Page 38 - HaMizrachi #9 Yom HaAtzmaut 5779

Three Lessons FROM MENACHEM BEGIN
Short Thoughts

Sivan Rahav-Meir

THREE LESSONS

FROM MENACHEM BEGIN Photo: Eyal Ben Yaish/Ma’ale HaYetzira

his Yom HaAtzmaut, let us the Tanach (the Bible) to the Palmach
remember Menachem Begin, (an underground army), without the
T leader of the Zionist group “diasporic” Judaism which would only
HaIrgun, member of Israel’s first get in the way. Begin started fixing this.
parliament, Israel’s sixth prime minister Zionism is not a revolt against Judaism,
and Nobel Prize winner. but its natural outgrowth. This is why
ְ
he often said 'ה ךּור ָּ ב and 'ה ת ַ ר ְז ֶ ע ְּ ב and
In my opinion, he left us three legacies fought for the honor of the Shabbat
that are more relevant than ever:
and for conversion. Vast segments
1. No to civil war. In the past, battles of the population who were socially
between different camps were not held excluded (former underground fighters,
on Instagram, but with canons and traditional Jews, Religious Zionist,
blood. In the Altalena affair (a violent Sephardi and Haredi Jews) merited
confrontation between Jews in which a respectable place in society thanks
Ben-Gurion ordered to sink a boat to him. In his will he asked not to be
full of Jewish underground fighters in buried in Chelkat Gedolei HaUma (the
1948), Begin (who was commander of burial place of the great leaders of Israel)
the underground) made a big decision on Mount Herzl, but on the Mount of
– to show restraint and avoid civil war, sat in the Opposition for 9,490 days, Olives, “near the underground fighters,
despite the pain. It was as if he read and waited. There is no precedent for a as a simple Jew.”
our historical stories of destruction on leader who had lost eight elections and
deck, and decided to learn and apply the won the ninth. This is a great lesson
lessons. about perseverance, devotion, toil and
patience – both his and his supporters’.
2. Not to be deterred by a long road. Sivan Rahav-Meir is a popular Israeli
This number is inconceivable in the 3. Judaism. The generation before journalist, broadcaster and author of
hectic political reality of today: Begin Begin tried to start a revolution – from #Parasha sivanrahavmeir@gmail.com

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