I returned this week from AIPAC Policy Conference in DC with some16,000 other tremendously proud and inspired supporters of Israel.
The highlight of the trip of course, was PM Netanyahu address to the delegates. He gave a short but powerful speech. While affirming that the connection between Israel and the USA is strong, indeed so strong that we are more like, ‘moshpocha’, he made clear that if Israel were to heed every instruction given by America there would be no Israel. He proved this point by giving several past instances where this rang true. From 1948 before declaring independence, in 1967 before launching the Six Day War and in 1981 before destroying the Iraqi nuclear reactor at Osirak.
He made mention as well of the elephant in the room which was the great controversy surrounding his historic speech to Congress the following day. Interestingly, this wasn’t the only controversial speech given this week. There was another hotly contested one that happened this same time 2200 years ago.
It started with an evil psychopath Haman, who along with one hundred twenty seven countries (the entire known world at the time) planned to annihilate every Jewish man, woman and child in a single day.
Mordechai, the leader of the Jewish people at the time urges his niece, the Queen to petition the king. Queen Esther refuses to make her speech before King Achashverosh stressing that it isn’t the speech that will save them, it is reaffirming their commitment to G-d. Mordechai presses and she relents only if the Jews were to fast for three days prior to this pivotal speech. And fast they did.
It was a bold statement: Our security is ultimately in G-d’s hands. Recognizing G-d as the ultimate decision maker, Esther used the political speech as the means and not the ends of her desired goal.
Today, just as then there is an evil psychopath in Iran who, make no mistake, threatens not just the survival of the state of Israel and the Jewish people, but the entire civilized world!
Just as then Esther needed to go through Shushan, the capital of the world, today we must lobby Washington via Congress. However, these are merely the means.
As Queen Esther insisted, true salvation comes from our commitment to G-d and His Torah. Like her speech, PM Benjamin Netanyahu’s speech was no less controversial. There were arguments for both sides.
Of course its important for Israel to defend herself and the Prime Minister needs to plea for Israel’s survival to whomever will lend an ear. But to say that the security of Israel relies squarely on the Speech the Prime Minister gave to Congress would be a rejection of G-d as the ultimate power and take us back to square one, as it would have in the Purim Story. Indeed,the problem is not the speech, but the emphasis on the speech.
‘The speech’ has been given, now what mitzvah are you going to do to ensure peace and tranquility in Israel and indeed the entire world?
(written by Rabbi Dovid Vigler)