When he faced Lavan after the latter intercepted him on his flight to return to Canaan, he stood up to him and protected his wives and children from Lavan’s clutches in order to preserve their identity as the children of Avraham and Yitzchak. The same weak Jacob who was easy prey for Lavan’s chicanery when it came to material and monetary considerations, was also Yisrael who stood up to protect Bnei Yisrael with a resolute and strong spirit and defeated Lavan.
In Egypt, Bnei Yisrael were physically and economically weak, yet spiritually strong, they did not assimilate into the depraved Egyptian society. As the Midrash says: Reuven and Shimonentered Egypt and the same Reuven and Shimon left Egypt, they did not assimilate. (The Rav noted that they did not assimilate in Egypt yet American Jews sometimes do not display similar steadfastness because they enjoy favorable economic conditions. While the Jews in Egypt did not change their names, today American rabbis readily use their secular names instead of their Jewish names.) As the prophet says: “And via a prophet, He raised the people out of Egypt.” Even though we were physically weak and oppressed in Egypt, we still had the spiritual strength to produce prophets and leaders. We demonstrated the same spiritual fortitude in Egypt that Yaakov exhibited years before when he stood up to Lavan.
Seventy-two nations said that Israel should not exist; yet through the will of Hashem and our great spiritual strength, we have persevered and overcome great obstacles. The prophet also tells us U’bnavi Nishmar, that in the future Bnei Yisrael will continue to produce great leaders who will exhibit the great inner strength of Yisrael.
Note that the Rav presented this shiur during the period that the UN passed a resolution equating Zionism and racism. The non-Jewish world might look at Zionism as racism if they look at laws like the Chok Hashevus, Law of Return. However, if we show that Eretz Yisrael is a land of Kedusha, people can readily see that this is not the case. Eretz Yisrael is a viable concept and entity only if it is imbued with sanctity, Kedusha. Secular Zionism poses a great danger to Am Yisrael and Eretz Yisrael because it seeks to deny this Kedusha and its inherent connection between the people and the land.
The prophet says that throughout the exile we will maintain the inner strength of Yisrael and realize the folly that is idolatry, culminating in the continuation of the prophecy, Shuva Yisrael, the return of the people to Hashem. This is the ultimate exhibition of our inner strength, associating our repentance with the name Yisrael that symbolizes that strength.
We can see the strength emblematic of Yisrael among the non-religious Jews in America who risk their own security to protect Israel. The “Yisrael” potential dwells in each and every Jew. The Jew may be weak politically, economically or militarily. Yet, the prophet has promised us that eventually this strength of Yisrael will burst forth, as the Jewish nation is destined to return to Hashem, Shuva Yisrael.
The above analysis is very timely and appropriate especially in light of the recent controversy that has erupted between Reform, Conservative and Orthodox Jews regarding the religious future of Eretz Yisrael. When the leader of the Reform movement advocates emphasizing the democratic aspect of the State of Israel over its Jewish character, it connotes a weakness that is antithetical to our mission of projecting and maintaining the inner strength of the Jewish people that derives from the name Yisrael. For it is that strength that will lead us to the ultimate redemption, may it come speedily in our days.