Israeli news is awash with the great divide - 'left" - "right", or for us, Torah true , we would like to say, "scoffers" against 'beleivers", and yet Mr Netanyahu is not exactly the picture we are looking for (even if he he has a tremendous pedigree)
Most of our people would call these 'violent protestors" as the 'erev rav", the many who joined our people when we left Egypt, goyim, before we oursleves,Bnei Yisrael, had accepted the Torah on Har Sinai
*Interestingly, I always wondered about this designation ,,'right and left'.As ,in our tradition , "left"does have to do with the sinister , whereas right more with the sechel.*
On the one hand, we leined in this week's parsha how the Ribono shel olam, wanted the Yidden to accept the Torah with free will and love.On the other hand in the end , the Chazal say that the Mountain, so to speak with raised above them ",if you accept, fine,if not,
"there you will be buried"., in other words, you have no choice.And so, the famous 'chazal" say, being forced , means they never truly accepted the holy Torah, until Purim (coming soon , around the corner) when it was accepted with joy and love
The Gaon (Gra ) from Vilna says the difference between 'Malchus" - Kingship and tyranny is the acceptance and loyalty, and that is the difference between haShem's relationship to us and to the peoples of the world.So, an earthquake is an 'Act of "G-d" and the insurance people are absolved , wheras we , the Jewish people, not only send our emegency people and investigate our buildings, but need to internalize the catastrophe,is our "avodah complete ?And we daven and do repentance.
Maybe , just maybe that is what is happening now in the Holy Land.These people, after all are jews (mostly,I think ) Many believe it has been their work which has turned Israel into a powerhouse.Not too many are ready to give credit to their great grandparents who kept faith against tremendous adversity , and it has been that midda to transform the barren land into the powerhouse it is today.
My Rebbe, A"H, had great respect for Rav Kook, zt'l, even though he help positions which were not very popular with most Torah authorities.He compared Rav Kook to an astronomer who saw well far away but not close by.I saw once in his name, that soemtimes the People know.....
(If in soem way we need to come on to the views of the 'people", inthat sense ,it is a "democracy" )
A few weeks ago a writer in a leading frum periodical asked why hasn't Moshiach come htis year, after shmitte;it seemed so clear? He posited that even with all the fantastic and wonderful organizations amongst our People,, there still is "Sinas Chinum", hate for no reason amongst us.
I'm not so sure.
But , we who know the direction history is taking.have the job somehow, to connect and extend love.
A Gute voche!
