To Whom Does Israel Truly Belong?

~The email is dedicated to the speedy recovery of all injured Jews in Israel, and to the comfort of the Fogel family~


With the recent tragedies in Israel, I felt it fitting to speak about the Holy Land. First, it was the cruel murdering of 3 little children and their parents in the town of Itamar. Yesterday, it was the bombing near the central bus station in Jerusalem, that killed 1 and injured 50.

I could write 20 pages now about the history of Israel and why she rightfully deserves to exist. From the U.N. partition plan of 1948, to the wars against Israel that showed Israel victorious that year, as well as in 1967; to the 3,000 year uninterrupted living of Jews in the land. (To see a brilliant 5-min. summary of the conflict, click here)

Instead I'd like to take a unique look from the Torah's Perspective - one often not seen or mentioned of.

The Torah opens up with the verse:
"In the beginning of G-d's Creation of the heavens and earth."
The foremost commentator on the Torah, Rashi (1040-1105), is perplexed by this. If the whole point of the Torah is for the sake of the mitzvot (commandments), why does the Torah begin with stories!? Just get to the point! Rashi's answer to this is astounding, and very relevant to today's current events in Israel.

Let's look at Rashi's words: 'Rabbi Yitzchak said: Surely the Torah should have begun from the words, "This month shall be for you..." (Exodus 12:2), the first commandment which the Jewish people were given. Why does it begin with "In the beginning?" The reason is as it says: "He Declared to His people the power of His Works in order to give them the inheritance of the nations" (Psalms 111:6), i.e., if the nations of the world will say to the Jewish people, "You are robbers, for you seized the land of the seven nations [who inhabited Cana'an]," they will reply: "The whole earth belongs to G-d. He Created it and Granted it to whoever was deemed fit in His Eyes! It was His Will that they should have it; and, by His Will, He Took it from them and Gave it to us!"

Over a 1,000 years ago, Rashi hit the nail on the head. Any land or people can always claim ownership. California should more logically go back to the Indians, than Israel to the Arabs. But since logic never really wins against the U.N. and the int'l community, perhaps the Israeli Leadership could revert back to the Torah's view of things: "G-d Gave it to us. Period." Perhaps that would even be better received by the world than the present approach?
How eternally true are the words of Torah & its Rabbis.

Shabbat Shalom!

-Daniel