It has been nearly six months since the conclusion of Operation Guardian of the Walls, the latest round in the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians. On the surface, things have been quite calm since then. But nothing is ever truly quiet in the Middle East. Israel’s enemies have gotten smarter and understood that they can destroy Israel much faster and without firing a single shot by simply smiling and pretending to want peace. Because we feel we always feel guilty of some sin, we fall for anyone who gives us a friendly smile, even if we know there is a knife behind their backs. That’s just the way we are; the smartest people on the planet are absolute fools when it comes to matters that really matter.
Our enemies across the Gaza border have learned their lesson. Through diplomacy and pressure on various political entities, they raise funds and promote government decisions in Israel that enable them to take over the country from within.
Their ultimate goal has not changed. They strive to rid the country of Jews. The only thing that has changed is how they intend to achieve that goal. They have realized that they cannot defeat us on the battlefield, so they will fight us with words and smiles instead of guns and rockets.
Israelis, who always feel they have to justify their existence, cannot resist a non-Jew smiling at them. It is an affirmation that “we are OK.” Even if the knife is hidden in plain sight, we do not want to see it and believe in the sincerity of our “partner.” Because we always feel guilty, indebted to the world, we are utterly gullible and all our business skills and acumen fly out the window as soon as someone eases our perpetual guilt trip.
There is no cure for this malignant folly except to understand why we feel guilty and what we should do about it. Every Jew feels deep inside that we Jews owe something to the world, and that sensation causes us to make mistakes. Therefore, we must understand the nature of our debt, which is really quite simple: We must stop setting an example of division and mutual derision, and instead become a model of mutual responsibility and love of others.
Over the generations, we have given numerous “gifts” to the world. Jews have been responsible, in whole or in part, for the development of almost every ideology, religion, and technology over the past two millennia. Yet the world has not been grateful. The only legacy that the world truly sees as meritorious is our social legacy, which advocated mutual responsibility and love of others to the point that one loves one’s neighbor as oneself.
Everyone agrees that these ideas are commendable. However, everyone equally agrees that they are unachievable because human nature is evil to the core.
This is where the justification for our existence comes in. The Jews are the ones who must prove that “Love your neighbor as yourself” is not a lost cause, but an achievable goal. If we demonstrate the merits of love of others in our own society, the world will not doubt our right to exist as a sovereign nation. On the contrary, it will preserve and cherish our sovereignty since it will see in us an example to follow, and it will want to learn from our example.
The future of our country does not depend on sophisticated defense systems. These are necessary for the time being. For a permanent solution, the guardian of our wall can only be our unity, our love for one another. It will protect us not because it deters others, but because it brings them closer to us and shows how they, too, can acquire today’s most required commodities: mutual responsibility and love of others.
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