This article is translated from www.chabad.org. Click here to see the original in English.
Imagine calling a plumber because your kitchen drain is clogged. When he arrives, he pulls a stethoscope and a scalpel out of his toolbox. Or the reverse scenario: you arrive at the hospital emergency room with a broken elbow, and the doctor pulls out a drain snake and an adjustable wrench…
Every tool has its proper place and time, and a functional society relies on professionals using the tools of their respective trades.
The same applies to our leaders.
The role of our spiritual leaders and clergy is to inspire us to have faith. The Zohar refers to Moshe as raia mehemna, «the faithful shepherd,» which can also be translated as «the shepherd of faith»—a title he earned because he instilled faith in God in his generation. Concepts such as God, the inherent goodness of humanity, and Divine providence cannot be empirically proven. But our nation survived thousands of challenging years thanks to the efforts of spiritual giants who sustained and nurtured our faith.
In the absence of logical reasons, what compels Israel to continue down the path of concessions? Political leaders have a decidedly different task. They govern based on logic, proven track records, and often unpleasant realities. It would be a dereliction of duty on their part to base their policies on faith. Imagine, facing an impending hurricane, in the midst of an evacuation plan, the government recommending that citizens pray and have faith… Or perhaps the president addressing the nation and recommending that they «adopt a positive mindset» regarding increasing free medical coverage…
However, the politicians who manage the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in the Middle East seem to have an unhealthy affinity for the role of the rabbinate.
These are the facts as I see them: Thirty years of Israel’s concessions and peace proposals have not appeased its enemies, nor have they brought peace and security. Instead, they have achieved the exact opposite. To this day, all the peace agreements and «painful concessions» have not brought us one inch closer to peace. Thousands of our innocent brothers have been killed by Palestinian terrorism since the signing of the «historic» Oslo Accords in 1993. The withdrawals from southern Lebanon and Gaza have brought deadly missile strikes to Ashkelon, Haifa, and Safed. Gaza is now a hotbed of radical terrorism, and Israel is subjected to daily missile attacks.
Truces and ceasefires have been repeatedly used by the enemy as tactics, temporary breaks in hostilities used to regroup and rearm. Talks and summits have empowered and emboldened our enemies, who feel weak and willing to concede.
In the absence of a logical reason to continue down this dangerous path, what compels Israel's elected leaders to persist in making concessions? Well, the alternative to logic is faith. Faith that there must be some way to induce individuals who have repeatedly stated their determination to wipe Israel off the map to let us live in peace. Faith that even though they have demanded the whole hand (the entire land), we can satisfy them with a finger (autonomy, or portions of the land). Faith that a centuries-long record of antisemitism can be reversed. Oh, and by definition, faith cannot be questioned or proven wrong.
I often heard the question: "Why do rabbis offer opinions on political matters, issues that are outside their area of expertise?" Perhaps the question should be the other way around: Why are politicians so consumed by faith? Shouldn't they leave that to the rabbis?.