                  Rabbi Meir Kahane, z"l, H'yd
G-d's Gift to the Jewish People 
                     by Gershon Ben Shabtai
                         July 28, 1991
                                
       The Jewish People, ever since they petitioned the Prophet, Shmuel, to make them a
King, have been anxious to be led by a strong leader.  The G-d of Israel acquiesced to their
demand and gave them Shaul, despite the fact that He considered the request to be a rejection of
Him.
       The difference between the King of Kings and a mortal one is legion, yet people like
to be able to see and touch their king, and relate to him on a human level.  Unfortunately a human
king is just that, human.  Being human he is subject to human faults, which we all have.  
       After the Davidic dynasty was interrupted, the Jewish people had to try and hold
together under judges and various other forms of leadership until, eventually we found ourselves
in a situation in which each does what is right in his own eyes.  This license to be your own leader
has resulted in a shattering of Judaism into countless unrecognizable pieces all claiming legitimacy,
yet only one truly comfortable with its authenticity.
       Having been scattered to the four corners of the world and oppressed, degraded and
nearly annihilated wherever we went, has certainly encouraged us to try and blend in with the
various societies in which we have found ourselves.  
       Even the so-called "orthodox" brand of Judaism has had to make adjustments for
surroundings which have always threatened Jewish survival.
       The long awaited return of Jews to their ancient homeland caught all of us by surprise. 
Without a Messianic King to clearly define what was happening, Jews found a whole gamut of
explanations ranging from clear fulfillment of Biblical prophesy to Man's heretical interference
with G-d's Will.
       At both ends of the spectrum we find great confusion.  If this is really the beginning of
the redemption, where is the leadership?  Why do we not see a Jewish government which uses
Torah as its guide and acts with Jewish pride and self respect?
       On the other hand, if this is a blasphemous man made redemption, how come it has
succeeded to create a sovereign Jewish State in defiance of its enemies, and in a world which
would much prefer it not exist?     
       The Jewish People has always preferred simple explanations, and strong leadership to
make its decisions for it.  Today we have neither.  The closest thing we had to an authentic Jewish
leader, was taken from us with the assassination of Rabbi Kahane, h'yd.
       Rabbi Meir Kahane was a gift to the Jewish People; a beneficent response by our G-d
to our cry for someone to show us the way.  Rather than express our gratitude by following his
Torah- true leadership, we backed off and hoped that he could do our dirty work for us.  This is
the reason he was taken from us.
       Let us at long last recognize our complicity in the death of this great tzaddik.  He was
sent to us as a guide to help us find the path from which so many of us have strayed.  But by
refusing to follow him down that path, we have lost him, and have made our own plight that much
more difficult.  
       We will not be sent another guide.  The next leader to come will be the Mashiach.  But
even he cannot take upon himself the entire burden to fulfill the role of the Jewish people!  We
must begin to stand up as proud Jews.  We have to face the difficult challenges which lie before
us rather than bury our collective heads in the sand and hope that someone else will solve our
problems for us.  Think like a Jew and act like a Jew even and especially when it is most difficult
to do so.  That is the path to redemption.  
       Rabbi Kahane showed us the path every day of his life.  He did more than tell us how
a Jew should act.  He showed us.  That, in a nutshell, was the purpose of G-d's gift to His people,
the life of Rabbi Meir Kahane.  Although he was taken from us, his lessons are eternal and beg
to be learned.  Every Jew can carry on his legacy, every day.    
       It is high time that we forget about Bush, Baker, Shamir, Mubarak, Saddam, Assad and
all of the other irrelevant pawns in the Divine chess game of which we find ourselves a part. 
Remember the words and deeds of Rabbi Kahane and emulate them.  If each Jew would just ask
himself, each time he must make a decision in life,                   not: "How much money will I gain?"; "How
much money will I lose?"; "What will my neighbor think?"; "Will I be happy?";  "Might I get
hurt?";
       rather: "What does my G-d require of me?" and act accordingly, then our redemption
will be immediate.
