Before the time of Rav Moshe Feinstein zt”l, the posek and gadol hador in America was Rav Yoseph Eliyahu Henkin zt”l.
Way back in April of 1967, war was in the air. Israelis feared that the impending war would bring the destruction of the 19 year old state of Israel. The running morbid joke was, the last one to leave should shut off the lights. Around 10,000 graves were dug so that there would be no delays in burial, rachmana litzlan.
Rav Henkin zt”l wrote a message of unity. Below is that message. It ran in the April 4 edition (1967) of The Jewish Press. Every word is as applicable today as it was 56 years ago. Then, baruch Hashem, we experienced nissim and niflaos (miracles). This is what he wrote:
Rabbi Joseph Elia Jenkin
When Jacob was persecuted he prepared himself for three things: prayer, a gift and war. But he did not employ war, prayer and a gift saved him from war.
All the world knows that in Eretz Israel, Heaven forbid, there is the danger of war. All should realize that the fate of Klal Yisroel is today deeply involved with Eretz Yisroel.
At a time like this, it is essential that every Jew gird himself and, with all his might, assist Torah institutions in Eretz Yisroel as well as every individual because help to individuals is also a help to the entire land.
Most destructions of the past came about from hunger. That is why assistance must come in order to prevent destructions. When one speaks of assistance one means principally aid from America, where one can expect economic as well as political help.
Although in normal times Jews often permit themselves to have a variety of opinions, we must now, in view of the great peril, overlook much, and stand together against the peril with united forces. Within our religious camp itself one must surely silence as quickly as possible the disputes which have recently arisen over small matters and indeed in great and sacred places such actions can only bring destruction and chillul Hashem.
Our sages, z”l, say that in times of danger a man should not go in the middle of the way, but in the by-ways. This may be a hint that although in normal times one can only permit one’s self to go in the middle of the road, separately from others. In times of danger it is forbidden to go one’s separate way, but one must go together with everyone if that will contribute to deliverance, even together with the irregulars, and also with the non-Jews.
So we see in the Tanach that the prophets supported even the sinful kings, when it was a case of defending Jews in time of war. Similarly, the Sages cooperated and worked with the fighters, rebels of Israel during the wars against the Romans, although the Sages surely did not agree with their ideas or with their conduct.
Scholars have always been known as those “who enhance peace in the world.” If today’s scholars and gedolim had not placed themselves at a distance from governmental authorities in Israel, they would have provided everyone an example for peace, and they might have influenced the authorities not to take any hasty steps.
At this time, then, it is more than ever necessary to overlook all other interests, however great and important they might be, and to unite with Klal Yisroel, with all elements that wish to go together and even with gentiles, for one purpose—to save Israel from war.
Our increased assistance to the government of Israel will also help to keep the government in line, so that it will not take any hasty steps against the faith, either.
In general, we must not arouse any enmity towards Jews. It is better to allow ourselves to be persuaded that we are friends, even if we know otherwise, because that way one becomes friends. But when you say to someone that he is an enemy he really becomes an enemy. This has brought great trouble to Jews in the past as well as today. Let us not look for enemies but for friends and let us believe everyone who says he is a friend.
Our Sages say: Joseph gave his successors a sign, that the deliverer will begin with certain words “I will remember.” It is not the words but their content.
First of all it rejects the way of the bnei Ephraim, who wished to burst out suddenly by a war against everybody. “Pikud Pikdosi” means little by little, slowly. It means that one should not rely wholly on one’s own forces, but should go in God’s way, which is the way of peace, together with exerting one’s own efforts.
The word “pikdah” in Hebrew also means to miss, to let fall, as in the phrase “not one man of us was missing.” That means that in times of trouble one may, for the sake of deliverance, let fall, give up a little from one’s normal principles, for example, separatism, in order to help the condition of peace in Israel.
All these things I once indicated with the verse “And they did not listen to Moses, from shortness of breath (spirit) and from hard labor.” Shortness of spirit also means impatience, refusing to wait until later. This was the way of the Bnei Ephraim, which brought no good.
“And from hard labor” means simply that Moses cast upon the rich the duty to feed the poor. For when Moses began to speak of deliverance, Pharoah discontinued the forced labor and also stopped providing the Jews with food in order to break their move toward deliverance. So Moses had to persuade the rich Jews to feed the poor Jews. That is how the Gaon of Vilna translates the verse: “Speak to the people and let them ask every man of his neighbor-articles of silver and gold,” that the Jews were told to ask such articles of other Jews. And the rich Jews were indeed originally reluctant, and refused, but in the end, they accepted it, and this brought the deliverance. That way can now too bring deliverance and redemption.
We must now pray for the United States, a land in which we live and benefit from and which intervenes on Israel’s behalf.
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