This week Prime Minister Netanyahu’s new government was finally installed.
As we’ve mentioned, it is a Right-Wing/Religious coalition which is opposed to many policies of the succession of progressive, leftist governments who have slowly made “democratic values” more important than “Jewish values” in the Jewish State.
Similar in a way to the MAGA – America First movement in the USA, the coalition partners represent a “Jewish First” movement in Israel. I guess you could call it MIJA – Make Israel Jewish Again.
A Jewish Leader visits the Holiest Jewish Site
Itamar Ben Gvir, currently National Security Minister is the “poster boy” of this worldview.
This week he took “provocative step” of visiting the Temple Mount. Which proved to be quite quiet and uneventful.
Not sure why a Jewish Minister in a Jewish State visiting a Jewish Holy Site should be controversial.
But immediately before and after there were international cries of “the sky will fall, the sky will fall!”
What Trump Showed Us
When President Trump was considering moving the US Embassy to Jerusalem, he was bombarded by the same shrill voices predicting chaos in the Middle East, an Arab War against Israel or even worse. (Many of the same voices complaining about Ben Gvir’s visit this week.
Trump called their bluff, and instead leading to disaster his “peace through strength” strategy led to helping negotiate the Abraham Accords between Israel and many of Israel’s former enemies.
Here is Ben Gvir’s statement while on the Temple Mount:
“The Israeli government won’t capitulate to a murderous organization, to a repugnant terrorist group,” Ben Gvir said in the course of his visit, referring to Hamas threats. “The Temple Mount is the most important place for the people of Israel. The Temple Mount is open to all — Muslims, Christians and, yes, Jews too. Jews too. There won’t be racist discrimination in a government in which I am a member. Jews will ascend to the Temple Mount.”
“We maintain freedom of movement for Muslims and Christians, but Jews also go up to the site, and those who make threats must be dealt with with an iron fist,” the minister added at the conclusion of his visit, which reportedly lasted some 15 minutes and passed without immediate incident.
Note that he is not demanding that only Jews be allowed on the site. He is pointing out the absurdity of Jews being treated with less rights than Muslims and Christians when it comes to visiting a Jewish Holy site in the Jewish State.
I understand why Hamas are against Jews praying on the Temple Mount (They want the entire State of Israel, like in Gaza, Judenrein). But why is so much of the ‘enlightened’ non-Jewish world up in arms?
Expect the Obstacles
The Gaon of Vilna teaches in Kol HaTor, that as we approach the final redemption, the spiritual forces that want the descendants of Esav and Yishmael to take the firstborn rights from Israel will rise up to try to stop us from advancing toward our Jewish National destiny.
There will be stumbling blocks along the way, but eventually the spiritual forces of Joseph and David will overpower them.
Therefore warns the Gaon,
“God forbid that we retreat when difficulties arise or when an obstacle appears to prevent us from continuing to work. On the contrary, we must trust that out of that obstacle, help will come to Jacob, and from the straits we will reach the breadth [abundance] of Divine help” (Kol HaTor 1:20)
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Shmuel
Rabbi Shmuel Veffer
Founder, Galilee Green