Rabbi Mordechai Eliyahu: It Will Not Be (Hayo Lo Tihye)

This is an article that was published in the Mayanei HaYeshua parsha sheet, volume 213, Parshat Shoftim, 6 Elul 5765. I could not find the original Hebrew version online. If anyone finds it please let me know. The translation that follows is mine, except for verses from the Bible which are from the Jewish Publication Society's 1917 edition of the Hebrew Bible in English. Every translation is an interpretation, where the translator has to pick a word or phrase from a number of possibilities. Sometimes faithfulness to the original has to be sacrificed because of considerations of style and idiom. I believe that I captured the essence of what the Rabbi wrote, but in no way is this translation authoritative. That being said, drumroll....

It Will Not Be

We said and prayed and hoped and cried, "It will not be." We repeat and say, "It will not be." G-d swore to our fathers Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob that this land will be ours. 1900 years we did not lose the faith and the trust that we will return to here, that "not one word of Your words will return unfulfilled." Blessed be G-d, we have returned to the land of Israel according to G-d's promise to our teacher Moses 3300 years ago. "That then the L-RD thy G-d will turn thy captivity, and have compassion upon thee, and will return and gather thee from all the peoples, whither the L-RD thy G-d hath scattered thee. If any of thine that are dispersed be in the uttermost parts of heaven, from thence will the L-RD thy G-d gather thee, and from thence will He fetch thee. (Deuteronomy 30:3-4)

We merited to see the beginning of the fulfillment of this promise and we are confident that we will merit to see the fulfillment of G-d’s prophecy in its entirety. "And the L-RD thy G-d will bring thee into the land which thy fathers possessed, and thou shalt possess it; and He will do thee good, and multiply thee above thy fathers. And the L-RD thy G-d will circumcise thy heart, and the heart of thy seed, to love the LORD thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, that thou mayest live. (Deuteronomy 30:5-6).

We are confident with regards to the fulfillment of G-d's promise. Because of it we pray. From its strength we came into the land, it gave us the strength to build, plant, and sow. From the midst of this certainty we pray for the continuation of its fulfillment.

Our struggle with regards to our settlement in Gush Katif also was also derived from this faith. It is impossible to fight without faith. It is impossible to fight without determination. It is impossible to fight from the midst of doubt. One must fight from the midst of trust (in G-d). And in truth the thing of utter importance in this struggle was the trust and faith that accompanied it the entire way. In the end, to our dismay, we lost the homes and the settlements, the orchards and the greenhouses, the Torah academies and the study halls, all of the special beauty of the Gush Katif settlements. But we did not lose the faith and the trust (in G-d). We did not lose hope. We were not partners to the destruction of the settlements. We were not partners to this awful wanton transgression.

It is correct that some of us lost part of his property, (however) the vast majority was saved. It is true that we are sitting today in hotels and not in our homes. However, "the money and the possessions” were never the main thing in our lives, they were important but they were secondary. The main thing for us was life, education, faith, and the way (of life). We went out from there with all of our values. We did not compromise on anything. We fought for our way (of life) till the last minute. We did not bend our ways because of weakness and weariness, surrender and compromises.

He who went out with his faith (intact) is able to continue, to build, to succeed, and to return (to himself) what was lost on the way. He who lost faith but kept (his) possessions, for him (life) is difficult. We continue with faith. We continue to say, "It will not be." We know that the path of surrender has no chance. There is no chance for a path that goes against the word of the living G-d. There is no chance to go against G-d's oath to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

Many leaders arose in history that went against the word of G-d. They perished and their way perished, but "the word of our G-d will prevail forever."

We will return to Gush Katif in a greater and wider fashion. With the help of G-d we will dwell there in great security, with tranquility, and peace, serenity and safety. Amen may it be His will.