To The Editor:
Those Israelis who stress that we have to use more force and
keep hitting the Arabs harder, imagine that this will stop
the violence and put fear into the Arabs' hearts. As much as
you try to explain to them that the it does not work like
this, they are simply not interested.
All the advocates of more force and violence -- even some
religious Israelis, who should know better -- insist on
ignoring the fact that there is a book, which explains
exactly how to understand our problems with the Arabs, and
the name of that book is The Tanach. All we have to do
is read it with a bit more sensitivity and look for the
message -- a message that a five-year-old could, in fact,
understand.
G-d explains over and over that when we have problems with
our enemies it is always His way of punishing us. One
example after another is related in the Tanach and G-d
explains how each time it is He who saves us -- when we
deserve it. Never is it mentioned that we must use more
force to be redeemed! Only Amolek was a unique, one-time
example which applied specifically and only to this one
case.
We have to finally realize that the very hatred of the Arabs
towards us is most certainly a punishment from G- d -- and
that only He has the ability to reverse this, if we deserve
it. Our first signal to G-d that we do deserve His help, will
be our conscious recognition and awareness that it is He who
has the ability to assist us in achieving "peace and
security."
Unfortunately, we will probably be fated to suffer eternal
hatred and terrorism from our enemies, unless we can truly
begin to believe in G-d's might -- and cease being so
embarrassed to even mention His existence. All this is not
easy, for we cannot see G-d.
Let us keep in mind that in fact the supreme test of man
since Creation has always been the test of his ability to
believe in G-d Whom we cannot see -- to fear and revere Him
and to even love Him.
Life, with all its hurdles and upheavals and tragedies, is in
essence one long challenge to try to pass that test.
Sincerely,
Michael Glazer
Tanei Tikva
