The Emuna Strategy for Peace

The ideal of peace itself is a very honorable and noble goal. Wouldn't it be great if $50 billion in Arab oil money were invested into the Israeli high-tech and biotech sectors every year? We would find a cure for cancer by the end of the decade. Wouldn't it be great if we could free up the 30% of our economy we apply towards national defense to more productive purposes? There wouldn't be a poor man, woman, or child in this country – ever. As proud as all of us are of our beloved young heroes making beautiful and holy sacrifices for all of us in the Israel Defense Forces, wouldn't we be prouder if they were spending this precious time studying in Yeshivas, Universities, or performing national service?
 
Everybody's got a vision for peace. We've had the Oslo Plan, the Saudi Plan, and the Road Map plan. Some plans may be better than others but at least people are coming up with ideas.
 
Have no fear — there is a Divine plan for peace also.
 
I present to you the 5 point Emuna Peace plan:
 
One – The results are up to Hashem, the effort is up to us.
 
King Solomon teaches that when we serve Hashem properly, even our enemies will reconcile with us. In Sefer Shemot, Hashem hardened the heart of Pharoah. In a second He can equally soften it. One day Bashar Assad of Syria can wake up and decide he wants to become the next Anwar Sadat. We are commanded to believe in Redemption even when the sword comes down from the executioner's arms and touches our necks. Our job is to learn emuna and trust that Hashem will do what's best for us. Hashem performs miracles for us at every moment.
 
Two – Every Jew agrees that peace is an honorable and Holy pursuit
 
The National disagreement among the Jewish People revolves around how peace should come about, and not whether or not there should be peace. We all agree that peace is a beautiful blessing for the Jewish People. From the anthropology student learning at Berkley, to the pioneer living in the Judean Hills – nobody wants bloodshed. We are unified in knowing that if we could live in a world without war – we would all choose to do so.
 
Three – There will be peace between Israel and her enemies
 
Hashem will bless His nation with peace. (Psalms 29:11)
 
Three thousand years ago Hashem told us that Israel would once again rise from the ashes – we did. He said there would be an ingathering of the exiles – there is. He told us that there will be an era of eternal and worldwide peace and prosperity for all the inhabitants of the earth – there will be. Hashem's track record is absolutely perfect.
 
Four – Peace is not up to the presidents, military chiefs, or diplomats. Hashem gave every individual Jew the role, and responsibility, for making peace.
 
The entire good of the world depends upon Israel's observance of the laws of sexual purity. As long as the Jewish People guard their sexual purity, there is no enemy that can harm them.  – The Zohar
 
The closest link between the security of the Jewish People in the Land of Israel and our actions lies in guarding the laws of sexual purity. The Book of Judges and the Book of Kings are replete with episodes about the Nation of Israel sinning – and having to suffer the hardships of war and terror as a result. We would repent and then triumph over our oppressors, thus returning peace to the Land.
 
Peace Now challenges every citizen of Israel with the following question: What have you done to advance the cause of peace today?
 
The answer comes from the Gemara (Berachos 64a): Torah students increase peace in the world.
 
What else do we do for peace? We ask Hashem in our daily prayers.
 
The last section of the Shemonei Esrei prayer is a petition for peace. The last line of Birkat HaMazon, the Grace After Meals, is a plea for peace. We recite the Kaddish prayer so many times a day. There is not a Jewish soul on earth that has not heard it. The last two lines are as follows:
 
May there be abundant peace from Heaven, and life, upon us and upon all Israel.
 
He Who makes peace in His heights, may He make peace upon us, and upon all Israel.
 
Every Jew has the opportunity to do something in the name of universal peace for himself and his brothers each day!
 
Five – there is no other way
 
He makes cessation of wars to the end of the earth; the bow will break, and cut the spear, chariots He will burn in fire. (Psalms, 46:10)
 
Since the founding of the State in 1948, there have been presidents, prime ministers, kings, diplomats, ministers, popes, heads of the UN, and even Hollywood stars trying to establish peace in the Middle East.
 
The conflict between us and our neighbors still rages on.
 
Peace will come from Above. The building of the Second Temple was authorized by the man who occupied the position which Mahmoud Ahmadinejad does today.
 
Miracles can happen and in Israel they always do.
 
We are not so far from this day as you would think. More Jews than ever have been praying for peace and it has been working.  In 1948 half of the world refused to have any diplomatic relations with Israel. Every Arab nation was actively involved with fighting a war to erase the Jewish People from our Holy Land. The British sold millions in weapons to the Arabs and the United States honored a neutrality law aiding neither side. At the same time, all Torah learning in the world was eradicated. Torah consisted of no more than a handful of Jews in Mea Sharim and Borough Park. That's it.
 
Over the past sixty years there has been an explosion in teshuva. Worldwide, hundreds of thousands of Jews have returned to Hashem. This has never happened before. In the words of Rabbi Lazer Brody, "In the 1950s you came to Lakewood to buy blueberries from the farmer. Who would have ever believed it would become this empire of Torah?"
 
At the same time, Israel has established diplomatic relations with almost every country on earth. She is an integral part of the global economy, and has even normalized relations with a handful of Arab countries.
 
This is not a coincidence!
 
Recent Middle East history clearly demonstrates that if we stay the course of tsuva, prayer, and Torah, Hashem's promise will be realized in our time. There will be a Holy and eternal peace between us and our  neighbors, just wait and see, amen!