It is a Very, Very Good Land

It is a Very, Very Good Land

Published: Sunday, June 22, 2008 11:55 PM

Spies, spies and more spies.

We just read the Torah story of the twelve spies, ten of whom slandered Eretz Yisrael, preferring to remain in the desert rather than continue on to the holy land promised to Avraham, Yitzhak and Ya'akov, as well as to the rest of the people as they left Egypt.

That illness, infecting our national body, is still trying to eat away at the Jewish people. We witness this,
They decided who were the "good guys" and who were the "bad guys" even before the plane landed.
unfortunately, every day, with proposed "piece plans" based upon the principal of "land for peace." If these offers were authentic - attempting to achieve real peace, in other words, the Arabs agreeing to leave Israel for one of the 22 Islamic countries in the Middle East, or anywhere else in the world - we might be able to relate to them seriously. But as we all know, "land for peace" is a one-way street. Israel is expected to relinquish its homeland for promises written on paper, worth nothing more than that.

We experience such "spy stories" all the time here in Hebron. Attempts to expel us from our homes and property, Jewish homes, purchased or constructed, continue uninterrupted. We are still considered to be an "obstacle to peace."

Not too long ago, a group from one of our illustrious government offices visited Hebron. Standing at the Machpela Cave, discussing various possible improvements at the site, one of the young attorneys suddenly exclaimed, "But there's a problem here, because Ma'arat HaMachpela is registered as belonging to the Waqf, the Muslim religious trust." The Waqf represents the same people who prevented Jews and Christians from accessing this holy site for 700 years.

One of those present from Hebron replied, "I seem to recall someone else registered here, even before Mohammad. I believe Abraham was his name."

Classic spy. Just like those who cannot comprehend the value of a bunch of rocks taking precedence over peace. After all, that's what the Western Wall is, a wall of stones. Right?

For years, the Left, as we call them here, have been trying to infiltrate Hebron. Some of them are actually officially recognized by the State of Israel. TIPH, an internationally-affiliated observer organization, is certainly anti-Israel, anti-Hebron and might also be labeled anti-Semitic. I've written a number of articles about them over the years, the last of which was posted a few weeks ago.

However, they're not the only ones. Other foreign organizations, like CPT, invaded Hebron over a decade ago, aiding and abetting the enemy, assisting them however possible, while ignoring any Jewish rights or claims to Hebron. Without almost any prior knowledge about Hebron, they decided who were the "good guys" and who were the "bad guys" even before the plane landed.

Over the past few years, and particularly following the expulsion from Gush Katif, the Israeli Left has put Hebron in their sights. Organizations such as Breaking the Silence and Bnei Avraham have been described by Hebron police as being "more dangerous than the extreme Right." Their stated goals are "educational tours" of Hebron, but their actual aim is the destruction of Hebron's Jewish community. Funded by the European Union, the British embassy and others, including left-wing Jewish organizations, groups they bring into Hebron are taken to Arab houses where they view plays about Jewish "settler" oppression of "poor Palestinians," and hear various and numerous lies about the "ethnic cleansing" of Hebron. What the visitors are not told is that, in reality, it is the Jews who are being "ethnically cleansed" from Hebron, not the Arabs.

It is clear that the European Union is not funding Yehuda Sha'ul (as reported by an article by Donald Macintyre in the Independent on April 19) in order for him to show foreign and Israeli tourists a fun day in the sun. Recently, a group of anarchists, in coordination with Breaking the Silence, conducted a demonstration in Hebron carrying signs in Arabic and blocking the main road between Hebron and Kiryat Arba. As a result of this demonstration, the police banned the group from returning to Hebron. As a result of political pressure and intervention by the courts, the group may return to Hebron only in coordination with the police and security forces. A few days ago, they conducted a march with such Knesset members as Yossi Beilin and Zehava Gal'on, from Ma'arat HaMachpela to Tel Rumeida. They too, of course, visited a "poor Palestinian family."

Spies, spies and more spies.

But - and this is a big but - we have to remember that even amongst the spies there were two who rejected the rejection of Eretz Yisrael by their seeming compatriots. Joshua and Caleb stood up against the others and proclaimed:Eretz Yisrael is very, very good. It is written that Caleb arrived in Hebron to worship at Ma'arat HaMachpela and the spiritual energy he absorbed there allowed him to remain firm in his belief of a strong Jewish presence in the Land of Israel. He overcame the evil shortcomings of the ten spies who preferred the desert to the land.

Why did the spies reject Eretz Yisrael? Many reasons are given, but the one that seems to make the most sense is written in the holy Zohar. The spies, leaders of their people, realized that in Israel a new generation would take command and they would be retired from their leadership positions. They preferred their comfort to the good of the 
The Israeli Left has put Hebron in their sights.
Jewish people. For that, they were severely punished. The rest of the people, who believed their slander, spent the next forty years in the desert as punishment for their lack of faith. And more significantly, the impressions of their rejection of Eretz Yisrael has remained with us, through to the present.

However, just as Caleb and Joshua were a minority, but were right and were rewarded for their courage, and the Jews did finally come into Israel, so too today, right will overcome seeming might. All of those who believe, as they should, in the Jewish G-d-given right and legitimacy in Eretz Yisrael will be rewarded to see the fruits of their labor, and those who believe the opposite will face the disgrace of the ten spies who rejected G-d's word. In the end, it's not the numbers that count, not the quantity, rather the quality wins out. No doubt, the quality of our land far outweighs the quality of those who prefer to pussyfoot with our enemies, whose desire is to again exile us and destroy the Jewish state of Israel.

We will follow in the footsteps of the good spies, Caleb and Joshua, and repeat, time and time again: it is a very, very good land.