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BESHALACH 5785
The Torah Solution For Gaza
What a week this has been. On Tuesday, President Donald Trump, sitting alongside Prime Benjamin Netanyahu, created a geopolitical earthquake. At 1st Trump said the obvious: Right now, Gaza is a demolition site. Virtually every building is down. They’re living on their fallen concrete that’s very dangerous. Then he stunned the world by calling for the resettlement of the Palestinians of Gaza to other Arab countries. America would take ownership of Gaza, flatten it, remove the unexploded bombs and other dangers, and create a “Riviera of the Middle East.” Wow!
Trump was sending a clear message that we will no longer allow history to repeat itself. Gazans have proven decade after decade that the billions of dollars received in aid were used for weapons and terror tunnels, jihadist training and terrorism. This will no longer be an option.
Israeli social media then buzzed with memes. There was a map of the Gaza Strip renamed “the Magaza Strip.” There were images of “Gaz-a-Lago” and Passover programs at “Trump Towers Gaza Strip.” One Israeli/American quipped on Facebook: “Ooh, can we bring Target? And Starbucks and Sephora?” To which another replied, “Let’s dream big: Nordstrom!” Putting aside the humor, it’s all very serious.
In a shiur (lecture) this week, I heard Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe—who is so non-political—propose what he called “a Biblical solution to the Arab Israeli conflict.” He mentioned that he had originally taught this lesson many years ago and then dismissed it as “a too radical solution to the problem of the Palestinians in Gaza.” He put it aside till last Tuesday when he heard Donald Trump propose almost the same plan. The Palestinian/Israeli problem has been around since all of us have been alive. Whatever has been tried has failed. And both Jews and Arabs have suffered greatly.
What is this Biblical solution? The Torah describes Abraham’s 1st son, Ishmail (Gen. 16:12) as: V’hu yiheyeh pereh adam (He will be a wild man—his hand against everyone). He was so wild that he posed a mortal threat to his half-brother Isaac—and according to some—tried to kill him. Isaac’s mother Sarah insisted that Abraham send Ishmael and his mother Hagar away. Abraham didn’t want to do it. After all, Ishmael was his 1st born. He loved him. Besides, Abraham had an open home, welcoming everyone—even Idol worshippers and criminals. How could he send away his own son? But Gd told Abraham to listen to Sarah and he sent them away.
We have a Torah principle of prophecy: Maasey avot siman l’banim (The deeds of our forefathers are a sign—harbingers, instructive—for what will happen to their children). The classic example is Abraham going down to Egypt because of a famine. There Sarah is abducted, and eventually they leave with wealth. Many years later, Abraham’s grandson Jacob goes to Egypt with his family because of a famine. They are later abducted and enslaved. Eventually they leave with great wealth. “The deeds of our forefathers are a sign for what will happen to their children.”
Today—thousands of years later—we see the descendants of Ishmail—Palestinian Arabs—again trying to kill the descendants of Isaac—Israeli Jews—literally every day with terror attacks like knife stabbings, with guns, car ramming, bombs on busses and pizza shops.
All the solutions of the past 80 years are just repeating different versions of the same thing. What did we learn? Nothing works! But, if sending away the Palestinians like Abraham sent away Ishmael makes you feel queasy and uncomfortable, then you’re in good company because Abraham felt the same way and didn’t want to do it!
Some will say, “How can one send away innocent civilians? It’s not their fault; they’re not terrorists?” Well, Ishmael’s mother Hagar was innocent. She wasn’t a threat to anyone, yet she was also sent away. The Torah solution is to send Ishmael’s descendants away till their behavior is no longer a threat—even if innocents have to go along. By the way, all polls show that almost all Gazans are pro-Hamas—even now after Gaza has been destroyed!
Surprisingly, the Torah’s insight here is that this solution is actually beneficial for Ishmael. In the epilog to the story, after Ishmael spent time away, he later came back when he was no longer a threat. He accepted Isaac and was welcomed.
The people of Gaza must be sent away. It’s impossible to live there now. But they must never be sent to the squalor of the refugee camps established after the War of Independence in 1948—camps where they are forced to live! No, we must establish beautiful housing in beautiful neighborhoods so they can live with dignity. If after the 10 to 15 years it will take to rebuilt Gaza they want to move back, they should be free to do so. Then the moving away will have been beneficial for them.
I know some of you have strong feelings about Donald Trump. Netanyahu said Tuesday: There has never been a better friend in the White House than President Trump. No matter what you think of him, it’s very hard to argue with that. A lot of people think of Trump as this pompous, flamboyant, perhaps buffoonish real estate guy. That may be true. However, he’s now the president of the United States, and the 1st international leader he invites to Washington is the Jewish prime minister of Israel! It’s unbelievable—something we should appreciate.
In the 19 days since he became president again, he released the munitions that were held up by the previous administration needed to let Israel defend itself. He created a task force to fight antisemitism on campus. For Hamas supporters here on student visas he says, “We’re deporting them!” Iran? Maximum pressure campaign and definitively no nukes! He’s even discussing expanding Israel with the annexation of Judea and Samaria. I’m not so sure about that one. However, we’ve never seen anything like this, and—whether you agree or disagree—you must admit that it’s remarkable.
Disclaimer, of course it’s all in the hands of Gd. We don’t know how much of these plans will be implemented. After all, the Talmud (Avot 2:3) warns us: “Don’t trust politicians.” But what I would be too chicken to suggest without all sorts of disclaimers, the president of the United States said out loud to the whole world: “Clean out this hornet’s nest of terror; send the descendants of Ishmael away; rebuild and resettle Gaza, and make it beautiful.”
I understand some of you may not have voted for Trump and have legitimate concerns about this new administration. I also do. But to hear an American president advocating for a Torah solution to an 80-year-old intractable problem that has so far defied solution—that’s radical!
No matter what you think of Trump personally, the most powerful person in the world is showing compassionate attention to our people. Who would have believed he would do so much for us? In his 1st term he: recognized Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, recognized Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights, and spearheaded the Abraham Accords—the 1st peace deal in the Middle East in 30 years. Yes, we’re grateful.
And we must appreciate all leaders who stick their neck out for the Jews. Joe Biden visited Israel right after October 7th during the war to show his support. He then moved defensive assets to the region and said his famous “Don’t;” and later sent missiles to help defend Israel when Iran attacked. All that we must appreciate.
Did you ever wonder why America now has more energy than any other country in the world? Rabbi Wolbe suggests that it may be because of what America did during the Yom Kippur War. Israel was caught with its pants down, attacked on its holiest day of the year, in danger of being destroyed. Richard Nixon helped rearm Israel, risking the wrath of the oil producing Arab states. America then suffered some of that wrath as it experienced hours long lines at its gas stations with odd and even days as the Arabs withheld their oil.
Rabbi Wolbe suggests that because America risked reducing its energy to save the Jews, Gd is now giving it more energy than anyone else—even more than the Saudis who had then led the charge to withhold oil from America.
My friends, a little more than a week ago, the questions on the table for Israel was about the return of its hostages and who would rule Gaza the “day after” the war. If Trump’s suggestions come to pass, I think it might mean the end of the Israeli/Palestinian conflict once and for all!
Now, it will be up to Trump to back up his words and figure out exactly how to incentivize moving the civilian population of Gaza into Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait or elsewhere. Trump admitted that he’s been working on this solution for many months. I don’t think he would have announced this proposal on Tuesday unless he had already gotten reassurances from Arab leaders.
Netanyahu said to Trump at Tuesday’s press conference: Peace comes through strength. Israel will end the war by winning. And Israel’s victory will be America’s victory. We’ll not only win the war working together, we’ll win the peace with your leadership…and our partnership.
May it come to pass speedily in our time. And may we all be together in a few years to celebrate Passover at the new Gaza Riviera. Amen!
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