Letter to Our Son, the Soldier
by Tzvi Fishman
Dear Son,
Your Mother and I want you to know, as you and your Givati unit is stationed on the outskirts of Ramallah, or Shechem, or Khan Yunis, or wherever you may be tonight, waiting for the orders to wipe out the enemies of Israel, and the hornets nests of terror based in schools, mosques, hospitals, homes, and underground tunnels under their cities, where they are hiding like cockroaches in the dark.
Know that your Mother and I are with you. In our mind, there is no greater, holier, and transcendental mitzvah than fighting in the Israel Defense Forces, in defense of the Nation of Israel, to wipe out the enemies of Hashem.
The soldiers who are willing to put their lives on the line for Am Yisrael are the true heroes of holiness, just like our holy heroes of our past, Avraham, Moshe Rabainu, Yehoshua Ben Nun, and others like King David and the Maccabees. When the occasion demanded, these holy heroes all closed their Gemaras and strode off to war, just as the Torah commands, for the honor of Hashem and Israel.
Just as our hearts are with you, the whole country is with you. You are acting on our behalf. And we want you to know, if you receive orders that don’t seem right to you, orders that endanger you and your fellow soldiers, lest “innocent” civilians be hurt – don’t listen to them. Do whatever you have to do to protect yourself and your friends. Remember that the laws of the Torah, and the laws of guarding Jewish life, override the “what will the goyim say?” considerations of frightened politicians and judges who lack the fear of Heaven.
Remember, my son, sometimes Yaakov has to dress in the clothes of Esav to bring blessing to the world. To triumph over the wicked Esav, the holy and righteous Yaakov is forced to resort to cruelty and deception. Though it goes against his inner nature, Yaakov takes up the characteristics of Esav, the hunter, murderer, schemer, and warrior, to insure that the blessing of Avraham comes to the world through its proper channel, the holy and righteous Nation of Israel.
Like today, when the Nation of Israel is forced to adopt Esav weapons of killing and war, it goes into battle not for the sake of destruction, but to bring an end to all killing and wars. Not out of a beastly passion for killing and war, like that of our enemies, but out of the knowledge that this is the only way to make the world a better place. In this battle against terror, our arms and armies are like the arms and armies of Esav, but the voice is the voice of Yaakov. We fight because we have to, not for the sake of killing, but to put an end to all killing and bloodshed.
You, my dear son, are engaged in a “Milchemet Mitzvah” twice over – defending the lives of the million Jews who are depending on Tzahal, and fighting enemies whose goal is to conquer our Land.
We have no other choice. In a world that lives by the sword, we have to take up the sword too. We cannot merely sit and pray for miracles. One of the commandments of the Torah is “Milchemet Mitzvah,” the mitzvah to go to war to defend Jewish life and to conquer the Land of Israel, and keep it under our own Jewish sovereignty.
Not only am I and you Mother with you. Our whole nation is with you. The Torah is with you. Avraham and Yitzhak and Yaakov are with you. The G-d of Israel is with you.
Uproot the evil, my son. Do your holy work with a clean heart and a clear conscience. For G-d’s honor. For the honor of Israel. For the betterment of the world.
Tzvi Fishman was awarded the Israel Minister of Education Award for Creativity and Jewish Culture. For several years, he wrote a popular blog at Israel National News. A former screenwriter and novelist in Hollywood, his many books are available on Amazon. Click HERE to listen to an interview on Israel National News.
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