Rabbi Yaacov Haber's Torah Insights

A Thought for the Week

Chaye Sara 5761

Prince Rudolph, son and heir to the Austrian monarch Franz Josef, visited Palestine at the turn of the century and recounted his trip to Chevron in his memoirs:

Upon reaching Hebron I immediately went to the cave of Machpela. There I was overwhelmed at the realization that my feet stood at the sepulcher of the saintly Hebrew Patriarchs. Involuntarily, I knelt down, lifted my hands toward heaven, and with tears streaming from my eyes, I said, “Holy Patriarch Abraham: You who was proclaimed thousands of years ago ‘Prince of God’ by Ephron the Hittite, whose offer of a burial ground for your dead princess, you declined, open your eyes and observe the lot of your ten million children dispersed and scattered among all lands, persecuted and oppressed by tyrants and murderers, hated and hounded by cruel foes, they, your children, can find no resting place even for money.

Fearful and sad is the lot and the life of your children, holy Abraham. I will endeavor with all my power to help your unfortunate children when I ascend the throne of Austria.” (Quoted in The Warmth and the Light; Rav Aharon Soleveichik)

These noble words were uttered by a Christian inspired by the example of Abraham’s devotion and love of the Jewish people. Our love for Eretz Yisroel and Klal Yisroel must be tenfold.

Avrohom insisted on paying for his own land. Perhaps he foresaw the antagonistic claims of the nations claiming that we stole the land. Avrohom wanted to do whatever he possibly could to establish our ownership of Eretz Yisroel and a safe haven for the Jewish people. It is for this reason that King David purchased the Temple Mount from Ornan for six hundred golden shekels (Divrei Hayamim 1 21; 25) and that Yaakov bought Joseph’s burial place in Shechem (Breishis 33; 19).

Three thousand seven hundred years have passed since Avrohom Avinu bought Chevron. A century has passed since the King of Austria visited. Much has happened. We are once again being called upon to demonstrate our devotion. Young Jewish men and women from New York, Monsey, Paris, Morocco and Jerusalem have created a life for themselves in Chevron, Efrat, Etzion and in all the places that Avrohom walked. They are being shot at. Their homes are being threatened. Mothers send their children off to school in armored school buses waving goodbye with tears in their eyes. They are trying to live normal lives. If they don’t they will be submitting to terrorism. They are asking for some encouragement from us who live comfortably in the suburbs and we have an obligation to give it to them. Let me share with you some of a letter I received this past Sunday:

Dear Rabbi Haber,

Thank you for your letter and the generous contribution from your Kehilla. The money has already been utilized to purchase equipment such as bulletproof vests, night vision binoculars and riflescopes. Despite repeated promises from the army we still have not received helmets and other equipment we are expecting from them.

In answer to your question:

Yes, there is a pikuach nefesh situation in Efrat, as there is in all of Yesha, and in fact all of Eretz Yisrael. None of us can predict where the next attack will occur. Since the last time we spoke, Givat Hadagan, in northern Efrat, which borders Bet Lechem, Bet Jala, and El Khadar has been fired upon at least four times. The Bachurim and the Kollel families of the Yeshiva located there had to be evacuated twice.

Our road to Yerushalayim closes down for many hours on a nearly daily basis because of shooting along different parts of the road, especially in the tunnel area. Last week there was a massive shooting that started in the morning and lasted most of the day. I was one of the last cars out of the tunnel and the shooting was all around me. The cars behind me were stuck in the tunnel for two hours until the army had the situation under control. Our school buses have been shot at as well as the Egged buses.

Two weeks ago two Chayalim were killed behind Efrat’s Givat Hatamar, which is opposite Givat Hazayit where I live. This is only a part of what is going on.

These are rough times here in Eretz Yisrael and everyone is doing their best to help. We appreciate tremendously what you have done for us and I hope that I have clarified the issues.

Let us all pray for, as you have said, “true peace” and security and may Hashem grant it to us soon.

B’ahavat Yisrael

Joshua and Marlyn Adler

Fifty years ago there were Jews stranded on boats with no where to go and no one to listen. Today we must listen. Twenty years ago we were smuggling Mezuzos and Tehillims into Moscow – today we are trying to get bulletproof vests and rifle scopes through Israeli Customs.

We must rise to the call of the day. We must pray for the true peace for all of Israel. 

Rabbi Yaacov Haber

Rabbi Haber is the OU's National Director of Jewish Education and the spiritual leader of the OU's Pardes Program