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9 Kislev 5761 - December 6, 2000 | Mordecai Plaut, director Published Weekly
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In the first war that we fought as a nation, we had a "secret weapon": the hands of Moshe Rabbenu. As Chazal themselves ask: Do the hands of Moshe make or break a war? Rather, whenever Yisroel looked upward and subjugated their hearts to their Father in Heaven, they were successful, and if not they fell.

If you listen, even somewhat, to all the "experts" who tell us how to solve all the troubles of Klal Yisroel, you can only become jealous of their inside track to the truth. (And if this was so up until now, just imagine how it will become once the election campaign heats up.)

Just listen to how strongly the Left makes its case that all we need to bring peace at last is just One More Concession, and to dismantle a few of the more troublesome settlements that annoy the Arabs no end. Once we do that, we can expect peace and quiet for at least past the next election.

Or just see what simple goods the Right has to offer. All we need according to them is just to act a little tough and that will surely end terror forever. "Let Zahal win," is their latest slogan.

Each side speaks with such convincing sincerity and such confidence in its position with no second thoughts or doubts that its approach will certainly bring peace in our time.

We also have our approach to a solution, but it is neither Right nor Left. We know that in the long run there is only one real and fully successful solution: Im bechoksai teileichu . . . venosati sholom bo'oretz, that the only way to bring peace to the place that we live in is to follow the laws of the Torah.

We are certainly happy to see the fall of the current government. From the start it has been firmly opposed to the eternal values of Klal Yisroel, and we do not forget that the first element of Prime Minister Barak's unusually broad governing coalition to become unstuck was the withdrawal of United Torah Judaism from the coalition last summer in connection with the transport of the huge generator component on Shabbos. The principled withdrawal of UTJ at the orders of gedolei Yisroel was the first public indication that Barak's broad coalition was not sensitive to the feelings of the religious public.

We happily say "Good riddance" to this government whose only persistent principle was expressed in its recent initiative of a "secular revolution" which was stopped only by the outbreak of the latest intifadah. Yet we cannot look forward to any of the likely replacements, which will probably continue to ignore the positive power of keeping the Torah.

We know that the direction is neither right nor left; neither further appeasement nor another war will bring any relief to our troubles. It is upward that we must look for our salvation. If we subjugate ourselves thoroughly to Hashem and go in His ways, we have the guarantee of the Torah that there will be peace in our Land and as long as we do not have this, we cannot truly rejoice no matter who takes over (though we certainly will prefer the party that is the lesser threat to Toras Yisroel).

Our salvation will never come from the Knesset nor from the prime minister's office. "These come with chariots and those come with horses, but we mention the sheim Hashem our G- d."


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