Page 60 - HaMizrachi #29 Yom HaAtzmaut 2021 USA

GENERAL INTEREST STORY

Rabbi Binny Freedman

Lessons from Tzfat in 1948

I n 1948, things did not look promis- two earlier. One of the fighters turned had fled the quarter, and the miracle

legend of Tzfat was born.
ing for the Jews.
to one of his religious comrades asking:
The Arab armies of Iraq, Egypt, Syria,
How could He let it rain in May?”
Lebanon, and forces from Morocco, “Doesn’t G-d want us to come home? This week’s parasha, Tazria, focuses on
the issue of tzara’at. Tradition teaches
Tunisia, and Algeria prepared to attack (Eventually fighters managed to cross that tzara’at was the direct consequence
the newly declared State of Israel as soon the street under heavy gunfire and det- of lashon hara and rechilut, evil speech
as the British pulled out in May of 1948, onate the explosives from close range, and gossip, and as such it was an oppor-
vowing to push the Jews into the sea. but losing many men in the process. The tunity for a person to do some intro-

In Tzfat, where 80,000 Arabs surrounded bullet holes still mark the walls where spection and consider the error of his
ways.
approximately 3,000 Jews living in the this fierce battle took place.)
Jewish Quarter, the Jews were braced Meanwhile, down below, at the entrance The Sefer HaChinuch points out (mitz-
for the worst. Sure enough, as the British to the Jewish Quarter, things were going vah 168) that this particular process
pulled out of Tzfat, thousands of Arabs from bad to worse, and in desperation, enabled us to recognize the power of
armed with hunting rifles, knives and the Jews decided to employ their last Divine Providence, and relates to the
clubs attacked the Jewish Quarter. The resort. larger issues of destiny, reward and
few hundred Jewish fighters were hope- punishment, and the balance between
lessly outnumbered and fierce fighting Desperately short on arms, they had the nature of miracles and the miracle
broke out at the entrance to the Old City. developed what they hoped would be of nature.
an answer to Arab armor and artillery. As an example, one of the many signs
The Citadel, the most important posi-
tion in the city, with a strategic com- The Davidka, (literally: ‘little David’) was of tzara’at for which an expert Kohen
mand of the entire area, was a British essentially a home-built mortar. One had to be consulted, was when a hair
fortress, which the Jewish fighters had could fill the Davidka with rocks, nails on a person’s body turned a particular
shade of white (“like snow”) or yellow
to take in order to survive. But the and metal balls and, setting it off with (like winter grass; see Vayikra 13:30).
Arabs, with advanced notice from the explosives, fire a deadly stream at the And the Kohen’s challenge was not
British, had already taken command of advancing enemy. It was a brilliant idea, only to find the correct shade, but to
the Citadel. In a bold move, members as it would allow the Jews to use readily ensure that indeed there were two hairs
of the Palmach (the fighting arm of the available supplies to arm themselves. which had turned white, and not one,
Jewish underground Haganah) planted Unfortunately, it did not work, barely because when only one hair had turned
explosives at the base of the thick Cita- knocking a man down at close range. It white, the person was not confined but
del walls, determined to blast their way did, however, produce an incredibly loud remained in a state of ritual purity.
through in a desperate attempt to save explosion, and the Jews at this point had
the Jews and establish a position from nothing to lose. Faced with thousands of Think about it: the difference between
which to hold out against the furious Arabs, and without even enough bullets being a metzora and being pure was one
Arab onslaught. to fire at them all, they fired the Davidka hair on a person’s body.
just as the rain began pouring down. The Midrash in Vayikra Rabbah (15:3)
Suddenly, just as they were ready to And to their amazement, the Arabs
detonate the explosives, a freak rain- stopped, turned and ran. shares a magnificent insight related to
storm broke out, soaking the detonation this detail of halacha:
wires and preventing the explosion. This Not quite understanding what was hap- “You will not find a single strand of
was May, the beginning of spring. The pening, they fired the Davidka three hair for which G-d did not create an
rainy season usually ends a month or more times until the entire Arab army appropriate follicle in the skin, so that

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