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Yaakov Trump

The Hopeful Patience of Jewish History

(Image courtesy of author)

It was a tough moment for the Hebrews. After decades on unfair enslavement, they had finally been promised an end. Their savior appeared and valiantly confronted the Pharaoh demanding emancipation. Hopes were high and the end was in sight. But all that was dashed upon the sharp rocks of reality.

The Pharaoh had no interest in justice, mercy or the God of the Hebrews. He believed the unrest was a product of too much free time. So, he ordered for the supplies to straw to be removed but the quota of bricks to remain the same. This cruel decision worsened the daily condition of the Hebrews unimaginably. Which is why it makes sense to hear how they confronted their apparent savior, Moshe. They confronted him in the street and called God’s judgement upon Moshe for his meddling. Moshe, a deeply empathetic individual, feels the depth of the suffering of his people and turns back to God and asks in pain:

לָמָ֤ה הֲרֵעֹ֙תָה֙ לָעָ֣ם הַזֶּ֔ה לָ֥מָּה זֶּ֖ה שְׁלַחְתָּֽנִי׃

Why did you do bad to this people? Why did you send me?

The pain is immense and the situation seemingly unresolvable.

Those who missed the Boat

The response of God to Moshe is a strong one.[1]

עַתָּ֣ה תִרְאֶ֔ה אֲשֶׁ֥ר אֶֽעֱשֶׂ֖ה לְפַרְעֹ֑ה כִּ֣י בְיָ֤ד חֲזָקָה֙ יְשַׁלְּחֵ֔ם וּבְיָ֣ד חֲזָקָ֔ה יְגָרְשֵׁ֖ם מֵאַרְצֽוֹ׃

Now you will see what I will do to the Pharaoh, because with a strong hand he will send them forth and with a strong hand he will expel [the Hebrews] from his land.

The Talmud picks up on the only one unnecessary word in that sentence – Now – עַתָּ֣ה . The Talmud Bavli in Sanhedrin 111a explains that this word is exclusory. God is telling Moshe that all those who questioned the latest turn of events will see exodus from Egypt but will not be around to witness entering the land of Israel. It seems that their attitude now precluded their access to the holy land. But why? Why should the natural human reaction to a situation of pain have anything to do about entering the land of Israel?

The Pace of Living in Israel

R. Shimon Schwab[2] observes that living in Israel requires a different set of expectations to living elsewhere. The Torah[3] describes the entrance to the land of Israel as follows.

לֹ֧א אֲגָרְשֶׁ֛נּוּ מִפָּנֶ֖יךָ בְּשָׁנָ֣ה אֶחָ֑ת מְעַ֥ט מְעַ֛ט אֲגָרְשֶׁ֖נּוּ מִפָּנֶ֑יךָ

I will not expel the nations before you in one year… little by little I will remove them from before you.

The basic understanding of this statement is that God solves the problem of the land becoming void of human habitation, by ensuring a slow transition of powers. Perhaps these words teach us an even broader lesson about the pace of success in Israel – it takes time. It takes patience. It is not immediate.

Those who do not possess patience, and are troubled by the immediate ills of the day without knowing that full success has a longer horizon, are precluded from entering the land of Israel – the land of patience.

I found a lot of wisdom in the words of Ambassador David Friedman in a tweet he released this last week on January 14th.[4]

I am not smart enough to second guess a decision of the Prime Minister of Israel to make a deal for the return, albeit phased, of the hostages — especially when (1) that decision is endorsed by leadership of the IDF, the Shabak and the Mossad, (2) I have not been privy to the negotiations and don’t fully appreciate all the risks and benefits, and (3) the deal will not require Israel to end the war. I understand that reasonable minds may differ — this an agonizing and extremely difficult decision. Obviously, rescuing the hostages or making a deal for their return without freeing terrorists would be far better. But 15 months have passed and that does not appear to be achievable….let’s approach this with the humility, analysis, respect and compassion that such an extraordinarily difficult problem requires.

The Hostage Deal

It has been 470 consecutive days of the most unimaginable suffering of innocent Israelis taken hostage by the inhuman barbarians of the terrorist group Hamas. We have been praying for their release for one and half years unabatedly. We rejoice to see this finally happening, albeit slowly and painfully. We are happy for the families that will be reunited and for the soldiers who will be able to return from the battlefield to their lives. At the same time, we acknowledge that this was not the final defeat of the scourge on humanity, Hamas. We acknowledge that there were far more families who lost fathers, sons and husbands in this war than hostage families, and we pray that their sacrifice not be in vain.

We are living in that difficult space of partial advance. A step forward and a few steps backwards. But we are humbly confident that God has a plan and that plan takes time to unfold.

Patience and Hope

This quality is not just patience for the sake of patience. The characteristic we are examining actually has a word for it in Hebrew: תוחלת – hope and renewed effort.

We say this every Shabbos in our prayers[5]:

הִנֵּ֤ה עֵ֣ין ה’ אֶל־יְרֵאָ֑יו לַֽמְיַחֲלִ֥ים לְחַסְדּֽוֹ׃

Behold, the eye of God is upon those who fear Him, upon those who wait for His kindness.

These are the words the Torah describes when Noach was stuck in the ark surrounded by a world devastated by water.[6]

וַיָּ֣חֶל ע֔וֹד שִׁבְעַ֥ת יָמִ֖ים אֲחֵרִ֑ים וַיֹּ֛סֶף שַׁלַּ֥ח אֶת־הַיּוֹנָ֖ה מִן־הַתֵּבָֽה׃

Noah waited again another seven days and send the dove from the ark.

And even when the dove came back with the signs of life – an olive branch, he tried again.[7]

וַיִּיָּ֣חֶל ע֔וֹד שִׁבְעַ֥ת יָמִ֖ים אֲחֵרִ֑ים וַיְשַׁלַּח֙ אֶת־הַיּוֹנָ֔ה וְלֹֽא־יָסְפָ֥ה שׁוּב־אֵלָ֖יו עֽוֹד׃

And he waited another seven days and he released the dove and it no longer returned to him.

The world was destroyed. But life would continue. But it took time, patience and hope.

Judaism is the eternally optimistic religion. It has been through the worst and yet hopes for the best. It teaches that the process of settling the ancestral land of the Bible is slow and sometimes painful. But most importantly, it knows with certainty that the end will be as promised.

[1] Shmos 6:1

[2] Maayan Beis Hashoeva, Shmos 6:1

[3] Shmos 23:29-30

[4] https://x.com/DavidM_Friedman/status/1879381312878039044

[5] Tehillim 33:18

[6] Bereishis 8:10

[7] Bereishis 8:12

About the Author
Rabbi Ya’akov Trump serves as the Rabbi of the vibrant community of the Young Israel of Lawrence Cedarhurst. His mission is to share his passion for the Torah and its relevance in contemporary times. His innovations have led to numerous engaging programs in the community and beyond. He is a featured speaker on YUTorah.org, has his own Nach Yomi website, has a podcast and recently released his own App.
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