Friday, June 26, 2009

"HaShem said to Moshe, `Do not fear him,


B"H
PARSHAT CHUKAT
Am Segula
by Yehuda HaKohen

"HaShem said to Moshe, `Do not fear him, for into your hand have I given him, his entire people, and his land; you shall do to him as you did to Sichon, king of the Emori, who dwells in Cheshbon.'" (BAMIDBAR 21:34)

The G-D of Israel instructs Moshe not to fear the giant Og. The Sages question how a prophet as great as Moshe – who was certainly aware that HaShem wages battle alongside His chosen people – could possibly fear any mortal creature. Rashi explains that what Moshe feared was not Og's physical strength but rather his merit for past deeds.

The Sages identify Og as the refugee in BEREISHIT 14:13 who informs Avraham that his nephew Lot had been abducted by the four kings. Although Og's act was only for the sake of putting Avraham in danger (so that he could then take Sarah for himself), the giant still received merit for his unintentional good deed – an act which led to a tremendous sanctification of G-D's holy Name as Avraham vanquished the four mighty empires of that generation. By telling Moshe not to fear, HaShem reassures him that Og had long since enjoyed his reward. It was now time for Israel's rise and nothing could stand in the way of G-D's plan. Moshe would be victorious over the giant.

There are Jews today who often express concern that Israel's service to HaShem pales in comparison to many adherents of Islam. Some worry that through their zealous religiosity and high level of self-sacrifice, the Arabs are building up merit in heaven. But we can rest assured that these fears are unfounded due to an important distinction – it is not the G-D of Israel that the Muslims serve. The Radbaz teaches that Islam is not service of HaShem but rather the worship of a false god. By rejecting the relationship between the Creator of the world and His chosen people (as well as the importance of Hebrew sovereignty over Eretz Yisrael as a Divine manifestation of G-D's majesty in this world) the Muslims are in fact rejecting HaShem. The G-D of history is defined by His glorious attributes and the historical reality of His words and deeds. Even if a person were to believe in one deity as opposed to many, this does not automatically make that single deity the G-D of Israel, Who brought the Israeli Nation out from Egyptian bondage, gave us His Torah and commanded us to establish a Hebrew Kingdom in our homeland.

In reality, the essence of Israel's battle against Ishmael is the war between Truth and deceit – between HaShem and Allah. Israel's war with the Arabs is a war to determine and expose to mankind which faith is the ultimate Truth. In ancient times, this was simpler because false religions were often characterized by visible idols. Today, however, most idolaters at least appear to worship a single invisible god. The Jewish Nation must not fear our enemies, nor should we fear the devotion they show their gods. Israel is the national expression of the true G-D of history and it is our mission to sanctify His Name through spreading the light of His Truth to the world and eclipsing the falsehoods that currently plagued mankind.


Shabbat Shalom

With love of Israel,

Yehuda HaKohen

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