Hopes and Prayers Amidst Sunshine and Clouds - Reflections on the Washington Rally by Yitzchok Samet April 18, 2002 Attending Monday's Washington D.C. rally in support of Israel evoked mixed emotions. One the one hand, I felt inspired and hopeful, choking back emotion as unprecedented numbers of Jews swarmed in solidarity, flooding interstate highways and Washington streets. Have this many Jews ever assembled for a Jewish purpose since the destruction of the Second Temple? Walking the last two miles from my bus to Capitol Hill, marveling at the diversity and unity among those marching with me, I kept recalling an expression of the Jewish sages: "b'rov am hadrat melech" (The Majesty of the King is manifest when His people assemble in unison.) I could feel the Shechina (Divine spirit) in the air, and in myself, and the strikingly bright sky seemed to be reflecting this reality on the physical plane. But clouds were also present, if not all that noticeable - mirroring my silent but palpable concerns. Despite the greatness of this event, we might be fooling ourselves. Our monumental efforts for peace and our purest, most noble intentions, have often led to the illusion of success. Security and military measures often "succeed", thank G-d, but our enemies too often inflict excruciating losses. And while we are momentarily comforted by "victories", cease-fires, and tokens of support, we feel increasingly violated as terror escalates, murderers gloat more openly, and world opinion becomes progressively more Orwellian in it's cynical distortion of truth. I wondered if the seeming "success" of this rally could be illusory. Yes, it might garner worldwide media coverage, catch Bush's attention, and promote awareness. But the bottom line question is "Will this really improve the deteriorating situation in Israel?" We would like to believe that it will. But we can't be certain. If we feel certain, then we are deluding ourselves. I have, and I believe others also have, a gnawing feeling. It is described by a taboo term that we have repressed since the holocaust. The term is "helpless". We don't allow ourselves to apply this term to Israel. She is seen as "strong". We focus on her military and other strengths, overlooking times when she was vulnerable and only miracles foiled disastrous attacks - when the military was elsewhere, or, in the case of the Scud attacks, where it's hands were tied. We may repress such realities, but at some level we know the truth - to some degree, despite true successes and heroic efforts - we are ultimately somewhat powerless, helpless - and dependant on G-d. We may be reluctant to admit this. We may prefer to take credit for successes rather than acknowledge the many miracles. It can be hard to admit that we're vulnerable, and no one wants to feel helpless. But in our current "foxhole", can we afford to be "in denial"? Our responses to crises in Israel often strike me as "denial of helplessness". Yes, I said helplessness. Today, Israel's hands are tied by international forces. Yes, she is a nuclear power, but, she is somewhat helpless to prevent donkey riders from massacring her children. Her hands are tied internally and also by external foes. And if a powerful State has no power over this evil, and cannot stem an avalanche of world opinion, certainly individuals, admittingly or not, must feel powerless as well. So how do we respond? We play Jewish chess - as armchair politicians, analyzing Sharon's and Bush's moves. We call talk shows, sponsor lectures, and flood cyberspace with pro-Israel editorials. We phone, email and fax the White House and the Congress. We vote in internet opinion polls to "win" against pro-Palestinians. We have rallies. We contribute. We pray. Yet we are even more frustrated. If only efforts such as these could shift the growing tides against us. But increasingly the world embraces anti-Israel propaganda, and condemns her! Alarmingly, even the U.S. joins the chorus. So why do we persist in trying to change the world's mind? Is it because there are no other straws to grasp at? Ask yourself, "What real leverage do average people have to help in this crisis?" Could be that we engage in these somewhat futile efforts to avoid admitting powerlessness - to avert the frustration of sitting still - and to deny how relatively helpless we truly feel? We cry out to G-d - as we should - but that barely eases the pain. We can no longer quiet the deepest pain - the mounting gnawing feeling - the terrifying thought that we are, despite actions and efforts, still vulnerable, and desperately in need of Divine help. A half-century after the holocaust and the establishment of a state, we are desperate to influence a world arena that, to our utter disbelief, supports those who murder us. In our frustration, we feel a need to do something. Can we sit on our hands as evil mobilizes in every quarter against us - as injustice hemorrhages? I certainly could not. That's why I felt so compelled to demonstrate in D.C. But at the same time, I realized that this large event, and all of the impressive speeches, might ultimately do little to tip the scales of world opinion - or help Israel. A disturbing thought. And yet, I am not disturbed. The real accomplishment for the Jewish people in this rally may not be in the domain of public opinion. The President, the U.N., the E.U., may very well ignore this, as they have often managed to ignore patent truths in matters pertaining to Israel. But as a Torah-observant Jew, I know that, however the world responds, G-d will not ignore this event. Our sages equate the mitzva of saving one fellow Jew to saving the entire world. To what could they compare so many people uniting to avert continued, unthinkable, mass bloodshed? Could G-d ignore this? True, this was not a "religious" event. The speakers and their messages were political, not religious. But the coming together of hundreds of thousands of Jews to show solidarity is, ultimately, a monumental collective mitzva - a religious event of historical proportions. "Religious" or "non-religious", each person was, de-facto, participating in an event with tremendous spiritual significance. The current struggle to preserve National Unity within the Israeli government underscores how vital internal harmony is to the Jewish nation's physical survival. This has always been true, and it is no less true regarding our spiritual survival. The Jewish sages tell us that they go hand in hand. Historically, they singled out sinat chinom (baseless hatred and internal discord among Jews) as the root cause for Divine displeasure. This, in turn, led to the destruction of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem, the scattering of Jews to a Diaspora filled with enemies. Our current plight is a painful reminder that we are "a lamb surrounded by wolves" - despite mass immigration to Israel and political sovereignty! Conversely, the sages taught that ultimate Jewish redemption and world peace will come by rectifying this pattern. The single most vital force in bringing that about will be internal peace and unity among our people. Monday I saw Jews from all walks galvanized in an unprecedented way - into a body with a single heart and purpose. It seemed as if the seeds of a new shalom bayit (internal domestic peace) had been planted. My hope and prayer is that this milestone in Jewish unity and solidarity, will earn us the extraordinary Divine assistance we so desperately need in this most trying and dangerous crisis. Copyright 2002 Yitzchok Samet All Rights Reserved