Gaza - The Second Emuna War

With all their good intentions, neither the Government nor the IDF understands what the war in Gaza is all about, just as they didn't understand what the war in Lebanon was all about in the summer of 2006. In all fairness to the Government and the IDF, not even the Winograd commission, whose task was to investigate Israel's setbacks in the War of 2006, understood what the war was all about. No one looked at the war through spiritual eyes. No one asked what Hashem is trying to communicate to us.

Israel of 2008 is just as spiritually blind as Israel of 2006. From the spiritual root of the conflict in 2006, the Government and the IDF have learned nothing and are therefore making the same mistakes now in the last hours of 2008.

The Second Lebanon War of 2006 should have been called the First Emuna War. As we said several times then, the spiritual balance of arms back then was Nasralla and the Hizbolla with a stalwart 96 score in Dark-side Emuna, and the the Israeli Government with a confused, unprepared, and flabby IDF with a score of no more than 20 in emuna, having drifted far away from the values of Torah, self-respect, and appreciation of our inheritance of the Land of Israel. This was the same government and army who took pride in the surrender, dismantling, and exile of Jewish Gaza. This was the the same government and army that scoffed at the "prophets of doom" that warned against the Disengagement. This was the the same government and army that thought they could bully Nasralla and the Hizbolla with the same ease that they bullied the pioneers of Gush Katif and Amona. They were in for a big surprise when they failed so miserably in the war, leaving the entire North of Israel an unprotected sitting duck for Hizbolla's missiles. Despite Israel's superior armaments, it lost the war simply because of its lack of emuna. When you don't believe in what you're doing, and when you fear the UN, the Quartet, and Uncle Sam more than you fear Hashem, it's impossible to win any war, especially a war that's all about emuna.

Today's war in Gaza should be called the Second Emuna War. Although we're fighting a different front and a different enemy, there is spiritually no difference between today's war against the Hamas and the war two years ago against the Hizbolla. Gaza is controlled by the Hamas just as Southern Lebanon is controlled by Hizbolla. Both are highly motivated, totally dedicated suicide fighters with a grade of 96 in evil, dark-side emuna. They will happily kill or die for their vicious beliefs, which include butchering all infidels, especially those of the Israeli Jewish variety. Olmert, Livni, and Barak remain at their low level 20 emuna, and that's giving them the benefit of the doubt for eating latkes on Chanuka and matzas on Pesach. Their conviction, goal, dedication, and singleness of purpose cannot compete in the same league with either Hizbolla or Hamas.

Let's add the missing part that will make our puzzle picture clear - Hashem. Hashem is exposing Israel's weaknesses one by one:

1. Israel has no defense against missiles from Gaza, as we are now so painfully seeing across the south of Israel just as our brothers in the north of Israel saw in the summer of 2006.

2. Israel has no clear objectives in Gaza, just as they had no clear objectives in Lebanon. What's the goal? To destroy Hamas? Hamas is not a ruling party - it's a grass-roots movement of devout Moslems. As the Torah tells us, they live by the sword - they can't be destroyed by conventional weaponry. Hi-tech armaments can't blow up an ideology.

3. Israel is deathly afraid of a ground assault; this is apparent in the Government and Defense Establishment's loss of momentum, excessive and contradictive rhetoric, and lack of conviction to fight the vicious war on the booby-trapped Gaza turf. That is also why they're trying to sign a truce.

4. In effect, the military arm of Hamas - Izzadin Kassim - is relatively unscathed and underground. Only a long and bloody campaign can flush them out of Gaza. They know that and are therefore praying five times a day that Israel attack Gaza on the ground.

As the world gets closer to Moshiach, it becomes more spiritual. The People of Israel must make a full and complete return to Hashem in order to win this war, because winning will require a long list of miracles, commodities that aren't produced in Israel's munitions factories. If the Hamas scores 96 in dark-side emuna, we must score at least 97.

If Hamas believes in its Jihad and Koran more than we believe in Hashem and His Torah, then our entire beloved homeland will be called Palestine, and they'll rule until Moshiach comes.

If we believe more in Hashem and His Torah than Hamas believes in its Jihad and Koran, then our holy and beloved homeland will forever be known as the Land of Israel, and we'll all be greeting Moshiach with a smile. Emuna is the key to victory in this war, and nothing more.

Don't forget just how badly we need Hashem's help; we still haven't dealt with Iran and Hizbolla, each of whom is umteen times more powerful that Hamas. Time to arouse from our slumber and to return to Hashem. There's no other way.

Source