Page 30 - HaMizrachi Yom HaAtzmaut 5783 USA

The Curse of the

Eighth Decade

Menachem Rahat

The threat of national disintegration, which destroyed the two sovereign Jewish states that
preceded ours, remains an ever-present danger in the third iteration of Jewish sovereignty.

lack Shabbat” – that’s (1863–1952): “Those who do not learn from disintegrated into the separate kingdoms
what the media called the history are condemned to repeat it.” And I of Yehuda and Yisrael, and so began its
bloody attacks in Jerusa- remembered then the dark prediction of fall. In the process, we lost millions of our
“Blem on January 27–28 in former Tunisian President Habib Bour- brothers, the members of the Ten Tribes,
which seven innocent Israelis were mur- guiba: “The Arabs should not fight Israel; who, according to Rabbi Akiva, “will not
dered and others were seriously injured the Jews in their internal quarrels will return in the future.”
– reminding us once again that from destroy themselves.”
the point of view of the murderers who The State of Israel, now in its eighth The second Jewish state was the Has-
ָ
fulfill the curse of הֶי ְח ִּ ת ך ְּ ב ְר ַח ל ַע, “by your monean kingdom during the Second
sword you will live,” there is no difference decade of life and about to celebrate its Temple era. It existed for 77 years as a
75th birthday, is today closer than ever
between different groups of Israelis. We united and sovereign kingdom. In the
are all destined for slaughter, G-d forbid, before to the danger of a fratricidal war, eighth decade of its life, the kingdom
each man against his brother. This is the
from their perspective. was torn apart by infighting, which led
moment to learn from history, before we the representatives of the two camps
But we must not be confused by the Pal- destroy ourselves through the fire of hate. claiming the crown to approach Pompey
estinian criminal gangs. Ultimately, they We have much to learn from history. in Syria, each one begging him to agree
are not the true threat to the sovereign to make them vassals of Rome. And so
Jewish state in Eretz Yisrael. Far more Twice before there existed here, in the the sovereign Hasmonean state became
Land of Israel, sovereign Jewish king-
threatening and dangerous to our future a degraded protectorate state of Rome,
is the division and polarization within doms, and the beginning of the collapse devoid of proud Jewish sovereignty.
of both kingdoms began in the eighth
Israeli society.
decade of their existence. Both kingdoms The establishment of the State of Israel 75
The same brotherly hatred that came existed for about 220 years, but the begin- years ago is the third attempt to overcome
down to the world in the days of Kayin ning of their end sprouted – with incredi- the “curse of the eighth decade,” which
and Hevel, which was repeated in the lives ble timing! – in the eighth decade of their defeated the two previous Jewish states.
of Yitzchak and Yishmael and Ya’akov and sovereignty. It is the duty of Israelis here We are currently in the midst of our third
Esav, and exploded again with the broth- and now to ensure that the situation here opportunity, but it is uncertain whether
ers’ hatred for Yosef – this is the hatred does not become a rerun of the terrible we will survive it. Before our eyes, we are
that burns among us and threatens to movie we’ve already seen twice before. witnessing fratricidal hatred – and right
overwhelm the Zionist enterprise.
The first Jewish state, founded by King now it really doesn’t matter who started
Above the entrance gate to one of the David, accomplished phenomenal it, because both sides bear equal respon-
pavilions in the Auschwitz death camp, achievements and survived united for 80 sibility for the terrible social chaos that
I read with trembling a quote from years. In the 81st year, due to internal con- is eating us apart, just as Bourguiba pre-
the American philosopher Santayana flicts, the kingdom of the House of David dicted. All the warning signs of a national

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