                                        A Voice From Hebron
                     by Gary M. Cooperberg
                          May 30, 1995
                     A Referendum on Torah?

     Needless to say, the madness which surrounds us can certainly cause severe depression. 
Listening to the news could drive any normal person to just give up on Israel and find somewhere else
to live.   Aside from the fact that, for the Jew, there simply is nowhere else to live, we must realize that 
Israel is not a normal country, and that we Jews are not a "normal" people.  
     We voted in a so called "democratic" election and got a "lets make a deal" government which
doesn't represent the electorate and which has already made major policy changes which are harmful
to the country and without the consent of the people.
     Now we are being told that our soldiers are going to make further retreats from our homeland
and hand over military installations to the PLO terrorists... for peace.  We are further told that the
Golan will be handed to Syria only after the people agree in a referendum.  While democrats may be 
relieved to hear this, no authentic Jew can be pleased with such a concept, even if it were true.  Now,
perhaps for the first time, we may be able to understand why democracy and Judaism are not
compatible.
     When it was time for us to leave Egypt, had a vote been taken, (according to Rashi) 80% of
the people would have voted to stay in Egypt!  Had democracy prevailed we would still be slaves to
Pharaoh.  
     When G-d gave us the Torah on Mount Sinai the Jewish people shouted out, "We will do and
we will listen".  They did not say, "We will listen, and then we will take a vote on whether or not to
accept all or part of the Torah".
     King David was never elected to be a Jewish leader.  As a matter of fact, his own father, Jesse,
did not as much as consider him a candidate!
     So what can we learn from Jewish history?   Clearly Jewish destiny is not something which
we can legislate or bargain with.  It is a Divine process which we can either work with, ignore or even
oppose.  Whatever we choose to do, the process will continue with us, without us or even in spite of
us.  The sad fact of Jewish history, which appears not to have changed over all these centuries, is that
most of the Jewish people, in every generation, did not choose to go with Jewish destiny.  In spite of
this sad fact, we have consistently continued upon the path outlined for us in the Tanach.  What is
most disappointing is the fact that now, from a position of hindsight, we still fail to notice the
consistent fulfillment of Divine prophesy, especially in our own day.
     It is totally illogical to assume that an ancient people, who are hated by everyone and were
nearly annihilated could, by any stretch of the imagination, come home to their ancient homeland and
reestablish their sovereignty there.  This did not happen because of our wisdom, nor because of our
overwhelming military prowess.  It happened in spite of our incredible lack of both.  It happened
because it was time for the Jewish nation to return.  This was the Will of G-d.  If not, it would not have
happened nor could it have happened.  In spite of hapless leaders and stupid decisions which should
have led to our destruction, more and more miracles have continued to rescue us from the jaws of self
destruction.  Yet we still refuse to recognize the Divine character of our very existence.
     Every genuine Jewish leader we ever had in our past was appointed by the Living G-d of Israel. 
Abraham, Moses, David etc., were all called upon by G-d to fulfill His Will.  Dare we think that we
now live in a "modern era" where Man makes his own destiny?  Can we really believe that majority
opinion must always be right?  Have we forgotten that Hitler was elected democratically?
     No Jew, not even Mashiach himself, has the right to decide to make compromises with Divine
promises.  It is not the right of the government of Israel, or even of the majority of Jews living in Israel,
to decide to give away one inch of Gaza, Jericho, Judea, Samaria or the Golan Heights.  Our homeland
is not an unconditional gift which we can give away or sell to others.  It is a Divine obligation which
requires us to liberate our homeland and sanctify it with our presense and by conducting our lives in
accordance with Torah law.
     To have a referendum to decide whether or not to give the Golan to Syria is as absurd and
meaningless as holding a referendum to decide whether Jews should be allowed to eat pork or violate
the Shabbat.  
     Every Jew can choose to violate the  Torah.  He can choose to become a thief  or an adulterer. 
But can anyone imagine the concept of introducing legislation requiring Jews to make such decisions?
     Former Chief Rabbi Goren, z"tl, issued his last halachic ruling that a Jewish soldier who is
ordered to dismantle Jewish settlements has a Torah obligation to disobey such orders.  This flies in
the face of democracy.  But it is Torah.
     Former Knesset Member, Rabbi Meir Kahane, z"tl, H"yd, spent his life calling for the removal
of the Arab enemy from the Land of Israel.  This, too, is a violation of democratic principle.  But, not
only is it Torah, it is the only way to save Jewish lives.  He was so castigated for maintaining his
position that no Jewish politician today would dare even to suggest it, even as we retreat before Arab
terror within our homeland.
     On Yom Hebron a little Jewish girl who lives in Hebron was struck by a rock thrown by an
Arab.  The reaction of the army was to prevent high school girls from Kiryat Arba from going to the
city that day.   How many rocks and how many murdered Jews will it take before we understand that
one doesn't make peace with those who seek his destruction.  We have the power, the ability and the
moral obligation to obliterate our enemies and redeem all of our homeland.  Instead we negotiate the
method of our self destruction.  
     On the anniversary of the Giving of Torah to the Jewish People on Mount Sinai let us all
reexamine the obligation each Jew took upon himself that day.  We were chosen by the Creator of the
Universe to be His living example on Earth.  This cannot and will not be accomplished via
referendums or new elections.  The most powerful weapon the Jewish state posesses is not the Atom
bomb.  It is a far more powerful weapon which we have chosen not to use.  It can defeat any weapon
known to man, and yet we refuse to even pick it up and show it to a world which would cower at the
very sight of it.  
     When the Jew stands proud with his Torah there is no power on Earth which can harm him. 
When will we use the greatest gift G-d gave to us and bring redemption to the world?
     