BO 2001

In the Torah portion, Bo, we learn how Moshe Rabbeinu continually reprimands Pharaoh because he will not humble himself before G-d.  He keeps promising to let the Jewish people go if Moshe will only pray for him and remove the plagues.  After the plague of hail, Moshe said that he was going to bring a plague of locusts on them.  Even Pharaoh's servants ask Pharaoh, "How long will this be a snare for us?  Send out the men that they may serve Hashem, their G-d.  Do you not yet know that Egypt is lost?" After the plague of locusts comes, Pharaoh again says, "I have sinned even this time.  Pray to the Lord your G-d that He shall remove this death from me."  Immediately after Moshe prayed for him and the locusts were removed, Pharaoh's heart was hardened, and he did not send out the Jewish people.  Pharaoh always promises to do something, but he never does it until the plague of the firstborn when he, himself, thrust the Jewish people out of Egypt.

We see that Moshe was very patient with Pharaoh because Moshe was not the man who was going to bring the Jewish people out of Egypt.  It was G-d Who was going to bring them out of Egypt.  Moshe was known as Moshe Rabbeinu, Moshe our teacher, because it was his job to teach Pharaoh and the Jewish people that G-d exists in the world and that G-d runs this world.  If we listen to Him, our life will be a lot easier because His goals will be achieved anyway.  If we do not listen to Him, His goals will still be achieved, but we will suffer.  Moshe is not referred to as Moshe our redeemer; it is only G-d Who is our redeemer.  Moshe is Moshe our teacher.

It seems to me that Yasser Arafat is repeating the mistakes of Pharaoh.  He is continually hardening his heart.  Why he started the El Ak'sa Intifada strain credulity.  He got the best offer he could ever have gotten.  Unfortunately, after he refused this offer, Barak persisted in running after him.  The Jewish people in Israel feel humiliated.  As I mentioned before, they are more united than ever, and they realize now that Arafat wants everything.  He does not want to share the land of Israel.  He believes that the Jewish people are tired, and he is treating them like a defeated people.  There is a Russian proverb which says the way to attract wolves is to act like sheep.  Many people in the Israeli government and especially many of the extreme leftists are inviting the Arabs to attack them.  The Arabs do not believe that Israel will stand up to them.  It is like a bully who attacks those in the school yard who he does not think will fight him.  Those who will fight the bully do not have to sorry about the bully, because the bully will not think it is worth it to tangle with someone who will fight him.  It is an ancient Chinese custom that they name a dish after different events in world history.  The story goes that the Chinese, after looking at the way Israel is responding in such a humiliated, defeatist, ghetto way to Arafat, who has broken every promise he has ever made, who sees how certain Jews are pursuing after him.  After all, what good would it do it he would make a peace treaty?  He would never keep it.  They, therefore, have come up with a new dish talking about these extreme leftists.  They named the dish sum dum jew.  There is no need to rush into an agreement with Arafat.  The best course of action is to just wait, to do as the United States did with the Soviet Union, to establish a confinement policy.  The Arabs are human beings, too.  Eventually they will see, like the citizens of the Soviet Union because of television, saw the good life in the west and desired it, they had no desire anymore to fight for communism.  The same thing will happen in the Arab world, not only because of television but because of the Internet.  It may take another 30 years.  Israel just has to maintain its strength and wait.  Eventually it will prevail.  The only thing that can defeat it is if it loses its will.  Israel today is regaining its will.  It does not want to disappear into history.  It wants to make peace with the Arabs, but not at the price of suicide.  Those who think they can placate wolves by acting as sheep are greatly mistaken.  The wolves will just devour you.
Let us hope and pray that the leadership of Israel will quickly realize that they have to act with self-respect and dignity if they want peace, and if they act with self-respect and dignity, peace will surely come.  May all Israel's leadership act with self-respect and dignity so the Mashiach will come quickly in our day.  Amen.