Israeli Independence Day and Lag B'Omer vs. Nakba

Most Israeli Jews celebrated Israeli Independence Day (according to the Hebrew calendar) recently. Meanwhile, thousands of Israel’s Arab citizens decried the “Nakba” (The Catastrophe), namely the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948, with a day of protest and mourning.

Israel’s Arab community protested and mourned again, on May 15th (the general calendar date), when the British Mandate was officially terminated, and the State of Israel came into being. Israeli Arab Mk Ahmad Tibi (Hadash-Ta'al), spoke at a Nakba Day event in Ramallah, in the Palestinian Authority. Yet, Israeli Jews will have fun, singing and dancing on Lag B’Omer.

Arab MKs Ayman Odeh (Hadash-Ta’al) and Mtanes Shehadeh (Balad) spoke at a Nakba ceremony, just outside the gate of Tel Aviv University. Shehadeh reminded the mob, that on Nakba day, “We remember the expulsion of more than 700,000 people from their lands, the destruction of more than 530 Palestinian towns and the murder of many others. Israel has been trying for 71 years to erase the Palestinian’s identity and collective memory by any possible colonial means, from the Nation-State Law to the ‘deal of the century,’ to squelching freedom of expression, demolishing homes, political persecution and continual occupation and violation of international law.”

MK Uzi Dayan (Likud) said he condemned the statements made by the Arab MKs, and the idea of Nakba day in general. “Seventy-one years have passed and for you, nothing has changed,” Dayan said. “You are stuck in 1948, while we march toward 2048. We send a spaceship to the moon and you fly incendiary balloons over the Gaza border. Your thoughts and behaviors are your Nakba,” Dayan concluded.

In the Gaza Strip, thousands rioted by the fence, as was expected, and launched incendiary balloons into Israel. Israeli firefighters in southern Israel had to put out nine fires.

So while the Jews were happy and dancing, on Independence Day, and then will dance again, on the anniversary of Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochi’s death (hundreds of thousands flock to his grave in Meron annually), the Arabs are crying this time of year, over the tragedies, they claim befell them.

That says everything...

Several years ago, in Lod, a Jewish city in Israel, with Arabs living there, over 1,500 Israeli Arabs attended a “Nakba Day” rally. MK and Balad party leader Jamal Zahalka said to them, “This is a day of mourning for the Palestinian people. Lod is a special place for us, because it is here that the massacre [?] of 1948 took place at the Great Mosque, and that is why the city has become a symbol for us. Our message is that we will never forget and never forgive for what happened. We have come here to say that the Arab population will remain in Lod forever.”

What really happened in Lod?

Several major attacks by Arab forces occurred in the Lod area during Israel’s War of Independence. Lod and Ramle were counter-attacked by the IDF because they were on the Tel Aviv-Jerusalem road and convoys attempting to resupply and reinforce Jerusalem had to travel through the streets of the two towns, routinely under fire. The IDF could not afford to allow Jerusalem to be cut off from the rest of the country.

Yitzhak Rabin, then a commander involved in the operation, later said he agreed with Ben-Gurion’s order to expel the Arabs of Ramle and Lod. The Arabs in Lod were “armed and hostile,” Rabin said, presenting a danger, and they had to be driven away. Fighting with Arab gunmen took place, but no massacre occurred, the enemy during wartime was dealt a heavy blow.

Lod is a town where till this day, the Arab population has been consistently harassing the Jewish population. See my article, “The Jewish Struggle Against Arabs in Israel.”

“This is our memorial day,” National Democratic Assembly member Gabi Tanus said, in Lod at the time. “It is more important to us than the Holocaust is to the Jewish nation.”

Notice according to them, the Arabs suffered more than the Jews did from the Holocaust...

Lag B’Omer and Israeli Independence Day...

Lag B’Omer marks the end of a period of mourning, over the death of thousands of Rabbi Akiva’s students. Rabbi Akiva was an arms smuggler for Bar Kochba’s revolt against the Roman occupation of Judea (according to Maimonides). Tradition tells us that the 24,000 students died during a plague, because of their behavior toward each other. But, Rav Sherira Gaon, and others, claim they died in the battles to liberate Judea from the Roman occupation, basically like Hesder Yeshiva guys today in the IDF.

Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochi (one of Rabbi Akiva’s top students), was a vocal critic of the Roman occupation, and was forced to flee for his life and hide in a cave, because he was found out. There, he and his son studied Torah night and day for 13 years, till the “secrets of creation” were revealed to him. His teachings were later written down as “The Zohar,” the Book of Splendor, a mystical commentary on the Hebrew Bible.

Just as the Jews of Judea fought and gained independence from the “super-power of their time,” the Roman Empire, for 3 and a half years, Modern Israel finally gained independence, over 1,800 years later.

And the Arabs? They sit and weep, just as Jews did for those intervening 1,800 years. The only difference is that the Arabs are a recent settler population, who came to the Land of Israel only in the last hundred years or so, and have no real connection to this place, in spite of their weeping (and terrorism).

For example, Saeb Erekat, the Secretary-General of the PLO, claimed in 2014 that he is a direct descendant of the Canaanite tribes who lived in Israel some 9,000 years ago. Yet according to Erekat’s own Facebook entry, the Erekat clan is from the northwestern Arabian Peninsula and settled in the Palestine area around 1860. See also, my article, “Who is a Palestinian Refugee.”

Notice they are not mourning the loss of the 1967 territories, but all of “Palestine.”

Coming up in about two weeks is Jerusalem Day. Jews the world over will celebrate the liberation of Eastern Jerusalem, with it’s Temple Mount and Western Wall. Hebron, Judea, Samaria, and the Golan Heights were all delivered out of the hands of the Arab occupiers and into the hands of their rightful Jewish owners.

Israeli Arabs were never a happy bunch, even though they have full civil equality, for example, there’s an Israeli Arab supreme court justice. But since Oslo, there has been growing “Palistinization” within their community, brought on by their involvement with Palestinians from the PA. Combined with their growing vocal repudiation of Israeli Independence Day as their “Catastrophe;” its proven to many Israeli Jews, what they always suspected, many Israeli Arabs are not trustworthy citizens.

The Israel Democracy Institute’s recent study, the “2018 Democracy Index,” asked, “Does Israel have the right to be defined as the nation-state of the Jewish people?” 69.2% of Israeli Arabs, Somewhat or Strongly Disagreed.

And, when the Israel Democracy Institute’s “The Peace Index of April 2017” asked, “To what extent do you feel yourself to be part of the State of Israel and its problems?” It found that only 57.5% of Israeli Arabs agreed, compared to 82% of Israeli Jews.

According to the Israel Democracy Institute’s “Israeli Democracy Ranking and Poll of 2010,” 53% of Israeli Jews said, "the government should encourage Arabs to emigrate."

Similarly, the Washington-based Pew Research Center, a non-partisan think tank, conducted a poll from October 2014 to May 2015, and found that 48% of Israeli Jews said they agreed with the statement that, “Arabs should be expelled or transferred from Israel.”

Maybe Israel will one day soon, decide to solve its “Arab security and demographic problem,” the way most Jews in Israel would like to, not by expelling Jews from parts of their ancestral homeland (like what happened in Gush Katif), but by removing “the thorns in our side,”(Numbers 33:55), like Ben-Gurion and Rabin understood to do.

Ariel Natan Pasko, an independent analyst and consultant, has a Master's Degree specializing in International Relations, Political Economy & Policy Analysis. His articles appear regularly on numerous news/views and think-tank websites and in newspapers. His latest articles can also be read on his archive: The Think Tank by Ariel Natan Pasko.
(c) 2019/5779 Pasko

Happy Nakba Day and Israeli Independence

Most Israeli Jews celebrated Israeli Independence Day (according to the Hebrew calendar) recently. Meanwhile, thousands of Israel’s Arab citizens decried the “Nakba” (The Catastrophe), namely the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948, with a day of protest and mourning. Many more Israeli Jews will have fun, less than two weeks from now, on Lag B’Omer. While Israel’s Arab community probably will riot, protest and mourn again, on May 15th (the general calendar date), when the British Mandate was officially terminated, and the State of Israel came into being.

Its also been announced, that Arabs in the Gaza Strip, plan to stage a general strike on Wednesday to mark Nakba Day. In a statement, the National Authority for Breaking the Siege, also called on “Palestinians” to mark the occasion by taking part in planned demonstrations in Gaza, i.e. riot by the fence. It also warned “the Israeli enemy” against “committing follies against peaceful demonstrators.” Probably while they are trying to attack Israeli soldiers or launch incendiary balloons into Israel.

That says everything...

So while the Jews were happy and dancing, on Independence Day, and then will dance again, on the anniversary of Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochi’s death (hundreds of thousands flock to his grave in Meron annually), the Arabs are crying this time of year over the tragedies that befell them. Isn’t that just the way it should be?

Well, Happy Nakba Day!

In Lod, a Jewish city with Arabs living there also, several years ago, over 1,500 Arabs attended a “Nakba Day” rally. MK and Balad party leader Jamal Zahalka said to them, “This is a day of mourning for the Palestinian people. Lod is a special place for us, because it is here that the massacre [?] of 1948 took place at the Great Mosque, and that is why the city has become a symbol for us. Our message is that we will never forget and never forgive for what happened. We have come here to say that the Arab population will remain in Lod forever.”

Several major attacks by Arab forces occurred in the Lod area during Israel’s War of Independence. Lod and Ramle were counter-attacked by the IDF because they were on the Tel Aviv-Jerusalem road and convoys attempting to resupply and reinforce Jerusalem had to travel through the streets of the two towns, routinely under fire. The IDF could not afford to allow Jerusalem to be cut off from the rest of the country.

Yitzhak Rabin, then a commander involved in the operation, later said he agreed with Ben-Gurion’s order to expel the Arabs of Ramle and Lod. The Arabs in Lod were “armed and hostile,” Rabin said, presenting a danger, and they had to be driven away. Fighting with Arab gunmen took place, but no massacre occurred, the enemy during wartime was dealt a heavy blow.

Lod is a town where till this day, the Arab population has been consistently harassing the Jewish population. See my article, “The Jewish Struggle Against Arabs in Israel.”

“This is our memorial day,” National Democratic Assembly member Gabi Tanus said, in Lod at the time. “It is more important to us than the Holocaust is to the Jewish nation.”

Notice according to them, the Arabs suffered more than the Jews did from the Holocaust...

Happy Nakba day!

Lag B’Omer by the way, also marks the end of a period of mourning, over the death of thousands of Rabbi Akiva’s students. Rabbi Akiva was an arms smuggler for Bar Kochba’s revolt against the Roman occupation of Judea (according to Maimonides). Tradition tells us that the 24,000 students died during a plague. But, others, like Rav Sherira Gaon, claim they died in the battles to liberate Judea from the Roman occupation, basically like Hesder Yeshiva guys today in the IDF. Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochi (one of Rabbi Akiva’s top students), was a vocal critic of the Roman occupation, and was forced to flee for his life and hide in a cave, because he was found out. There, he and his son studied Torah night and day for 13 years, till the “secrets of creation” were revealed to him. His teachings were later written down as “The Zohar,” the Book of Splendor, a mystical commentary on the Hebrew Bible.

Just as the Jews of Judea fought and gained independence from the “super-power of their time,” the Roman Empire, for 3 and a half years, Modern Israel finally gained independence, over 1,800 years later.

And the Arabs? They sit and weep, just as Jews did for those intervening 1,800 years. The only difference is that the Arabs are a recent settler population, who came to the Land of Israel only in the last hundred years or so, and have no real connection to this place, in spite of their weeping (and terrorism). For example, Saeb Erekat, the Secretary-General of the PLO, claimed in 2014 that he is a direct descendant of the Canaanite tribes who lived in Israel some 9,000 years ago. Yet according to Erekat’s own Facebook entry, the Erekat clan is from the northwestern Arabian Peninsula and settled in the Palestine area around 1860. See also, my article, “Who is a Palestinian Refugee.”

Notice they are not mourning the loss of the 1967 territories, but all of “Palestine.” Coming up in about three weeks is Jerusalem Day. Jews the world over will celebrate the liberation of Eastern Jerusalem, with it’s Temple Mount and Western Wall. Hebron, Judea, Samaria, and the Golan Heights were all delivered out of the hands of the Arab occupiers and into the hands of their rightful Jewish owners.

Israeli Arabs were never a happy bunch, even though they have full civil equality. But since Oslo, there has been growing “Palistinization” within their community, brought on by their involvement with “Palestinian” terrorists from the Palestinian Authority. Combined with their growing vocal repudiation of Israeli Independence Day as their “Catastrophe;” its proven to many Israeli Jews, what they always suspected, Israeli Arabs are not trustworthy.

The Israel Democracy Institute’s recent study, the “2018 Democracy Index,” asked, “Does Israel have the right to be defined as the nation-state of the Jewish people?” 69.2% of Israeli Arabs, Somewhat or Strongly Disagreed.

And, when the Israel Democracy Institute’s “The Peace Index of April 2017” asked, “To what extent do you feel yourself to be part of the State of Israel and its problems?” It found that only 57.5% of Israeli Arabs agreed, compared to 82% of Israeli Jews.

According to the Israel Democracy Institute’s “Israeli Democracy Ranking and Poll of 2010,” 53% of Israeli Jews said, “the government should encourage Arabs to emigrate.”

Similarly, the Washington-based Pew Research Center, a non-partisan think tank, conducted a poll from October 2014 to May 2015, and found that 48% of Israeli Jews said they agreed with the statement that, “Arabs should be expelled or transferred from Israel.”

Maybe Israel will one day soon, decide to solve its “Arab security and demographic problem,” the way most Jews in Israel would like to, not by expelling Jews from parts of their ancestral homeland (like what happened in Gush Katif), but by removing “the thorns in our side,”(Numbers 33:55), like Ben-Gurion and Rabin understood to do.

I just want to wish all of Israel’s “good Arab citizens,” Happy Nakba Day!

 

Ariel Natan Pasko, an independent analyst and consultant, has a Master's Degree specializing in International Relations, Political Economy & Policy Analysis. His articles appear regularly on numerous news/views and think-tank websites and in newspapers. His latest articles can also be read on his archive: The Think Tank by Ariel Natan Pasko.

(c) 2019/5779 Pasko

Israel, Continue the Targeted Killings!

After three days and 700 rockets later, I couldn’t say this any plainer, KILL all the leaders of Hamas and Islamic Jihad in Gaza, ASAP!

Keep cutting off the heads of the snakes. Don’t worry if they grow new heads, cut them off too, if they grow back. In any case, it will disrupt their operational capacity. Keep KILLING their leaders and operatives, until they’re frightened to death, and no one volunteers for the job anymore.

Targeted killings, assassinating the terrorist leadership in Gaza, worked well in the Sharon era. Take a look at my article, “Happy Yassin Day,” from that period. An Israeli AH-64 Apache sent then Hamas leader Sheikh Ahmad Yassin and his wheel chair, to find his 72 year old virgin, down under. Then another Israeli Apache got Abdel Aziz Rantisi, Yassin’s replacement. And, they weren’t the only ones Israel sent to early retirement, at the time.

But, after a minimal IDF response, Netanyahu chose to accept a cease fire instead. He promised, “The campaign isn’t finished, and it will require patience and careful judgment. We’re prepared for its continuation.” I certainly hope so.

Even Benny Gantz, from the losing Blue and White party, during the recent election campaign, threatened that the leaders of the Palestinian terror group should remember that Israel assassinated one of its most senior officials during the Gaza conflict of 2012, and was capable of doing the same again. “The heads of Hamas have forgotten what happened to Ahmed Jabari – their chief of staff. They will get a personal reminder if they continue targeting our population, as will all terrorists.”

Gantz lost the election. The Israeli public chose Netanyahu to lead instead, thinking he would be tougher and better able to maintain security and safety (one of the only purposes of government), for the Israeli public.

“The reality in the south, as we unfortunately saw today, where Israeli children spend their nights in bomb shelters, while the heads of Hamas celebrate must end now – and it will,” Gantz told a conference during the election campaign.

Well nothing has changed, and that should still be Israel’s goal. Better that Hamas people learn by heart all their funeral prayers, than songs of joy. Islamic Jihad should load up on mourning meals instead of handing out sweets in the street, celebrating.

Let’s force King Solomon’s sage advice onto terror leaders in Gaza, “It’s better to go to a House of Mourning than to a Party...’ (Ecclesiastes 7:2).

And while they are mourning, giving speeches of support and encouragement, to carry out the next atrocity against Israeli civilians, and burying their dead; Israel should also bomb, strafe, and disperse those political rally terror supporting funerals, as I’ve called for since 2003. See my article, “The Call of the Israeli Apache.”

During the latest round of Gazan rocket attacks on Israel, Israeli airstrikes in Gaza killed 23, including nine people identified as Hamas and Islamic Jihad terrorists. Israel killed exactly one top leader. The IDF Spokesperson’s Unit confirmed that Hamad Ahmad Al-Khudari of Hamas’ military wing had been eliminated by targeted assassination. Adding that Al-Khudari was responsible for the transfer of funds from Iran to Hamas and Islamic Jihad in Gaza. But he’s small fry, now fish fillet.

Israel needs to take down their political leadership too. Ismail Haniyeh, and his ilk have GOT TO GO.

During the conflict, in desperation, MK Ofir Sofer (Union of Right-wing Parties) said, “The reactions that Israel has taken so far are only a kind of Tylenol; the State of Israel must preserve its initiative and not let Hamas dictate the pace. The Israeli response should be asymmetrical and disproportionate so that the terror organizations will feel the bitter taste well and over time. There’s no choice but to enter on the ground and initiate a long-term military action, and the sooner the better. The fighting in Gaza must be decided.”

I strongly disagree, its not yet time for a full ground liberation…

Israel has not yet exhausted by far, its superior air-power advantage. Why risk any more Israeli lives? Taking out terrorists, their leadership, and supporters, without concern for collateral damage, is the way to go. Continue the campaign of targeted killings, why stop after gaining the momentum?

Its time to take the gloves off, and really unleash the Israeli Air Force. Bring back the one-ton bombs. Its also time to introduce the modern equivalent of the Gatling gun, the M61 Vulcan, GAU-8/A Avenger, or The GAU-12/U Equalizer.

Its time to continue the targeted killings!

 

Ariel Natan Pasko, an independent analyst and consultant, has a Master's Degree specializing in International Relations, Political Economy & Policy Analysis. His articles appear regularly on numerous news/views and think-tank websites and in newspapers. His latest articles can also be read on his archive: The Think Tank by Ariel Natan Pasko.

(c) 2019/5779 Pasko

Israel, Start Targeted Killings Again!

I couldn’t say it any plainer, KILL the leaders of Hamas and Islamic Jihad in Gaza, NOW!

Start cutting off the heads of the snakes. Don’t worry if they grow new heads, cut them off too, if they grow back. Keep KILLING their leaders and operatives, until they’re frightened to death, and no one volunteers for the job anymore.

Targeted killings, assassinating the terrorist leadership in Gaza, worked well in the Sharon era. Take a look at my article, “Happy Yassin Day,” from that period, after Israel sent then Hamas leader Sheikh Ahmad Yassin and his wheel chair, to find his 72 year old virgin, down under. And he wasn’t the only one, we sent to early retirement, at the time.

Even Benny Gantz, from the losing Blue and White party, during the recent election campaign, threatened that the leaders of the Palestinian terror group should remember that Israel assassinated one of its most senior officials during the Gaza conflict of 2012, and was capable of doing the same again. “The heads of Hamas have forgotten what happened to Ahmed Jabari – their chief of staff. They will get a personal reminder if they continue targeting our population, as will all terrorists.”

And he lost the election; i.e. the Israeli public chose Netanyahu to lead, thinking he would be tougher and better able to maintain security and safety (one of the only purposes of government), for the Israeli public.

“The reality in the south, as we unfortunately saw today, where Israeli children spend their nights in bomb shelters, while the heads of Hamas celebrate must end now – and it will,” Gantz told a conference during the campaign.

Well nothing has changed, and that should still be Israel’s goal. Better that Hamas people learn by heart all their funeral prayers, than songs of joy. Islamic Jihad should load up on mourning meals instead of handing out sweets in the street, celebrating.

Let’s force King Solomon’s sage advice onto terror leaders in Gaza, “It’s better to go to a House of Mourning than to a Party...’ (Ecclesiastes 7:2).

And while they are mourning, giving speeches of support and encouragement, to carry out the next atrocity against Israeli civilians, and burying their dead; Israel should also bomb, strafe, and disperse those political rally terror supporting funerals, as I’ve called for since 2003. See my article, “The Call of the Israeli Apache.”

Since the latest round of Gazan rocket attacks on Israel started, so far, Israel has killed exactly one top leader. According to Gazan sources, Hamad Ahmad Al-Khudari of Hamas’ military wing has been eliminated, by the Israel Defense Forces attacking his vehicle. But he’s small fry, now fish fillet.

Israel needs to take down their political leadership too. Ismail Haniyeh, and his ilk have GOT TO GO.

In desperation, MK Ofir Sofer (Union of Right-wing Parties) has said, “The reactions that Israel has taken so far are only a kind of Tylenol; the State of Israel must preserve its initiative and not let Hamas dictate the pace. The Israeli response should be asymmetrical and disproportionate so that the terror organizations will feel the bitter taste well and over time. There’s no choice but to enter on the ground and initiate a long-term military action, and the sooner the better. The fighting in Gaza must be decided.”

I strongly disagree, its not yet time for a full ground liberation…

Israel has not yet exhausted by far, its air-power advantage. Taking out terrorists, their leadership, and supporters, without concern for collateral damage, is the way to go. Why risk any more Israeli lives?

Its time to really unleash the Israeli Air Force. Bring back the 500 pound bombs. And, maybe time to introduce the modern equivalent of the Gatling gun, the M61 Vulcan, GAU-8/A Avenger, or The GAU-12/U Equalizer.

Its time to start targeted killings again!

Ariel Natan Pasko, an independent analyst and consultant, has a Master's Degree specializing in International Relations, Political Economy & Policy Analysis. His articles appear regularly on numerous news/views and think-tank websites and in newspapers. His latest articles can also be read on his archive: The Think Tank by Ariel Natan Pasko.

(c) 2019/5779 Pasko

 

On Kedushah, Kedoshim, and Kiddush HaShem

This week, we saw the intersection, of another murder spree at a synagogue in America, Holocaust Remembrance Day in Israel, and the weekly Parsha (Torah reading), Kedoshim. This intersectionality brings us the news of the day, the edge of the abyss, and a deep deep learning…

“...Kedoshim Tihiyu – You shall be holy, because Holy (Kadosh) am I, HaShem (literally The Name, i.e. the God of Israel – implying a relationship of mercy) Elokeinu, your God (implying a relationship of restriction),” (Leviticus 19:2).

But what is Kedushah, holiness, sanctity?

On the most fundamental level, it means separation as in “You shall be holy to Me, for I HaShem am holy; and have separated you from the nations to be Mine,” (Leviticus 20:26). Its a restriction, from things forbidden by the God of Israel, in the Torah. The medieval commentator Rashi explains it as, refraining specifically from forbidden sexual relations, such as homosexuality and bestiality (as described in the parsha, Leviticus 20:13, 15-16), and Aveirot – sins in general. The Ramban, another medieval commentator, goes further and says its not limited to any particular Mitzvot (commandments), rather its a mindset of moderation and self-restraint, self-restriction even in what’s permitted, going beyond the letter of the law, out of love for God, and that sanctifies a person.

Rav Avraham Yitzhak HaKohen Kook in his book, Orot HaKodesh (Lights of Holiness), refers to the Talmud, Sukkah 21b, that says, “the everyday conversation between Torah scholars needs learning.” He elucidates, that even when talking about the news of the day, their words are full of Kedushah, because they are concerned about how it effects Am Yisrael (the Jewish people), and Am Yisrael’s goal of bringing holiness to the world, in serving HaShem.

Rav Kook goes further, “Kedushah is a normal lifestyle, just on a higher plane of existence.” He continues, Kedushah, doesn’t mean separating yourself from daily life, but rather uplifting those seemingly mundane activities, and infusing them with deeper spiritual meaning, with the intention of doing good for Am Yisrael. Thus, fulfilling Am Yisrael’s mission, to live as a Torah nation, bringing ethics, morality, and a true understanding of divinity to humankind, through serving God in this world.

Rav Kook then explains, Kedushah is an internal developmental progression, from the individual ego concern, to grow to include, encompass and be part of the Klal (Am Yisrael). The intention of someone infused with Kedushah, is that every thought and action, be for the welfare and benefit, of the whole nation of Israel.

And what are Kedoshim?

“There are Kedoshim, holy individuals, who have sanctified themselves,” Rav Kook continues, “who have connected themselves to the Holy One, Blessed Be He (God), on the one hand, and to all of creation, all of mankind on the other. Through their holy visions, their holy perceptions, they actually go out and do things for the benefit of Am Yisrael, and for the good of mankind. They are the ones who bring blessing, pleasantness, feelings of peace and friendship from the source of all wisdom (God), to the world.”

Rav Kook then says, “These masters of this lofty Kedushah, negate their own personal life, and live a life that transcends and includes everything…the holiness of this person, the definition of this Kedushah, is not that he separates himself and is ascetic [like on a mountain top], because he lives with everybody’s heart. Someone like this, who restricts himself to his own Torah learning and prayer, his own service of God, will suffer, because his Soul which is filled with the entire creation, is being squeezed, like with a pliers.” This type of Kadosh, holy individual, wants to be a giver and not a taker, he sanctifies God’s name through his elevated character and behavior.

But there’s another meaning of Kedoshim...

Those who have been killed for being Jewish, like in the recent synagogue attacks in Pittsburgh and Poway, California, or during the Holocaust. And also, those killed defending the Jewish people, like IDF soldiers in Israel, Jews killed settling the land of Israel (a Mitzvah) in terror attacks, or defending the Jewish people’s way of life, the Torah and Mitzvot.

We call these people Kedoshim, holy ones, who died “Al Kiddush HaShem” (to sanctify God’s Name). There are Kedoshim (individual Jews) who live lives of holiness, and those who even if they hadn’t, died in holiness.

But whereas for an individual Jew, its a Kiddush HaShem dying for God, Torah, the people and land of Israel, the inverse concept is true on the national level. Every attack on Jews, pogrom and holocaust, and war made against Israel, is a Chillul HaShem (as if, an emptying of God’s Name, His presence in the world). From the perspective of the nations, its as if, the God of Israel isn’t strong enough to protect His people. Like the way Nazis abused and killed Jews, laughed, and asked, “Where’s your God, if he’s so powerful, why isn’t he helping you now?”

So too, as it says in Ezekiel 36:20-21, “When they came to the nations, wherever they went, they profaned My Holy Name, for it was said of them, ‘These are the Lord’s people, and yet they have gone out of His land.’ But I had concern for My Holy Name, which the house of Israel profaned among the nations (Chillul HaShem), where they had gone.” It seemed to the nations, as if the God of Israel wasn’t strong enough to keep them in His land.

“Therefore say to the house of Israel, Thus says the Lord God: I do not do this for your sake, O house of Israel, but for My Holy Name’s sake, which you have profaned among the nations wherever you went. I will sanctify My Great Name, which has been profaned among the nations, which you have profaned in their midst; and the nations shall know that I am HaShem, says the Lord God, “when I am sanctified through you (Kiddush HaShem), before their eyes. For I will take you from among the nations, gather you out of all countries, and bring you back into your own land,” (Ezekiel 36:22-24).

Proving finally to the nations, that the God of Israel exists.

Anger, hatred, vengence, killing and bloodshed, are generally looked down upon, even forbidden in Judaism, and not the purview of elevated character for an individual, as in Leviticus 19:18, “You shall not take revenge...” Yet again, we see the inverse concept, on the national level, for the sake of Am Yisrael.

The Book of Numbers (31:1-3), describes the battle against Midian, after what they did to the Jewish people, “HaShem spoke to Moshe saying: Take vengeance on the Midianites for the Children of Israel. After that, you will be gathered to your people [you will die]. So Moses said to the people: Arm some of your men to go to war against the Midianites so that they may carry out the Lord’s vengeance on them.”

The rabbis of the midrash (Tanchuma Matot 3) ask: HaShem say’s ‘the Children of Israel’s vengence,’ and yet Moshe tells the Israelites, ‘HaShem’s Vengence?’ They explain that Moshe, then said to God: “if we were uncircumcised idol worshippers, they wouldn’t hate us, but because you gave us Your Torah they hate us,” and the rabbis conclude by teaching, the vengence of Am Yisrael, to eliminate a Chillul HaShem, is God’s Vengence, and a Kiddush HaShem.

Moshe could have stalled for time, to live longer, but filled with Kedushah, he lusted to see vengence carried out on the Midianites (Kiddush HaShem), and rushed to carry out HaShem’s command.

So while those individual Jews killed in hate crimes, terror attacks, and the Holocaust, died Al Kiddush HaShem; for the nation of Israel as a nation, its a Chillul HaShem, and needs to be avenged. To avenge the Jewish people’s honor, is to avenge God’s Honor in this world. To see the punishment of the wicked, brings Kiddush HaShem into the world. Then and only then, do the nations really know there is a God of Israel!

Ariel Natan Pasko, an independent analyst and consultant, has a Master's Degree specializing in International Relations, Political Economy & Policy Analysis. His articles appear regularly on numerous news/views and think-tank websites and in newspapers. His latest articles can also be read on his archive: The Think Tank by Ariel Natan Pasko.
(c) 2019/5779 Pasko