Faith-Based Diplomacy

Imagine you call the plumber because your kitchen sink is backed up. He arrives, and pulls out of his toolbox a stethoscope and scalpel. Or how about a converse scenario: you arrive at the emergency room with a broken ankle and the doctor produces a plumbing snake and a pipe wrench...

Every tool has its appropriate time and place, and a functioning society relies on professionals utilizing the tools of their respective trades.

The same holds true with our leaders.

It is the task of our spiritual leaders and clergy to inspire us to have faith. The Zohar refers to Moses as a raya mehemna, "faithful shepherd," which also translates as "a shepherd of faith"—a title he earned because he infused his generation with faith in G‑d. Concepts such as G‑d, the inherent goodness of humanity and Divine providence can not be empirically proven. But our nation has survived thousands of challenging years due to the efforts of spiritual giants who sustained and nurtured our faith.

In the absence of logical cause, what drives Israel to pursue the path of concessions?Political leaders have a decidedly different assignment. They govern based on logistics, proven precedent, and an often unpleasant reality. It would be a dereliction of duty on their part to base their policies on faith. Imagine if in the face of an impending hurricane, in lieu of an evacuation plan the government would advise the citizenry to pray and have faith? Or perhaps the president should address the nation and advise them to "assume a positive mindset" about rising healthcare coverage?

Yet the politicians handling the Israeli-Palestinian Middle East conflict seem to have an unhealthy affinity for the role of the rabbinate.

Here are the facts as I see them: thirty years of concessions and peace overtures by Israel have not placated her enemies, nor have they brought peace and security. Instead, these have accomplished the exact opposite. To this date, all the peace accords and "painful concessions" have not brought us one inch closer to peace. Thousands of our innocent brethren have been murdered by Palestinian terrorism since the signing of the "historic" Oslo Accords in 1993. Withdrawals from Southern Lebanon and Gaza have brought deadly rockets on Ashkelon, Haifa and Safed. Gaza is now a hotbed of radical terrorism, and Israel is still subjected to daily rocket attacks.

Truces and ceasefires have been repeatedly used by the enemy as ploys, temporary breaks in hostilities used to regroup and rearm. Talks and summits have empowered and emboldened our enemies, who sense weakness and a willingness to concede.

In the absence of logical cause to proceed on this dangerous avenue, what drives Israel's elected leaders to pursue the path of concessions? Well the alternative to logic is faith. Faith that there must be some way, somehow, to induce individuals who have reiterated on many occasions their determination to wipe Israel off the map to allow us to live in peace. Faith that although they have asked for the entire hand (the entire land), we can satisfy them with a finger (autonomy, or parcels of land). Faith that a centuries-long track record of anti-Semitism can be reversed. Oh, and by definition, faith cannot be questioned or disproven.

I've often heard the question: "Why are rabbis voicing opinions regarding political policy, matters that are not their field of expertise?" Perhaps the question should be in the inverse: why are politicians so consumed with faith—shouldn't they leave that to the rabbis?

See also Land for "Peace"