But There Is a G-d in Israel

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btions whither you came. And I will sanctify My great name that bwas desecrated amongst the nations . . . and the nations shall know bthat I am the L -rd when I shall be sanctified through you before their eyes. bAnd I shall take you from among the nations and gather you out bof all the countries and I will bring you into your own land” b(Ezekiel 36:22-24).

bThe State of Israel is not a “political” creation. It is a re- bligious one. No power could have prevented its birth and none can bdestroy it. It is the beginning of G-d’s wrath, vengeance against bthe nations who ignored, disdained, and humiliated Him, who bfound Him irrelevant, who “knew Him not.” But it is only the bbeginning. How the final redemption will come, and when, de- bpends on the Jew.

b“The exiles shall be ingathered only through faith” b(Mechilta, Exodus). Faith! If we have it, if we truly believe in bthe existence of the Creator and Guider of history, the G-d of bIsrael, we can bring the final redemption today. “When will the bMessiah come? Today, as it is said: ‘Today, if you will hearken bunto my voice’” (Psalms 95:7, Sanhedrin 98a).

bBut that faith is not a cheap thing, not mere words and lip bservice. It must be proved, tested in the fiery furnace of willing- bness to sacrifice. The readiness of the Jew to sacrifice and en- bdanger himself in order to erase the worst of all sins—the dese- bcration of G-d’s name—is the true test.

bThe Arabs of Israel represent Hillul Hashem in its starkest bform. Their rejection of Jewish sovereignty over the Land of Is- brael despite the covenant between the L-rd of Israel and the Jews bconstitutes a rejection of the sovereignty and kingship of the bL-rd G-d of Israel. Their transfer from the Land of Israel thus bbecomes more than a political issue. It is a religious issue, a religious bobligation, a commandment to erase Hillul Hashem. Far from fearing bwhat the Gentile will do if we do such a thing, let the Jew trem- bble as he considers the anger of the Almighty if we do not.

bTragedy will be ours if we do not move the Arabs out. The bgreat redemption can come immediately and magnificently if we bdo that which G-d demands. One of the great yardsticks of real bJewish faith in this time of momentous decision is our willing- bness to reject fear of man in favor of awe of G-d and remove the bArabs from Israel.

bThe world? The nations—united or otherwise? What do b