"Nobody can ignore the damage done by religious Zionism to the State of Israel. Without the settlement enterprise, it's possible that peace would already rule here.... Mercaz HaRav produced rabbis who led to the most harmful processes in the history of Zionism."


So goes the "eulogy" of Gideon Levy, brain-dead hack columnist for Ha'aretz, for the eight students killed at

Take a glimpse at what religious Zionist youth are learning this Purim.

Mercaz HaRav. It is worthwhile to take a glimpse at what religious Zionist youth are learning this Purim, to understand what motivates the kipot serugot and the settlement movement, and what we think of the present situation.


"Rava viewed the following to be the key to understanding the Megillah, and began his discourse on the Megillah thus: 'When the righteous rule (translation of Ralbag, Metzudot David) the people rejoice, but when the wicked hold sway, the nation sighs in agony (Proverbs 29:2). The rule of the righteous refers to Mordechai and Esther, as it says: "And Mordechai went out from the king in royal garments... and the Jews had light and happiness." (Megillah 8:15-16) And the reign of the wicked refers to Haman....' Shmuel began his discourse thus: '"I (the Almighty) will not reject them not abhor them to destroy them." (Vayikra 26:44) ...In the time to come, when no nation or tongue will be able to subjugate them.' Rabbi Levi started thus: '"But if you will not drive out the inhabitants of the land before you... and it shall come to pass that as I thought to do to them, I will do to you."' (Bamidbar 33:55-56)." (from the Talmud, Megillah 11a)


It is obvious from the above that these sages viewed shilton, rule and dominion, as a central theme in the Megillah; so much so, that "every reference to hamelech, the king, in the Megillah refers to the Lord Almighty," the King of Kings, who bestows dominion on human kings (see above, Ralbag). In his consideration of the Megillah, the Slonimer Rebbe (Netivot Shalom, "Purim," page 61) begins his derasha thus:


"'Asher yishltu HaYehudim heima b'soneihem,' (Megillah 9:1); and the Jews ruled over their enemies. For this is the mitzvah of Purim: wiping out Amalek, which is none other than the rule of Evil over Man. This eradication of Shilton HaRa and establishment of Shilton HaTov (rule of good) hinges on two matters of faith. One is faith that it is not possible that evil shall hold dominion in this world. This is why in the song Shoshanat Yaakov, we sing 'that those who hope in You, will not be frustrated nor shamed forever.' For now, maybe there is some frustration, but not forever, for certainly in the end Good will triumph. And this gave Mordechai the stamina to 'not bow and not bend' to Haman (Megillah 3:2). His belief in the holiness (kedusha) and eternity (nitzchiyut) of Am Yisrael was so great that it was crystal-clear to him that in no way was he putting himself or the nation in danger, for there was no possibility of Haman destroying the Jews (i.e., of the ultimate triumph of Evil).


"'Revach VaHatzala yaamod laYehudim mimakom acher,' (Megillah 4:14) - salvation is sure to come... When Mordechai saw that Evil was raising its head to hold sway, he refused to make peace with such a turn of events, 'tore his clothes, sat is ashes and went out into the city raising a great outcry.' (ibid 4:1)"


Is it any wonder that after being brought up on thoughts like these, religious Zionists can look at the matzav, the present situation in Israel, and raise an outcry of protest? We refuse to make peace with terrorists. The Left can turn Jew-killers into peace-partners and into "Prime Ministers of the PA," but we will raise an outcry. Is it any

We refuse to make peace with terrorists.

wonder that Tzvia Sarel and dozens of others have become modern Mordechais, refusing to bow to a government and establishment that protects anti-Semites and grants them equal rights to Jews in the Holy Land, which is ours to rule?


Instead of ruling over non-Jews who accept our rule (shilton), and "driving out the inhabitants" who refuse that rule, we threw Jews out of Gush Katif, and threaten Migron with the same. Is it any wonder that the kipot serugot, 12-15% of the public (in G. Levy's estimate), have no respect for the brain-dead Left, which ran out of Lebanon and Gush Katif, thereby bringing on the 2006 Lebanon War (with missiles on Haifa and Tiberias) and an ongoing barrage of Kassams on Sderot, Ashkelon, etc.? And yet that same Left proclaims that they want to throw more Jews out of their homes and businesses, furthering Shilton HaRa in this land.


It's time for a sober assessment of the question: Which was better, right-wing rule (shilton) from 1967-1992 or left-wing hefkerut (utter lack of control) from 1993-now. Are we safer now than we were in 1992? Were our soldiers better off in 1987-1992, when they faced rioting Arabs who had only rocks; or better off now, with the barbarians armed with Kalashnikovs (and are able to spray any yeshiva, cafe, bus or home in the land)? Only the brain-dead can answer that Oslo and the Roadmap is the preferred way.


The Slonimer Rebbe continues: "The second pillar of emunah (faith) that we see in the Megillah, is faith in the eternal love of the Almighty for the Jewish people. As we read on Purim morning, the only reason that the Jews were attacked by Amalek (Evil) is because they entertained the doubt, 'Is God among us or not?' (Shmot 17:7 -8) The remedy was via the power of the faith of Mordechai and Esther that even if the decree had already been signed and sealed by the king (and by the King of Kings), they were sure of the Almighty's love and salvation."


Of course, nobody, not religious Zionist nor Hareidi, would be naive enough to think that faith alone will subdue our enemies. The Aznayim L'Torah (Hadeiah v'Hadibur, vol. 2, drush 2, p. 27) even laments that we had no armed forces in World War II to go to battle against the worst Amalek yet seen on the face of the earth. He notes that in the Purim morning Torah reading it was a double war of Moshe's Emunah (arms outstretched to God) and Yehoshua's soldiers against the physical-spiritual war that Amalek presented (as did the Nazis). Written during the War, he even asserts that just as ancient Amalek was sent against us "as we were on the road from Egypt" to Sinai and the Holy Land, so too the Nazis were a corresponding historical evil counterforce against shivat Zion, the 20th-century "return of the holy people to their Holy Land."


These are the thoughts that fill our hearts and souls this Purim, as we mourn our dead and celebrate our ancient, and ultimate, triumph.