The First Rashi: Our Right to the Land of Israel
Chabadinfo in collaboration with Beis Moshiach Magazine presents: The Rebbe’s Opinion On, a series featuring the Rebbe’s opinion and directive on various subjects • These days, when in international forums some of the world’s nations are once again questioning the right of the Jewish people to the Land of Isreal in its entirety, we must remind ourselves and remind the world what the only Owner of the entire world has to say on this topic • Full Article
These days, when in international forums some of the world’s nations are once again questioning the right of the Jewish people to the Land of Isreal in its entirety, we must remind ourselves and remind the world what the only Owner of the entire world has to say on this topic. Excerpted from “Eyes Upon the Land – The Principles Underlying The Israel-Arab Conflict” (SIE) adapted by Rabbi Eliyahu Touger from countless of the Rebbe’s sichos and letters:
[In approaching the matter of Shleimus Ha’aretz, maintaining the integrity of the Land of Israel,] there is a fundamental argument that must be dealt with. At the bottom of all the Arab rhetoric lies one basic claim: “You are intruders. This is our land. We had been living here for centuries and then you decided to take it from us.”
Once it is established that the Jews have a valid right to the Land of Israel, then the violence, hatred, and disregard for life that has characterized the Arab position can be judged for what it is. Unless that right is established, the Arabs will always claim that they have a valid goal: reclaiming a land that is rightfully theirs. And once validity is granted to their goal, the debate whether all means are acceptable to attain it or not is one of philosophy.
Our True Claim To The Land
What is our claim to the land? Hashem’s promise to Avrohom in the Torah (Bereishis 15:18): “I have given this land to your descendants.”
For one-and-a-half thousand years the Land of Israel was our home, and ever since then, Jews everywhere have longed to come home to their eternal heritage to Yerushalayim, the site of the Holy Temple; to Chevron, the burial place of Avrohom, Yitzchok and Yaakov; and to Beis Lechem, where Rachel weeps for her dispersed children and awaits their return. Even throughout the two thousand years during which our people wandered from country to country, Israel has remained the national home of every Jew. From the beginning of the exile until this day, no matter how far-flung his current host country might be, every Jew has turned to face the Holy Land in his thrice-daily prayers.
The First Rashi
So central is this principle to our faith, that Rashi, the foremost of the traditional commentators on the Torah, begins his commentary (on Bereishis 1:1) by stating:
Rabbi Yitzchok said: The Torah should have begun with the verse (Shemos 12:2), “This month shall be for you the first of the months…,” for this introduces the first commandment given to Israel.
Why then does it begin with the narrative of creation?…
So that if the nations of the world say to Israel, “You are robbers, because you took by force the lands of the seven nations [of Canaan],” Israel will reply to them: “The entire world belongs to the Holy One, blessed be He; He created it and gave it to whomever He pleased. Of His own will He gave it to them, and of His own will He took it from them and gave it to us.
An Irrefutable Claim
This explanation is, moreover, the only rationale that cannot be refuted by the Arabs or the Americans. They also accept the Bible and believe in the truth of its prophecies. The Koran does not dispute the Jews’ right to the Land of Israel. And can you conceive of an American president telling his people that G-d’s promise to Abraham is not relevant? Indeed, the connection between the land and our people is so well established that everywhere it is referred to as “the Land of Israel.”
For this reason, it is important to emphasize that this connection is rooted in the Bible’s prophecies. It would not be desirable to base our claim to the Land of Israel on the Balfour Declaration or international agreements of the present century, for these agreements could be countermanded by other ones. After all, how favorable is the United Nations to Israel today?
When the Bible’s prophecies serve as the basis for our claim, then many other arguments are effective in reinforcing the position. But when that foundation is lacking, we have difficulty refuting the gentiles’ claim: “You are robbers, because you took by force the lands of the nations.”
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