Rav Sharbaf, the CEO of Harhivi, takes us back to the Jewish history of Gaza City and leads us into the Jewish future of the city.
Rav Uzi Sharbaf, the CEO of the Harhivi movement, discusses the history of Gaza as part of Sovereignty Movement’s series of Zoom meetings on the events of the Iron Swords War.
Rav Sharbaf opens his remarks by mentioning Gaza as Grar, the place our forefather Yizhak went to on his way to Egypt, but the Almighty stopped him in the area of Nahal Grar and instructed him not to go down to Egypt, but to live in this Land and Ramban notes that this Land meant this area, and that he will be blessed there with the blessings of the Land, he and his descendants.
This means that it is Yitzhak stake in this place that is the basis for the promise that he will receive the entire Land of Israel.
The clear meaning arising from this is that Gaza is an integral part of the Land of Israel, which led Joshua to conquer this part of the Land, even if Joshua is criticized for not completing the work of inheriting this area and later, the tribe of Yehuda conquers the area.
Rav Sharbaf notes that the southern border, in the opinion of most rabbinical arbitrators, is Nahal Mitzrayim, which is a branch of the Nile that empties into the Mediterranean Sea, and one of the Rishonim (the leading rabbis and religious arbitrators who lived approximately during the 11th to 15th centuries) said it was less far, and that the border is Wadi Arish, which is also farther south than El Arish.
Therefore, the obligation to inherit Gaza is equal to inheriting any other place in the Land of Israel.
In his remarks, Rav Sharbaf emphasizes this, stating that we should not base our holding Gaza on security needs, but on the essential connection of the Land belonging to the People of Israel.
According to the Rav, our role now is to return to the Gaza Strip, to Gush Katif and cause the place to become beloved after some tried to make it hateful to us. “This is part of what was promised to our forefather Yitzhak in remaining there and thanks to him, the promise relates to all parts of Israel”, says the rav, adding that the fact that the People of Israel are being tried precisely in the matter of Gaza, may not be in vain.
Rav Sharbaf also notes that from the beginning, Gaza was supposed to be the entry to the Land of Israel and through its byways the children of Israel were supposed to enter the cities of the Land, but the Almighty chose to turn them around so that they would not experience war and return to Egypt, so he brought them to the other opening of the Land of Israel, Jericho. “This is the part of the wonderful Land that we were supposed to encounter first”.
The Almighty pushes us to possess every part of the Land of Israel that we abandon. We must possess the place even if there is a wonderful people there and if we don’t do it, security problems result, so when we don’t control the Negev, security problems arise, and this is so in the Galilee as well.
The equation is that security problems arise so that we will build another layer of connection to the Land of Israel”.
Because of this, says Rav Sharbaf, when we return now to the Gaza Strip, we must return to every part of the south all the way to Wadi El Arish and not be satisfied with just returning to Gush Katif.
“More than 3 times, it is mentioned that the Almighty gave us the Land as a covenant and a promise”. “This is the condition for our life in this Land. Therefore, we must wage the war in Gaza courageously, because we now have an opportunity to possess this place, and Lebanon as well, which continues to be a nest of murderous terrorists, until we possess this part of the Land”.
Rav Sharbaf repeatedly emphasizes the importance of the Gaza Strip to Israel, not only from the security point of view but on the highest level, the level of spirituality, and just as the Torah must be pure, complete, the Land of Israel also must be complete. “If we redeem the Land of Israel, we redeem ourselves”.
To Rav Sharbaf, victory in the war is to possess all parts of the Land in the south, and it is not enough to push the Gazans southward.
To do this, we must settle the place with Jewish communities under Jewish sovereignty, “and if there is someone who is not ready to accept the People of Israel’s control over its Land, we should take him, load him on a boat and get him out of here.
Non-Jews who wish to remain will remain as residents, who must acknowledge the People of Israel’s control of the Land of Israel. This is called victory”.
And all of this is apart from the obligation and the need for the People of Israel to take revenge on the rioters, as was done in Midian. “If we avenge the spilled blood of his servants, we bring down mercy to the world because this evil and wickedness will be ended. Therefore, the matter of revenge is fundamental to this war.”
Rav Sharbaf views the security and demographic situation in Gaza as trials of faith, that the Almighty places before the People of Israel. “When we speak of it as we face the people and the soldiers, we are building a layer of belonging to this part of the Land, and then there will be enough Heavenly support to uplift the government. If, as of now, their ears are not open to this, the People will make it heard so that they will also come to this conclusion that will lift the spirit and awaken the heroism to bring about solutions for everything.”
Rav Sharbaf defines the idea of bringing Abu Mazen from the PA to control Gaza after our soldiers sacrifice their souls in the war as a moral failure of the first degree. “We cannot send our sons to fight in order to bring in a foreign element.
There is only one way and all other ways are delusional and will worsen the security problem. The People of Israel must take full control of the Strip in the south.”
Relating to the international pressures on the Israeli government, Rav Sharbaf says that indeed, without faithful leadership it is extremely difficult to withstand the pressures from the world and clarify the destiny of the People of Israel after thousands of years of exile, and those who wish to join and fulfill this destiny is invited. “Everything stems from the holiness of the Land of Israel”, Rav Sharbaf mentions the remarks of Rav Charlap and adds that redeeming the Land will also bring about the redemption of the hostages, as we saw de facto with the entry of our forces into Gaza.
1st Graders in LA charter school in Conservative synagogue taught “genocide of ‘Palestine’,
https://www.jta.org/2023/11/09/united-states/an-la-charter-school-housed-at-a-synagogue-taught-1st-graders-about-the-genocide-of-palestine
” We have met the enemy and it is us.” – Pogo
Peloni, I agree with you on a physical, nature level. We have to operate in the world as it is until we can change and improve it. But your leaving God out of the equation. The nations of the world are trying to finish what Hilter and Haman started. The final solution. Kill all the Jews. If they can accomplish that then we will know that God is dead and a myth. Until they do, I will continue to believe that God gave the land to Abraham and that is the only reason they have claim and it is for his name sake that it will be proven to the nations.
Unless I’m reading the tea leaves incorrectly. Israel will again cave to the nations, and this will not be the last war. The people marching in the streets around the world celebrating the barbaric actions of Hamas are only going to galvanize people to one side or the other. I don’t believe it’s anywhere near over. And the side that you and I are on, does not seem to be increasing in numbers.
I think when the shooting stops, more people will hate and despise Israel then before Oct. 7. The trap is being set and the sooner Israel Understands they can only depend on Hashem, the better off they will be. So, we pray for the peace of Jerusalem.
@Edgar
Well noted.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zso89F2-nsk
Tanna-
As you often are, because of your proclaimed religiosity, you are wrong, although I hate saying it so often. It causes you to talk in circles and repetitively ad nauseam.
We are living in a world of legalities, not Biblicalities.
The legal Document is KING.
We have the RIGHT to Israel now, in a
non religious and atheist society, by virtue of the San Remo Conference, Sevres, British Mandate League of Nations etc.
Only the Western countries’ religious accept Israel’s G-D given Right to the Holy Land. The rest although they know that right exists, turn a blind eye because of Jew-hate, and pragmatic political chicanery.
The original culprit was Britain.
Peloni,
Of course I agree 100%, but would prefer to use “right” from the beginning, rather than “claim”. All the “claims” you mention are actually “rights’ as well as the “legal right'”
No other people or country has even a scintilla of a claim or right to Judea& Samaria.
Except maybe….the Caananites, Hivites, Girgashites, Amorites et al..
Tanna spelled it out very eloquently. This is the moment when Jews are faced with a life or death destiny, which only God can decide for them. It can be the beginning of a massive return to faith and Biblical values, so sorely lacking in today’s world. Without emunah, we lack the courage to see real danger, and so live in delusion. Hence, the crazy left and the abysmal security failures of Oct. 7.
Our claim to the land is in fact multi-factorial. We have a historic, indigenous, biblical and legal right to the land. We must not betray ourselves by betraying any one of these aspects which detail our bond to the land, but we must recognize that the world sees many of these bonds as being far less persuasive than others no matter what they represent to us. Consequently, the legal acceptance by the international bodies recognizing our rights to the land should be seen as the most useful with which to challenge those who would challenge us when making our claim to the land. Still I would not part with a single element which references the simple fact that what we claim is ours by right, reason, history and law.
Jews have NO eternal claim to the land, without answering from the Biblical religious position. The Jews right to the land is not given by the UN the Balfour declaration, the good will of the people of the world nor the present empire know in the world as USA. It is given by Hashem to Abraham and to his seed.
The land is as the marriage bed between God and his people. The land is defiled, and the bed polluted. Israel must cleanse the land and change the sheets and invite Hashem back in.
When Moses took the Jews out of Egypt, the sages teach us that only 1/5th left. The rest choose to stay and die in Egypt. OF the 600,000 who left only 2 made it into the land. This teaches us that many will stumble but the faithful that have Emunah(faith) and Bitachon(trust/confidence) in Hashem will make it. It is a long slow and many times painful process.
The sickness of the human heart is rooted in the Amalek.
Exo.17:14 and following.
He said, “A hand upon the banner of the Lord! The Lord will have war with Amalek from generation to generation.”
Num 24:20
Then he looked on Amalek, and uttered his oracle, saying: “First among the nations was Amalek, but its end is to perish forever.”
Deut 25:19
Therefore, when the Lord your God has given you rest from all your enemies on every hand, in the land that the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance to possess, you shall blot out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven; do not forget.
The war in the land….. (the last one, this one or the next one) is to bring the people of Israel to unity and back to Hashem. Most of the Jews stand with Amalek with their hand on the throne, standing against Hashem. But the secret is to be found in Deut 30:11 and following. Choose life or death. The choice is not wither, the Jews/Israel is going to serve Hashem or your idols and false gods. The choice is how are you going to come? Rejoicing or weeping.
So NO…. it’s not BS. For them that has an ear to hear and eyes to see.
Crazy and totally unprincipled man making ultimate stupid is as stupid does speeches
““Everything stems from the holiness of the Land of Israel”, Rav Sharbaf mentions the remarks of Rav Charlap and adds that redeeming the Land will also bring about the redemption of the hostages, as we saw de facto with the entry of our forces into Gaza.”
We have seen nothing of the kind.
Perfect example of magical thinking leads to callous lies.
Of course redemption for him may not mean saving their lives.
This bullshit is maddening to listen to.
The validity of this argument is limited to a small minority of humanity consisting of religious Jews and religious Christians.
A group that generally already supports Israel, so there is not much need to preach to the choir.
In the above form, this argument has ZERO validity for the people whom we need to convince.
However, perhaps a deeper argument could be made that addresses both the secular and religious.
Natural borders are defensive borders, and more than just defensive, they are “organic” in some sense. They form a geographical unity.
They unite the community through natural transport, roads, railways, rivers…
Is some way, the “divine” must correspond to the natural.
So there probably is a connection that makes sense to both the secular and the religious mind.