The political right wing is once again taking to the streets.
A little more than a year since they themselves so graciously
toppled the right wing government of Binyamin Netanyahu and
returned the Left to power, they have been publicly
demonstrating against Ehud Barak's intention to transfer the
majority of the territories of Yesha to Palestinian hands.
The political right is very adept at demonstrations, but as
far as politics are concerned, it isn't particularly
shrewd.
A few weeks ago, an article appeared in the Hebrew edition of
Yated Ne'eman criticizing the right wing leadership,
which in essence brought the Oslo-niks to power and returned
the Camp-David-niks to it as well.
One of the major papers in the country cited Yated's
criticism, alongside the reaction of the spokesman of the
Yesha Council, who said: "Now is not the time to settle
accounts with us."
Perhaps it really isn't the time to settle accounts with Jews
who literally feel that the ground is burning beneath their
feet. But it definitely is the time to take the chareidi
community to task for its behavior.
Despite its empathy with the pain of the Yesha settlers over
the raucous collapse of their long- standing belief that the
vision of Eretz Yisrael hashlaima is materializing in
the State of Israel, which for them is the beginning of the
geula, are these the struggles Torah-true Jewry should
now be waging?
According to reports in the media about the recent massive
right wing rally, the organizers had announced that they
would earmark one corner where separation between men and
women would prevail so that chareidim could also
participate.
Another report mentioned the names of the speakers at the
rally, and said that a UTJ representative would also
attend.
Are the scenarios of the Rabin government, during which
people with chareidi appearances participated in the right
wing demonstrations about to crop up again during the Barak
government?
With all due respect toward Yesha residents, many of whom are
Torah observant, and very meticulous about the mitzvos, it
was hard to find them participating in the struggles waged by
chareidim against the true dangers that threaten the peace
and security of the Jews living in the Holy Land.
Whoever believes in the words of the Holy Torah, knows that
the dangers of Shabbos desecration or lewd performances, as
well as those of the uprooting of the foundations of Judaism
by transgressors in judicial garb, are the true factors that
endanger the security of the Jews in the Holy Land.
Nowhere does the Torah say that the uprooting of settlements
poses an existential danger to the Jews of Eretz Yisroel. But
it clearly states that emulating the lifestyles of the non-
Jews who live there is a very potent danger, as it is
written: "If not the Land will vomit you, when you pollute
it."
That sector of Jewry which believes in striking a happy
medium, and which does not participate in the struggles
against Shabbos desecration or against the undermining of the
status of yeshiva students, and sometimes even positions
itself on the other side of the fence, recalls Torah loyal
Jewry only when the shlaimus ha'aratez is
threatened.
This shlaimus perturbs it a thousand times more than
the shlaimus of the Torah.
The day of the right wing rally, vehicles driven by
youngsters who certainly didn't appear religious drove
through the streets of Bnei Brak. These youngsters pasted
huge announcements on the billboards, calling to the
chareidim to join the demonstration.
On their way, they pulled up in front of chareidim, and
called out: "See you at the demonstration!"
Does the chareidi sector have anything in common with the
nationalist camp, which regards the vision of Eretz
Yisrael Hashlaima, or what is still left of it, as the
fulfillment of the vision of our prophets?
The true face of the political right was recently revealed,
after it lent a hand to the undermining of those who are the
lifeblood of Torah Jewry, the lomdei haTorah.
Whoever thought that there was any sort of a common basis
between the camps, discovered the gaping abyss. Even in the
national religious camp, there was a sharp debate over how to
vote, which, in the end was decided only on the basis of
personal interests, which mandate at this stage cooperation
with the chareidi camp.
The political right, with all of its national and national
religious streams, is trying to harp on the strings of the
ahavas Eretz Yisroel and of the ahavas Yisroel
of the chareidi sector, and to drag it into a nationalistic
outlook.
During Rabin's time, a difficult battle was waged against
those with chareidi appearances, who joined the political
right, not merely for the ulterior motive of battling the
government, but also out of ideological identification.
Apparently we have to resume that struggle today, when the
right wing is trying to hitchhike on the back of the chareidi
sector, and to involve them once again in the battle against
the expected retreat.
Every Torah-observant Jew knows that if and when this
question becomes actual, it will be presented to the
gedolei Yisroel for a decision, and that we will
unequivocally obey their directives.
This isn't a question to be decided in public squares or at
massive demonstrations. Torah Jewry demonstrates only when
the undermining of the principles of our faith are at stake,
and then too, only when the gedolei Yisroel have
explicitly called for a demonstration.
The belief that the undermining of the principles of our
faith is the only tangible danger to the Jewish settlement
has always been the guiding light of those who believe in the
Torah.
The political right took to the streets even when a right
wing government itself signed an agreement to return Sinai
to the Egyptians.
At that time, the gedoeli Yisroel, headed by Maran,
HaRav Shach, shlita, instructed the representatives of
Torah-observant Jewry to support the peace accord with the
Egyptians, and the chareidi sector, whose collaboration with
the right wing camp at that time was still brief, did not
participate in those battles.
Anyone with even a modicum of yiras Hashem in his
heart, must keep a distance from those battles, of which
chachomim do not approve, and which are not in the
spirit of Torah.
