Author: Ari Shvat

We Jews are very accustomed to Talmudic-type analysis which is sometimes problematic in delving deeper than necessary! Our enemies are very clear and we have no reason not to listen and believe them regarding their own stance.

1. They don’t differentiate between Jews, and see us all as colonial “settlers”. They don’t care if some Israelis may be interested in a 2-state-solution or will “make-do” with Tel Aviv, or that most of their Gaza-enveloping casualties were actually peace-loving neighbors, for the enemy will only accept 1 state “from the river to the sea”. All Israelis are similar brothers in the eyes of the enemy, and we should continue behaving as such after the war, as well.

2. Living-room photos of Al-Kuds and soldiers’ testimony from the abandoned homes and shell-loaded baby cribs in Gaza, show that their war is a religious Jihad about Jerusalem, and accordingly, there is no solution to their religious war. There are almost no “innocent civilians” in Gaza who didn’t vote Hamas into power. We can’t change their religion, and they have even less chance of changing our’s! All we can and must do is deter them from any fantasy of success. No, we will not forego Jerusalem and will not return to the 7th -step outside of the Ma’arat HaMachpela.

3. Rav Kook pointed out that the Torah’s punishment for the thief is a stiff monetary fine, for he doesn’t care about risking physical pain and danger. But if he sees that regarding his real motive- money, he not only doesn’t gain but actually loses money, he’ll realize it’s simply counter-productive! If the answer to Bethlehem’s terrorists killing Jews stalled in a traffic-jam by Ma’aleh Adumim is davka to build more “settlements” in both Gush Etzion and Ma’aleh Adumim, not only do we the Jews (!) gain from it, but after several times, they’ll eventually understand that “terror doesn’t pay”! The converse American and UN approach of offering the Palestinian a unilateral state and free UNWRA support is the exact opposite of logic: even a 5 year-old understands that giving a prize to terror will bring more terror.

4. We have a totally different mindset than our enemies, who see killing, raping and beheading innocent civilians as something to celebrate and brag about. Wishful thinking and projecting our mindset as if the Hamas can see things our way, is a childish reaction of ignoring reality. When the eternal Tanach teaches us to stand up to our enemies and defend the Jewish Nation and Land from sadistic opponents, it’s not just a historic and all-knowing G-d’s obligation, but it’s a good and eternal idea, religiously, nationally, militarily and politically.

In short, even after 4 long months and many painful losses of our greatest boys, let’s not forget who and what we are fighting for, and the necessity of both soundly trouncing our enemies and freeing our hostages!

It is unpleasant to say, but it must be said: the aggressive campaign to free our beloved hostages “at any price” is unnecessary, nationally harmful and ideologically very problematic. Unnecessary, for there is no Jew in the world who doesn’t want to see our 136 brothers back home. The mitzvot of redeeming prisoners has been deep in our Jewish consciousness since Avraham Avinu went into battle to rescue his kidnapped nephew, through 2,000 years of bloody kidnappings in exile, to Entebbe on the one hand and the exaggerated Gilad Shalit deal, on the other. Davka because we love each and every individual, we must be told explicitly in the Shulchan Aruch (YD 281) not to redeem Jews “more than their worth” (generally, about 1 of theirs for 1 of ours), and the great Maharam M’Rottenberg himself died in prison, for he didn’t allow the Jews to pay the exorbitant ransom the gentiles demanded for their rabbi. It’s immoral for Am Yisrael to educate the enemies to know our weak spot, for they will continue kidnapping time and again!

Check it out: in all of human history there is probably no other nation in the world that released 1,000 (!) evil convicted terrorists and murderers (!) in exchange for one soldier, in order to enable them to murder and kidnap again. Just like we feel sorry for the kidnapped, we are not childish (“just here and now”) and realize that we must feel sorry for the soldiers and the future kidnapped which will multiply. Davka because we value each individual, we must pressure the enemy into giving in.

The campaign is harmful because it doubles and triples the bargaining power of Hamas. Tachlis, Sinwar ym”sh has nothing left. The Gaza Strip today is the worst and most miserable place on the face of the globe. BH the terrorists are walloped by our heroic fighters in every single clash between them, and the military capabilities of Hamas are no comparison for the IDF. Their time is running out, and the only thing that remains for the devil in Gaza – are the kidnapped. He has no choice but to compromise, and not “demand” 150 evil terrorists for each 1 innocent kidnapped, not “demand” that we leave Gaza to enable him to reconstruct his tunnels and murderous network, and surely not to “demand” a Palestinian State! Would the allies have retreated and let the Nazis go if they would have offered freeing the POW’s? No, nations do not get down on their knees before the evil and soundly defeated (!) enemy!

How stupid can we be to turn Sinwar’s one and only card into a winning joker, with which he will bring the State of Israel to our knees and return us all to the pre-war situation and worse, enabling them to attack us again.

“And if someone from your family was kidnapped in Gaza, would you also talk like that?” I don’t know and it’s irrelevant. Because this is exactly where we get to the ideological issue. Chazal say “that a man can’t be judged in his time of sorrow” (Bava Batra 16b). We have no complaints against family members who are willing to pay any price to get their loved one back. For them, if Sinwar demands all of Israel’s nuclear weapons arsenal – let’s give it to him immediately, the main thing is that the kidnapped daughter returns home.

BUT, as a nation, we must not get confused between the return of the abducted, which is an important value that concerns the lives of INDIVIDUALS, and what is critical for KLAL Yisrael and for the continued existence and FUTURE of the State of Israel and the Jewish Nation. A small country surrounded by bloodthirsty enemies has no other option but to crushingly defeat our sadistic enemies. This is the bloody rule in the Middle East: Either you crush the ones who decapitate and rape you, or you will become the next meal for them and the other neighbors. We don’t really have a choice. Hezbollah, Iran and even Egypt and the rest of the Arab countries, are closely following what is happening here. Any future peace agreement with Saudi Arabia et al, depends if we are seen in the Middle east as formidable, or weak. If we capitulate too much to Sinwar, the implications will be nationally tragic. 200,000 evacuees in the north and in the south, who have already forgotten what their home looks like, will not be able to return home safely. Ever. The “security zone” has moved from outside our borders to inside our borders! And as the Chazon Ish answered: from wherever we retreat, the border will constantly and continuously move with us.

It will turn out that the 223 martyrs and all those who lost their legs in the IDF, the heroic lions, were actually deceived into thinking that they were giving up their souls in order to defeat Hamas. In the end, they were “used” for just another round. This could have terrible repercussions regarding army morale. The 360,000 reservists who left home and family and business because they were told that they were coming to avenge the blood of our 1,145 brothers who were slaughtered and raped and to eradicate the Nazi evil and insure “Never Again”, were simply cheated “big time”? And worst of all – the countdown will begin towards the next Oct. 7th, which is just around the corner, in the north, east and eventually again in the south and west.

So true, maybe we brought home 136 people, BUT we can’t endanger shedding the blood of 7 million. Yes, Chazal promised that there won’t be another exile, but we can’t rely on miracles. So what can we do, you ask?

A. Hug the kidnapped family members with all your might, but stop the suicidal media obsession of constantly giving them microphones.

B. Re-shift gears and finish what we started! Military pressure is what will eventually free the hostages (Hamas davka wants to keep them alive!), and at a much lower price and a much quieter future.

Even in exile when we were often hiding like mice, we never capitulated so much to our kidnappers! How much more so when they are the ones hiding like mice. We are no longer in galut, in Bialystok or Iraq. We must get into the mindset of deciding national decisions as Am Yisrael with the G-d of Israel behind us. Churchill and Roosevelt didn’t give in to the falling Nazis, and we today are also a nation which must stand on our national respect.

Without blinking. Without getting confused. Until the Hamas surrenders or considerably lowers their “demands”!

Chatam Sofer ii, Y.D. 333) and our revered brother (Bava Batra 10b). Nevertheless, today I want to relate to a new, unique and historic phenomenon arising from our present war with Hamas which is worth noting: the disproportionately high number of dati-le’umi, religious-Zionist officers and soldiers among the fallen. Just as in the wars of Israel during her first 30 years, where the percentage of Kibbutzniks in the military cemeteries went far beyond their 3% of the population, today the ideological altruistic arrow-head of the State of Israel has historically shifted to our community. See the rippling effect their awe-inspiring “farewell letters” and the eulogies and interviews of their wives, parents and rabbanim are having on the nation. It’s not that Hashem has davka taken more of the products of the Kosher Kitchens, but that they have altruistically offered themselves to lead the charge to defend Am Yisrael, Eretz Yisrael and the honor of Hashem Elohei Yisrael and His sons (and especially His daughters!)

This is not only a well-deserved compliment to the idealistic families, educational system and youth movements who raised these soldiers to lead the charge (and inevitably exposes the benefits of such chinuch to those who are raising children), but it also brings with it new and far-reaching responsibilities!

In the nascent Zionist movement, not only the military leadership but more important, the national and political leadership inevitably was voluntarily given over to those few but most idealistic Halutz pioneers. It’s hard to argue with the committed actions of David Ben-Gurion, Yigal Allon et al, who spent their weekends in simple huts on their kibbutzim, and used their rare spare time sheering sheep and working the Land of Israel, when it’s common knowledge that also their politics are based upon ideals and the national welfare, rather than motives of personal power and ego. Today the same respect is rightfully shown by the Israeli masses (just obviously not the press…) towards the similar selfless actions of our dati-le’umi boys.

The fiasco of the pre-Simchat-Torah mis-“conception” begs for a (gradual) revamping of our national and higher military/intelligence leadership after the war, removing (after the proper thanks) those who knew of the imminent danger of the Hamas tunnels and rocket-power, but egoistically preferred to defer our necessary military ground attack into Gaza, so that their “term” in power should be relatively quiet. A true national leadership doesn’t childishly and cowardly put their head in the sand pretending “yihiyeh b’seder”, but rather maturely and bravely does what the nation needs, regardless of its short-term electoral popularity.

Both right and left-wing have left their comfortable families and jobs, to altruistically fight together already for almost 4 months (!) against our common enemies, but we need to similarly offer them an alternative unifying national leadership after the war as well, where the religious and the Zionists will continue to be bridged by the religious-Zionists. Not for any budget or political power, but through the many common ideological denominators which clearly do unite all Am Yisrael, and which should continue to do so b’Shalom as well! Rav Ari Shvat (Chwat) ולה’ הישועה!🇮🇱

Rav Kook’s holistic and complex thought praises modern technology and culture in many places, but he warns here in Orot HaMilchama, that modern warfare shows that without a strong base in Torah and the G-dly Morality and a Jewish State of Israel as a modern Light for the Nations, mankind can and will misuse these G-dly gifts in a destructive way that the world will greatly regret. The class relates to the spiritual “upgrade” referred to in Rav Kook and as seen in Israel following the 6 Day War, the Yom Kippur War, and presently the war after the Hamas Simchat Torah attack, where the religious-Zionists are beginning to lead the way back to nationalism, Tanach and the original and appealing Torat Eretz Yisrael, the effective way to keep the unity and consensus in Israel even after the war. Here’s the link to the recording of Rav Ari Shvat’s class on Orot HaMilchama part x, ch. 8 as described above : https://www.yutorah.org/lectures/1086795

Q. Shouldn’t Israel just ignor the farce anti-Semitic circus in Hague which comically accuses us (!) of genocide against the innocent Hamas? Answer: It’s true that Chazal say that “It’s halacha: Esav hates Ya’akov” (Sifre Bamidbar, 69), inferring that it’s a waste of time to look for logic or solutions regarding anti-Semitism. The Netziv explains there that Chazal mean to say, it’s a tradition, inferring that it’s passed down, like we pass down our traditions even if we don’t always understand them, lehavdil, so too they do the same. R. Moshe Feinstein adds that Chazal are warning us, even when some nations seem friendly, Jews should never “let down our guard” and not be naïve (Ch.Mish. ii, 77). But these approaches don’t contradict R. Y.E. Henkin, one of R. Moshe’s colleagues among rabbinic leaders of their time (Tshuvot Ibra, 116), who points out that Esav actually did (!) change his approach to Ya’akov, and we shouldn’t dismiss the possibility to see the same in future history

Rav Kook, as we mentioned in the past, writes that inevitably mankind will eventually mature and “grow out” of anti-Semitism (Orot Yisrael 5, 15). I think the Hague conference is ironically an opportunity to hasten this process. Perhaps Hashem is sending us this ironic situation which is just so blatantly absurd and unbelievable, that we should at least consider why He’s sending us this weird opportunity, which is probably meant for us to utilize for the sake of Israel!

If in the past, the world was divided between pro-Israel and anti-Israel, it is now divided between the objectively humane and the anti-Semitic; the good against the bad; the truly progressive and open-minded against those who pretend to be so- as long as the issue doesn’t involve Israel- where they will even side with sadistic terrorists and rapists against democracy and women’s rights.

Many leaders of the free world who were sometimes confused, suddenly have a clarity and are now siding with Israel, even visiting us out of solidarity. It’s a golden opportunity to unmask the anti-Semites and prove that nothing in the world will ever convince them to side with us, and contrarily, all objective people will see these crackpots for what they really are. Even if some may think that our reaction is “disproportionate” (which may have some logic, if our goal were just to punish and deter our enemies on all sides, but they forget that the no less important goal is to free 136 (!) hostages who are still there, and distance Hamas from our border to insure “never again”), they agree in principle that we are correct in fighting evil and justified in defending ourselves. Perhaps they will even learn from us that Islamic terror should not be tolerated, but combatted.

In addition, today the Jewish opinion of many young and naïve students who keep hearing the other side, is at risk, so we must speak up. It’s also an opportunity for national unity, where former Justice Aharon Barak, probably the most serious spokesman for the extreme Israeli left, and a Holocaust survivor, is in a position where he can unite Israeli consensus.

Just like Herzl and Zionism, once Israel has already agreed to attend Hague, we should also take this opportunity to try and hasten the Tikun Olam, helping the objective “see the light”, and see the absurdity of anti-Semitism, in our lifetime! Why should we just suffer it when we can actively hopefully help solve the problem, at least for a certain percentage of the world, and most importantly: for our naïve and impressionable young Jewish brothers and sisters abroad. Shabbat Shalom! Rav Ari

Rav Kook’s Orot HaMilchama (part viii)-ch. 6 with Rav Ari Shvat. As all extreme situations, war reveals the essence and personality of the individual and the nation. Similarly Am Yisrael was dispersed in all of the countries of the historical super-powers, and includes, unites and is meant to harmonize all of the aspects of all nations and movements. In this classic paragraph, Rav Kook discusses the need for Israel as an eternal nation. serving as a “control group” for comparison, and eventually, the gathering of the exiles and the “sparks”, showing how all the various world cultures are meant to work together in Knesset Yisrael. History has shown that all ideological movements are represented in Am Yisrael and our Torah. Here’s the link: https://www.yutorah.org/lectures/1085465

Question: What is the Torah’s approach to the killing of thousands of Hamas terrorists and especially their leaders who are being killed by Tzahal and the Mossad? Are we any different than the Azzans who distribute candy after terrorist attacks? I davka remember learning that Hashem told the angels not to sing when the Egyptians drowned in the sea! Answer: Any semi-intelligent person knows to differentiate between celebrating the joyful killing of innocent women and babies in their beds, and retaliating to punish and deter those vicious murderers. It’s true, King Shlomo said “Do not rejoice when your enemy falls” (Mishlei 24), but a few chapters before that he already stated: “There’s happiness when the wicked are vanished”! (ibid, 11). The Gemara itself asks about this apparent contradiction (Megillah 16a), and answers through the differentiation: to be sad over the fall of a fellow Jew with whom you are in an argument (that you are not allowed to rejoice), but regarding wicked gentiles who hate and kill Jews, we are not only allowed, but should even be happy when they fall. As Shlomo’s father David HaMelech wrote (Tehilim 58) “Let the righteous rejoice, for he has seen the vengeance of his people…”. In general, anyone who has learned in yeshiva or midrasha knows that it’s always important to see quotes “inside”, in their context, including the source that you quoted. Chazal specify that Hashem said to the angels (not to the Jews!), not to sing at the Red Sea, because they were not parties to the suffering- they weren’t the ones being persecuted and killed by the Egyptians (Megilla 10b). But we who were persecuted by the evil Pharaoh and his army, of course need to thank G-d for the victory. We say every morning the prayer of “Az yashir Moshe u’vnei Yisrael…”, and Chizkiyahu was even punished for not singing to Hashem after his victory over Ashur (Sanhedrin 94a). If my brother is killed and daughter raped by someone, Hashem created us that it’s totally normal and even healthy to feel hatred towards such Hitlers and terrorists. Ahavat Yisrael includes not only feeling love for my brothers, but getting angry and when necessary, fighting and taking vengeance to come to their rescue and subsequently, celebrate victory (that’s many of our holidays!). Of course, we would prefer for our enemies to repent and also love Israel (or at least stop killing and raping us), but in the meantime, let’s not be naïve. As Shlomo himself wrote, “There’s a time for war, and a time for peace (Kohelet 3, 8), and let’s not be childish in confusing the two. Rav Kook writes (Chazon HaTzimchonut, 19) that idealism must be sincere and not a “bluff”. Be honest, and don’t pretend to fool yourself or others, that you’re on an unrealistic level of spirituality and morality, when you don’t really feel it. Similarly he writes that morality is an extremely central ideal, but there are others, as well. For example, justice, truth and love of Israel are also G-dly traits that we are meant to emulate in our “imitateo Dei”, as well. In fact, Rav Kook adds that one who pretends to love foreigners (and how much more so, enemies!) with a similar love and loyalty which he has for his brothers, sons and daughters is apparently showing that doesn’t really know what love is (Orot Yisrael 8, 5)!

Yes, Christians believe in “resist not evil” and “turning the other cheek” to let one’s enemy slap him there, as well, but Judaism clearly disagrees, believing it’s immoral not to fight and deter the immoral. The war against wars is what bezH will eventually bring peace, and is actually super-moral. In short, it’s natural, healthy, G-dly, a great mitzvah and occasion to thank Hashem when we succeed in killing those satanic evil who joyfully killed and raped us, just as we do in Pesach, Purim, Chanukah, Yom Yerushalayim, etc., and that’s part of Ahavat Yisrael. As a matter of fact, part of our mistake and misconception which enabled the Hamas attack on Simchat Torah, was that we didn’t realize their level of evil. Not being naive can prevent future tragedies. With Love of Israel, Ari Shvat (Chwat)

Rav Kook on Orot HaMilchama (part vii)- link to the recording: Description: Rav Kook takes the nations to task for preaching morality, but then “losing it” as soon as it comes to war. He connects this with the unrealistic Christian teaching “to turn the other cheek” and “resist not evil”, as opposed to the more realistic Torah approach which gradually raises Israel to a level that even our army is moral. The idea is to harmonize all of the forces of life, rather than conquer them. One who gets into the mindset of “conquering” himself, will probably be unhappy in his constant struggles, and may eventually becoming a “Conquerer”, which isn’t such a compliment. Here’s the link to the recording. Hope you enjoy!

https://www.yutorah.org/lectures/1084860

‪שנשמע בשורות טובות ישועות ונחמות!Rav Ari Shvat

e East? Answer: The Tanach, Chazal, history and logic show that it’s unwise and immoral to give in to a violent person, nation or religion, but rather, defend one’s self when attacked, and whenever possible, pre-empt and prevent the attack before it’s staged (הבא להרגך השכם להרגו”, Sanhedrin 72a). It’s beneficial to the victim, to society and adds the Rambam, also to the evil person himself (Moreh Nevuchim 3, 35)! Evil people don’t have many friends, happy marriages, or good relationships with their children, or at all. In addition, decisions should be based upon truth and justice: who has the rights to the Land of Israel? Most of the world accepts the Tanach which explicitly and continuously promises Israel to the Nation of Israel. So even says the Quoran itself (7, 137: “הענקנו בירושה לעם שחשב עצמו כחלש את הארץ אשר ברכנו אותה, את מזרחה ואת מערבה, באופן שאלוהים מילא בצורה מושלמת את דברו הטוב על בני ישראל, עקב האריכם רוחם”.”) Historically and politically, whether one decides who owns the land by who was here first (the Jews were in Israel 2,000 years before Islam even began!), or if you decide by the current modern situation, either way, the rights to Israel belongs to the Jews. What logic is there to davka only look at that temporary middle period when the Jews were forcibly exiled from our land before 1948?! Since Yehoshua 3300 years ago, there have always been Jews in Israel, and even though there were also some Arabs over the last 1400 years, they never had a state here, and were living, like the Jews, just as individuals and tribes, as opposed to Israel who had a 1st, a 2nd and now the 3rd Commonwealth and independent state. Regarding the solution, the original and best plan, for both Arabs and Jews, was that of Montefiore, Baron Rothschild and the Jewish National Fund (JNF), to buy the land, “acre after acre, dunam by dunam”, and that way we fulfill the covenant of G-d with Avraham, Yitzchak and Yaacov, to inherit the Land of Israel in a peaceful way, where both sides benefit. What ruined the plan was when the Arabs in the early 1920’s issued a “death penalty” on any Arab selling land to Jews. This racist and immoral vigilante “penalty” stands to this very day (wonder, why are the UN and Harvard so quiet on this issue?), so that even though most Arabs would be more than happy to be instant millionaires (the price is exorbitant because the Israelis really want to buy it at any price), move to a quieter country and solve the Middle East problems, they can’t allow themselves to do so, because of those Islamic fanatics, who would kill their own brothers. There are thousands of acres left empty because they are too close to Jewish lands and pose a security risk for that aforementioned terror towards Jews, but the unfortunate Arabs can’t sell us the land, for fear of their own brothers’ fanaticism

Just as Islamic terror is a world-wide problem even in the Arab countries, so it is in Israel as well, and only a Jew-hater would stubbornly differentiate and here, they blame the democratic peace-loving victim, rather than the fanatic Muslim aggressors. The maps have changed several times over the last 75 years, because the Arabs tried several times to belligerently push Israel into the sea, and our only “sin” is that we successfully defend ourselves with the abundant help of the G-d of Israel. I think that anyone objective, who believes in freedom and democracy and opposes terrorism and racism, realizes, especially after the recent Hamas attack, who is the problematic party in the Middle East and is the obstacle to peace, as opposed to who is the victim, and what is the mutually beneficial solution. BTW, if your friend doesn’t understand this, don’t waste any more time on him for you don’t stand “an ice-cube’s chance in hell” of changing his anti-Semitic leaning, unless he’s Jewish, where eventually there’s a good chance that logic may register, even if he’s been brain-washed by the non-objective anti-Semitic press. With Love of Israel, Rav Ari Shvat (Chwat)

ah and ever since, but it’s time to especially praise the soldiers’ wives! My 2 daughters and daughter-in-law are doing unbelievably in handling their 5-4- and 3 children respectively already for more than 2 entire months (!) on their own. Of course grandparents, Sherut Le’umi girls, neighbors, volunteers and Bnei Akiva madrichim/ot help out, but they come and go, and leave the Ima’s with the real burden (especially when there’s no school and every morning, evening and bed-time!). Even if the soldier may come home for a day or two, they’re usually dead tired and dying for some normal quiet sleep and food. We’ve heard 2 recently widowed young women who now remain alone with 6 children each, who even after hearing of their tragic situation, continue supporting their husbands who didn’t utilize the army’s exemption and went to fight for what is right and for Am Yisrael. Hashem- what awesome and strong daughters You have raised!

Chazal tell us (Yalkut Shimoni Ruth 604) that if Reuven knew that the Torah would report his actions for eternity, he would have lifted Yosef out of the pit and carried him on his shoulder by foot all the way home to Ya’akov! If Boaz would have known that the Tanach would detail the grain which he gave to Ruth, he would have given her steak!! They then add, that in the olden days, when one did a great mitzvah, a prophet wrote it in Tanach forever, but they ask, today, who writes down our mitzvot? They answer there: Hashem, Eliahu and Mashiach write down those who make history. Today our dedicated wives and daughters, not only our soldiers, are the ones writing the next and most glorious chapter of Jewish history. Yes, this Simchat Torah War is potentially a “game-changer” in history regarding many different issues (e.g. regarding achdut between dati-chiloni + right-left ideologies; clarifying that today’s smart-phone generation is just as brave and idealistic in combat as their predecessors; regarding Israeli security and deterrence all over; regarding the Haredi participation and appreciation of the army; regarding Jews in chu”l facing many surprising eye-openers concerning their continued status and comfort there, and much more that still awaits to be seen!

Like a marriage, Am Yisrael is a partnership, where everyone chips-in whatever they can for whatever needs to be done in order for our families, Am Yisrael, and all mankind to benefit from the advance of our historic period in the Geula process. But let’s remember to sing the praises, especially tonight before Kiddush, of the “un-sung” heroes: all of our Aishet-Chayil’s! Shabbat Shalom, Rav Ari Shvat and Rav Lior Engleman)