Page 22 - HaMizrachi #25 Chanuka 2020 USA

GLOBAL RELIGIOUS LEADERS

Rabbanit Rachelle Fraenkel

Chanukah 1948

ovember 1947. The UN’s Par- stratagem, led to the belief that י ִ ח ּ ֹכ And this is what Rav Goren says to the
tition Plan is announced and הֶּז ַ ה לִי ַ ח ַ ה ת ֶ א י ִ ל הׂ ָ ש ָ ע י ִ דָי ם ֶ צע ְ ו, “my power entire army – almost all of which was
ֹ
Nthe War of Independence and the strength of my hand gave me non-religious – at the end of the war,
begins… this wealth.” on Chanukah, December 1948: “…The
Mid-May 1948. The British Mandate Indeed, one of the most famous Israeli mystery of the miraculous victory of
ends and Ben-Gurion declares the new Chanukah songs, written by Colonel the few against the many is the most
State of Israel, signaling the second Aharon Ze’ev, the IDF’s Chief Edu- perfect expression of the strength of
and more intensive phase of the war. cation Officer during Rav Goren’s the spirit when faced with oppressive
The bloody battles continue for over tenure, is called “We Carry Torches” military might… י ִּ כ ַ חֹכ ְ ב אלֹ ְ ו לִי ַ ח ְ ב אלֹ
six months (more than 6,000 are and is still played today at national ה ר ַ מ ָ א י ִ חּור ְּ ב ם ִ א, “Not by might nor by
killed, approximately 1% of all the Jews Yom HaAtzmaut ceremonies. The power but by My spirit, said G-d.”
in Eretz Yisrael at the time!) chorus is: Thus and only thus were the many
May 26, 1948. The IDF is established A miracle did not happen for us able to fall before the few, because the
and a young man who took part in the We did not find a cruse of oil. few knew what they were fighting for
battles himself is appointed its first We eroded rocks until we bled… and for whom they were prepared to
Chief Rabbi. And there was light! die: for the purity of faith in the Word
From his very first day in office, Rabbi The song was written before the State of G-d, for the Torah of their G-d
and the Land of their forefathers, for
Shlomo Goren (then still Goronczik) was established, but became more
saw himself not as a functionary pro- relevant after the military victories. human freedom and spiritual release
from a foreign culture, and for uni-
viding religious services to the army, It stresses faith in the human spirit
but as someone blazing the trail and as opposed to reliance on Divine versal justice that had been in grave
danger…
defining the vision for a sovereign intervention.
Jewish army, perhaps the first since the December 1948. Chanukah. Against Before our very eyes, the great mira-
days of the Chashmonaim. this backdrop, Rav Goren addresses cle of Israel’s redemption happened
The very idea of a Jewish army drew the soldiers in Israel’s fledgling fight- again… with the reawakened spirit of
the Chashmonaim, we conquered our
much ideological fire – from non-re- ing force. The war is coming to an Holy Land…
ligious thinkers who viewed the use end, the soldiers are exhausted, trau-
of force as a contradiction to funda- matized, wounded, but also bathed in Army of Israel! Holy soldiers of the
mental Jewish values, or those who euphoric triumph. War of Independence and Renewal,
hoped the settling of the Land could The Rav attempts to connect them to Chanukah is your holiday! In you, the
gradually transpire without any violent the spirit of the Chashmonaim. His spirit beats, and in your hearts is a
confrontation at all. On the other side task is to strengthen their sense of holy, burning fire taken from the altar
were ultra-Orthodox circles who held being party to a huge achievement, of of G-d… Light the candles of freedom,
that any military action against the displaying irrepressible human spirit, carry torches, in the cities and the vil-
local gentiles was irresponsible and yet also telling them they are part of lages, in the bases and the outposts!
completely forbidden, endangering an unprecedented and magnificent Carry with you the command [about
the lives of the soldiers and breaching miracle. going to war] to those standing at the
the oaths described in the Midrash not All that separates nobility of spirit foot of Mt. Sinai: ‘…You shall not fear
to rise up against the nations of the from hubris is keeping one’s values them…
world. front and center: The clear knowledge “For the L-rd your G-d goes with you
Other voices began to emerge from of what we are fighting for and for to fight for you against your enemies
within the army itself. The mili- whom we are fighting. The unbreak- to save you.”
tary success earned with blood and able link between the voice of Yehuda Rabbanit Rachelle Fraenkel teaches Torah
sweat, huge self-sacrifice and brilliant HaMaccabi and the sound of Sinai… at midrashot in Israel.

The very existence of Israel is as near to a miracle
22 | as we will find in the sober pages of empirical history.
RABBI SACKS