2008 Woodie Awards
Disengagement, Dignity and Indignity
Norman Lamm
Issue date: 8/31/05 Section: Opinion
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These words are being written as the disengagement from Gaza is nearing its end. I thank the Almighty that, as we all hoped but few predicted, both sides for the most part preserved and enhanced their dignity. Who can forget the emotional drain, the heart wrenching scenes, the high drama of confrontation between brothers, the sorrow and the tears and the occasional tender moments between individuals on both sides. Despite the deep fears felt by almost everyone there and here, there was minimal violence. The aggressive rhetoric failed to be translated into violent action. It is a tribute to the common sense and fundamental ahavat Yisrael of both the settlers and the soldiers that ultimately they did not allow the hotheads to prevail. Kol Hakavod.
But there were notable and unfortunate exceptions-and they require much deep thinking on our part. What concerns me greatly is the unrestrained militancy of the language of much of the Right and the Left leading up to the actual disengagement. What frightens me is the future as a result of the tough and irresponsible talk, with the insults and the imprecations inevitably leading to further erosion of religious/secular relations in the State. How shall we cope with the horrendous chillul Hashem, the humiliation suffered by much of the Rabbinate, the possible threat to the existence of the Hesder Yeshivot, the viability of Religious Zionism as such, and the disrepute suffered by the authority of the Halakha which has not often been well served by those who purport to speak in its name?
Students who read these lines will in the not too distant future come into leadership positions in Jewish life, here and in Israel, and they should be exposed to an alternative voice to the harsh and dogmatic extremism that surrounds us. We should not be seduced by simplistic solutions offered by the radicals-even those with legitimate credentials as Talmudic scholars-and not be goaded by the fanaticism of young militants who mistakenly assume that self-righteousness and muscle and bullets can overcome the many enemies of Israel and the Jewish people. Listen, rather, to an accomplished Talmid chakham like Rabbi Aharon Lichtensein who is scholarly enough to answer the militant Rabbanim point by halakhic point and broad enough to include in his judgment the welfare and very future of the State and our people. Never, never assume that tolerance is the result of ideological uncertainty and that moderation is a sure sign of weakness. Also: smugness is no guarantee of courage.
But there were notable and unfortunate exceptions-and they require much deep thinking on our part. What concerns me greatly is the unrestrained militancy of the language of much of the Right and the Left leading up to the actual disengagement. What frightens me is the future as a result of the tough and irresponsible talk, with the insults and the imprecations inevitably leading to further erosion of religious/secular relations in the State. How shall we cope with the horrendous chillul Hashem, the humiliation suffered by much of the Rabbinate, the possible threat to the existence of the Hesder Yeshivot, the viability of Religious Zionism as such, and the disrepute suffered by the authority of the Halakha which has not often been well served by those who purport to speak in its name?
Students who read these lines will in the not too distant future come into leadership positions in Jewish life, here and in Israel, and they should be exposed to an alternative voice to the harsh and dogmatic extremism that surrounds us. We should not be seduced by simplistic solutions offered by the radicals-even those with legitimate credentials as Talmudic scholars-and not be goaded by the fanaticism of young militants who mistakenly assume that self-righteousness and muscle and bullets can overcome the many enemies of Israel and the Jewish people. Listen, rather, to an accomplished Talmid chakham like Rabbi Aharon Lichtensein who is scholarly enough to answer the militant Rabbanim point by halakhic point and broad enough to include in his judgment the welfare and very future of the State and our people. Never, never assume that tolerance is the result of ideological uncertainty and that moderation is a sure sign of weakness. Also: smugness is no guarantee of courage.