Peace Treaties With The Arabs Are Forbidden, Written in The Bible

Yesterday in synagogue I saw it, towards the end of the week's parsha, Torah Portion of the Week:

ב וּנְתָנָם יְהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ, לְפָנֶיךָ--וְהִכִּיתָם: הַחֲרֵם תַּחֲרִים אֹתָם, לֹא-תִכְרֹת לָהֶם בְּרִית וְלֹא תְחָנֵּם.

2 and when the LORD thy God shall deliver them up before thee, and thou shalt smite them; then thou shalt utterly destroy them; thou shalt make no covenant with them, nor show mercy unto them;

וָאֶתְחַנַּן, V'Etchanan, Deuteronomy Chapter 7 דְּבָרִים

"Wow!" I said.  "All that peace process is totally forbidden, midiraTa, straight from the Torah!"

You can't get much clearer than that!

Nu, we read this part of the Torah every summer.  Why hadn't anyone noticed?  How can a person claim to be Torah observant and still insist that we "make peace with the Arabs?"  Am I nuts?  I found the words I had remembered.  They are clear.  I suggest you read the Biblical text further, because these instructions are among the most important G-d gives us:

ג וְלֹא תִתְחַתֵּן, בָּם: בִּתְּךָ לֹא-תִתֵּן לִבְנוֹ, וּבִתּוֹ לֹא-תִקַּח לִבְנֶךָ.	3 neither shalt thou make marriages with them: thy daughter thou shalt not give unto his son, nor his daughter shalt thou take unto thy son.
ד כִּי-יָסִיר אֶת-בִּנְךָ מֵאַחֲרַי, וְעָבְדוּ אֱלֹהִים אֲחֵרִים; וְחָרָה אַף-יְהוָה בָּכֶם, וְהִשְׁמִידְךָ מַהֵר.	4 For he will turn away thy son from following Me, that they may serve other gods; so will the anger of the LORD be kindled against you, and He will destroy thee quickly.
ה כִּי-אִם-כֹּה תַעֲשׂוּ, לָהֶם--מִזְבְּחֹתֵיהֶם תִּתֹּצוּ, וּמַצֵּבֹתָם תְּשַׁבֵּרוּ; וַאֲשֵׁירֵהֶם, תְּגַדֵּעוּן, וּפְסִילֵיהֶם, תִּשְׂרְפוּן בָּאֵשׁ.	5 But thus shall ye deal with them: ye shall break down their altars, and dash in pieces their pillars, and hew down their Asherim, and burn their graven images with fire.
ו כִּי עַם קָדוֹשׁ אַתָּה, לַיהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ: בְּךָ בָּחַר יְהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ, לִהְיוֹת לוֹ לְעַם סְגֻלָּה, מִכֹּל הָעַמִּים, אֲשֶׁר עַל-פְּנֵי הָאֲדָמָה.	6 For thou art a holy people unto the LORD thy God: the LORD thy God hath chosen thee to be His own treasure, out of all peoples that are upon the face of the earth.

G-d doesn't mince words.  The key to our survival is following this demand, simple commandment from G-d.  Our security won't come from treaties with the Arabs nor any other foreign power.  It will just come from G-d and following G-d's instructions.

As a People, things happen to us that don't make sense.  Let's start with our continued existence.  No other People, Nation, religion has lasted longer or wandered as much and returned to our own Land.  Actually, there is no other people like the Jewish People which is so intimately tied through history and religion to one small piece of land.  We the Jewish People are unlike any other.

That's the truth, the pragmatic truth.

Shavua Tov
Have a Good Week