A leader must do what a leader has to do

The "pacifist" ideal has captured our nation. This is nothing new; the invasion began decades ago. For instance, Golda Meir was very proud of her 1969 statement:
"When peace comes we will perhaps in time be able to forgive the Arabs for killing our sons, but it will be harder for us to forgive them for having forced us to kill their sons."

Menachem Begin considered himself a proper gentleman by not replacing government appointees who opposed him, with those who supported him, when in 1977, after nineteen years as leader of the opposition, he was finally elected Prime Minister of Israel. In addition he never demanded retribution or even apologies from the Labor/Haganah/Palmach for the Sezon crime and the Altalena attack, among other wrongs they did to Begin and the Revisionists.

This past Shabbat, Vayichi, as I was reading the Haftarat Parshat Vaychi - Melachim I 2:1-12, which shows us the dying King David's final instructions to his son Shlomo, Solomon, who was to succeed him, I found myself thinking of what has been happening here in Israel.

Just a few verses earlier, King David is depicted as apathetic and totally oblivious to what what happening around him. Not even a ravishing young maiden could get him to warm up and take an interest. Then Batsheva entered the room, his true love, the woman he risked his throne for, the one whose son he had promised would succeed him as King.

In this past week's Haftara, (the entire chapter is at the end of the post), we read the instructions King David, suddenly showing the vision and strength of his youth, gave his son. He demanded courage and leadership, unflinching determination and also revenge.

Yes, revenge! King David instructed his young son to execute a number of people who would be dangerous to his rule. Shlomo even had to kill Joab the son of Zeruiah, who was David's nephew, Solomon's older cousin. For Solomon to successfully rule, he couldn't leave such a powerful and potentially disloyal person as Yoav alive. King David could control him, but Yoav would be a danger to Solomon. According to modern propriety, this sounds horrendously immoral. But being a true leader is doing what has to be done to protect one's people, without worrying about what others think.

By inaugurating his rule with such a masterful act, Shlomo Hamelech guaranteed himself loyalty and security. And he also showed himself a true descendant of Yehuda, who bravely "stepped up to the viceroy of Egypt" to protect his youngest brother.

We are being ruled by politicians who are desperately trying to please the world rather than do what's best for our country, our Land, our People. When we hear politicians defend dangerous policies, because the world will like us better, you know we're in trouble.

Many of us thought that the Likud, founded by the Revisionists, former Jewish "underground" leaders from the Etzel and Lechi, would be the politicians to lead our country best, but there has been only disappointment and tragedy.

Chazal (our sages) tell us that nothing is just by chance; it's all due to the hand of G-d. And it's true. Last night traveling home, I ended up in a ride driven by a friend who has done much for Eretz Yisrael (the Land of Israel.) We found ourselves talking about just this topic, and she reminded me of something important.

"The Revisionist were never a "settlement" movement."

"Yes," I agreed. "They were more intellectual, philosophers. Their image as strong militants came from the nasty things said by the Labor Zionists, like when they were accused of murdering Alosoroff."

Their Etzel and Lechi were very small groups of activists of diverse life-styles. They united against the British. Once the State of Israel came into being, their political power was very marginal. It wasn't until the North African Jews began to vote for the Likud in great numbers that the government was able to change, and Menachem Begin became Prime Minister.

Unfortunately, Begin, instead of being the Menachem Begin people had voted for, decided to be a "diplomat" and appoint his opponent, Moshe Dayan, as Foreign Minister. The result was, that Moshe Dayan, who had always opposed Begin and everything he stood for, was instrumental in drawing up the Camp David Accords which demanded that Israel withdraw from the Sinai and destroy all Jewish communities there, the precedent for Disengagement. The ironic thing is that some of those very same Jewish communities destroyed due to Disengagement were established as compensation for the Sinai withdrawal. I remember visiting the original Atzmona yeshiva before Israel gave the Sinai to Egypt.

Personally, it has always bothered me that people use the term "peace" for something like the Begin-Carter-Sadat Camp David Agreement, since if it really was peace they had intended, then Jews could have remained living there freely, and there never would have been any destruction of Jewish homes and communities.

Sadly, today I don't see any true leader to take up the reigns as a descendant of Yehuda, David and Shlomo, but G-d willing, just like Shmuel found the modest shepherd, David, our new "David" will emerge from wherever he or she is now.

B'mhaira biyameinu!

Speedily in our days!

I must thank my husband for helping with the research!

1 Kings
Chapter 2
2:1 Now the days of David drew nigh that he should die; and he charged Solomon his son, saying:
2:2 'I go the way of all the earth; be thou strong therefore, and show thyself a man;
2:3 and keep the charge of the Lord thy God, to walk in His ways, to keep His statutes, and His commandments, and His ordinances, and His testimonies, according to that which is written in the law of Moses, that thou mayest prosper in all that thou doest, and whithersoever thou turnest thyself;
2:4 that the Lord may establish His word which He spoke concerning me, saying: If thy children take heed to their way, to walk before Me in truth with all their heart and with all their soul, there shall not fail thee, said He, a man on the throne of Israel.
2:5 Moreover thou knowest also what Joab the son of Zeruiah did unto me, even what he did to the two captains of the hosts of Israel, unto Abner the son of Ner and unto Amasa the son of Jether, whom he slew, and shed the blood of war in peace, and put the blood of war upon his girdle that was about his loins, and in his shoes that were on his feet.
2:6 Do therefore according to thy wisdom, and let not his hoar head go down to the grave in peace.
2:7 But show kindness unto the sons of Barzillai the Gileadite, and let them be of those that eat at thy table; for so they drew nigh unto me when I fled from Absalom thy brother.
2:8 And, behold, there is with thee Shimei the son of Gera, the Benjamite, of Bahurim, who cursed me with a grievous curse in the day when I went to Mahanaim; but he came down to meet me at the Jordan, and I swore to him by the Lord, saying: I will not put thee to death with the sword.
2:9 Now therefore hold him not guiltless, for thou art a wise man; and thou wilt know what thou oughtest to do unto him, and thou shalt bring his hoar head down to the grave with blood.'
2:10 And David slept with his fathers, and was buried in the city of David.
2:11 And the days that David reigned over Israel were forty years: seven years reigned he in Hebron, and thirty and three years reigned he in Jerusalem.
2:12 And Solomon sat upon the throne of David his father; and his kingdom was established firmly.
2:13 Then Adonijah the son of Haggith came to Bath-sheba the mother of Solomon. And she said: 'Comest thou peaceably?' And he said: 'Peaceably.'
2:14 He said moreover: 'I have somewhat to say unto thee.' And she said: 'Say on.'
2:15 And he said: 'Thou knowest that the kingdom was mine, and that all Israel set their faces on me, that I should reign; howbeit the kingdom is turned about, and is become my brother's; for it was his from the Lord.
2:16 And now I ask one petition of thee, deny me not.' And she said unto him: 'Say on.'
2:17 And he said: 'Speak, I pray thee, unto Solomon the king--for he will not say thee nay--that he give me Abishag the Shunammite to wife.'
2:18 And Bath-sheba said: 'Well; I will speak for thee unto the king.'
2:19 Bath-sheba therefore went unto king Solomon, to speak unto him for Adonijah. And the king rose up to meet her, and bowed down unto her, and sat down on his throne, and caused a throne to be set for the king's mother; and she sat on his right hand.
2:20 Then she said: 'I ask one small petition of thee; deny me not.' And the king said unto her: 'Ask on, my mother; for I will not deny thee.'
2:21 And she said: 'Let Abishag the Shunammite be given to Adonijah thy brother to wife.'
2:22 And king Solomon answered and said unto his mother: 'And why dost thou ask Abishag the Shunammite for Adonijah? ask for him the kingdom also; for he is mine elder brother; even for him, and for Abiathar the priest, and for Joab the son of Zeruiah.'
2:23 Then king Solomon swore by the Lord, saying: 'God do so to me, and more also, if Adonijah have not spoken this word against his own life.
2:24 Now therefore as the Lord liveth, who hath established me, and set me on the throne of David my father, and who hath made me a house, as He promised, surely Adonijah shall be put to death this day.'
2:25 And king Solomon sent by the hand of Benaiah the son of Jehoiada; and he fell upon him, so that he died.
2:26 And unto Abiathar the priest said the king: 'Get thee to Anathoth, unto thine own fields; for thou art deserving of death; but I will not at this time put thee to death, because thou didst bear the ark of the L-rd GOD before David my father, and because thou wast afflicted in all wherein my father was afflicted.'
2:27 So Solomon thrust out Abiathar from being priest unto the Lord; that the word of the Lord might be fulfilled, which He spoke concerning the house of Eli in Shiloh.
2:28 And the tidings came to Joab; for Joab had turned after Adonijah, though he turned not after Absalom. And Joab fled unto the Tent of the Lord, and caught hold on the horns of the altar.
2:29 And it was told king Solomon: 'Joab is fled unto the Tent of the Lord, and, behold, he is by the altar.' Then Solomon sent Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, saying: 'Go, fall upon him.'
2:30 And Benaiah came to the Tent of the Lord, and said unto him: 'Thus saith the king: Come forth.' And he said: 'Nay; but I will die here.' And Benaiah brought back word unto the king, saying: 'Thus said Joab, and thus he answered me.'
2:31 And the king said unto him: 'Do as he hath said, and fall upon him, and bury him; that thou mayest take away the blood, which Joab shed without cause, from me and from my father's house.
2:32 And the Lord will return his blood upon his own head, because he fell upon two men more righteous and better than he, and slew them with the sword, and my father David knew it not: Abner the son of Ner, captain of the host of Israel, and Amasa the son of Jether, captain of the host of Judah.
2:33 So shall their blood return upon the head of Joab, and upon the head of his seed for ever; but unto David, and unto his seed, and unto his house, and unto his throne, shall there be peace for ever from the Lord.'
2:34 Then Benaiah the son of Jehoiada went up, and fell upon him, and slew him; and he was buried in his own house in the wilderness.
2:35 And the king put Benaiah the son of Jehoiada in his room over the host; and Zadok the priest did the king put in the room of Abiathar.
2:36 And the king sent and called for Shimei, and said unto him: Build thee a house in Jerusalem, and dwell there, and go not forth thence any whither.
2:37 For on the day thou goest out, and passest over the brook Kidron, know thou for certain that thou shalt surely die; thy blood shall be upon thine own head.'
2:38 And Shimei said unto the king: 'The saying is good; as my lord the king hath said, so will thy servant do.' And Shimei dwelt in Jerusalem many days.
2:39 And it came to pass at the end of three years, that two of the servants of Shimei ran away unto Achish, son of Maacah, king of Gath. And they told Shimei, saying: 'Behold, thy servants are in Gath.'
2:40 And Shimei arose, and saddled his ass, and went to Gath to Achish, to seek his servants; and Shimei went, and brought his servants from Gath.
2:41 And it was told Solomon that Shimei had gone from Jerusalem to Gath, and was come back.
2:42 And the king sent and called for Shimei, and said unto him: 'Did I not make thee to swear by the Lord, and forewarned thee, saying: Know for certain, that on the day thou goest out, and walkest abroad any whither, thou shalt surely die? and thou saidst unto me: The saying is good; I have heard it.
2:43 Why then hast thou not kept the oath of the Lord, and the commandment that I have charged thee with?'
2:44 The king said moreover to Shimei: 'Thou knowest all the wickedness which thy heart is privy to, that thou didst to David my father; therefore the Lord shall return thy wickedness upon thine own head.
2:45 But king Solomon shall be blessed, and the throne of David shall be established before the Lord for ever.'
2:46 So the king commanded Benaiah the son of Jehoiada; and he went out, and fell upon him, so that he died. And the kingdom was established in the hand of Solomon.