouse the heart to a
higher
level, a second and third stage, so to speak.
It is difficult, very much so, but we must take heart and
remember
what the Rambam wrote in his "Letter to Yemen" when he, too,
had to contend with the Islamic barbarians:
"And you, our brothers, know that Hashem has set us apart
through
afflictions due to our sins, and placed us in the midst of
the Yishmaelites,
whose evil hand oppresses us exceedingly and who are wily in
doing us harm and despising us . . . And thus we suffer in
their
bondage and are subject to their lies and deceptions beyond
our ability
-- or anyone's, as well -- to bear.
Our Sages have proved to us that we can bear Yishmoel's
deceptions
and keep silent. They derived it from the homiletic
interpretation
of the verse, `UMishmo veDumo UMasso'
(Bereishis 25,14),
which lists the sons of Yishmoel but as words, alludes to
`Listen,
keep silent and bear.' So long as we sue for peace with them,
they
pursue us in war and hatred.
Hashem, in His kindness, shall remove the darkness from our
eyes
and darken through His wrath all those who rise up against
us, just
as He promised us that `Lo, the darkness shall cover the
earth and
mist the nations, but upon you shall Hashem shine and His
glory shall
be upon you'."
