                                                               
                      A Voice from Hebron
                     by Gary M. Cooperberg
                        January 5, 1997
                     Rabbi Eliezer Waldman
              Defending Torah in the Jewish State

     For months, even years now, the eyes of the world have been focused upon Hebron.  The
entire Oslo agreement faces a crisis when it comes to the City of Abraham.  It was thus agreed at
the outset, to put any decision about Hebron off; just as it was decided to put off discussions on
the Holy City of Jerusalem.
     But putting off problems will not make them go away.  Sooner or later they must be faced.
Any truly honest observer cannot call this agreement a "peace process".  Our leaders took a
murderous fiend and elevated him to the status of a diplomat.  They began a process of surrender
to the PLO, for which they were rewarded with the Nobel Peace Prize.  I am sure that a much
bigger prize would be offered to leaders in Israel were they to plot this country's total destruction.
     The security problems we face in our tiny homeland today are not caused by our enemies. 
They are all the result of a leadership which denies the true source of our justification for having a
homeland.   The return of the Jewish People to the Land of Israel is not an accident.  It is not a
political phenomenon.  It is clearly the fulfillment of Divine prophesy.  
     The purpose of the Jewish State is not merely to be a haven for those oppressed Jews who
have nowhere else to go, although that too is an important factor.   The purpose of the
resurrection of a sovereign Jewish State in the Land of Israel is for it to become the vehicle for the
redemption of Mankind.   It's rebirth is clearly a Divine Process which is destined to eventually
recognize the source of its strength as coming from the Law of G-d as opposed to Man made
morality.
     Peace is one of G-d's names.  It is futile folly to assume that such a Divine concept can be
achieved by violating the Law of G-d.  The entire Land of Israel was given, by G-d, to the People
of Israel, in order that they serve G-d there according to the Law of Moses.  This is not a political
opinion.  This is the Will of the Creator of the Universe.
     The Oslo process is a clear violation of Biblical principles.  No G-d fearing individual can
find a remote excuse for entering into such an agreement.  It is as a result of this blasphemous
agreement that the State of Israel is riddled with fear and crises today.  
     Rabbi Waldman has been in the news recently.  Every leftist hater in Israel has condemned
the Rabbi and used him as a scapegoat for their contentions that Torah is interfering with the
peace process.  They went so far as to blame the Rabbi for causing Noam Friedman to go berserk
in the Hebron market.  
     As a result of the attack upon Rabbi Waldman by the local media, the foreign media were
quick to get on the bandwagon with the allegation that "Rabbi Waldman and other right wing
extremist rabbis called upon soldiers to disobey orders."  
     As Rabbi Waldman himself pointed out, it is not the function of rabbis to issue orders to
soldiers . . . even rabbis of hesder yeshivas whose students all serve in the army.  Rabbi Waldman
never issued orders of any sort.  This entire controversy stems from a halachic ruling, a legitimate
explanation of Torah Law, issued by a committee of eminent Torah scholars, including former
chief rabbis, over two years ago.  
     This rabbinical committee, then headed by former chief rabbi, Shlomo Goren, z"tl, was
approached by religious soldiers with the question as to how a Jewish soldier should respond
should he be given an order to dismantle an army base in Israel.  It must be pointed out, by the
way, that the IDF is a Jewish army and that its bylaws clearly state that no order which violates
Biblical mandates be given to a soldier.  As such, rabbinical authorities had to be consulted by the
army to safeguard this principle.   For example, violations of the Sabbath, such as carrying
weapons and driving in vehicles while on duty, are not violations at all since protecting the Land
and lives of its citizens overrides even the Sabbath.   By the same token, were a soldier
commanded to light a cigarette for his superior officer on the Sabbath, this would be an illegal
order and should not be obeyed.
     On the issue at hand, preparing to give parts of the Land of Israel to foreigners, much less
to enemies, is absolutely forbidden by Torah Law.  The ruling was not so much a call to soldiers
to "disobey orders", as it was a warning to the government to avoid issuing illegal orders.  
     What we have before us is a clear conflict between political positions, and Torah Law.  As
yet the Jewish State has not confronted such conflicts directly.  It had always been assumed that
Democracy and Judaism were compatible.  The test which looms before us, therefore, is far more
basic than "orders".  The test is to determine where the final authority lies.  When conflicts arise,
which takes precedence, the law of Man or the Law of G-d?
     Clearly the secular elements seem to favor laws made in the Knesset as having a higher
authority to the eternal Law of our Torah.  To them our Torah is merely a cultural facet of life
which has little or no bearing on the law of the land.
     Rabbi Waldman neither issued a new ruling, nor did he call upon soldiers to disobey
orders.  He was merely responding to a question by a reporter in which he reviewed a decision
which had already been given by an authoritative rabbinical body.  His response was taken out of
context and distorted to the point where he was accused of incitement!
     Rabbi Waldman is not the real target here.  The target is that which is feared most by
secular Jewish self haters in Israel.  The target is our Torah and the Living G-d of Israel. 
Realizing this, Rabbi Waldman welcomes the attack.  He knows that no harm will come to him for
defending the Torah.  The Rabbi is himself a reserve captain in the IDF and has always served his
country selflessly.  His students are all dedicated soldiers, several of whom were killed or
wounded in defense of our homeland.  The reason hesder soldiers are considered by the IDF as
among the most highly motivated in the army, is specifically because they recognize their army
service as fulfillment of the Divine command to defend the Land of Israel.  It would be a
contravention of their observance, and of army law, to issue orders which violate Divine
commandments.  It also would be morally wrong for such orders to be issued.
     It is important, therefore, that such controversies arise now, before conflicts arise, while
there is still time to prevent confusion, demoralization, and violation both of Torah Law and army
regulations.  Rather than condemn and seek to prosecute the rabbi, appreciation should be
expressed for his willingness to bring a controversial situation to light while it is still a theoretical
one, so as to enable its solution before it causes irrevocable harm.