3 Responses

1. Although Eretz Yisroel is important, without Tora we could not survive as Jews, even if we possessed Eretz Yisroel, and so we must first concern ourselves with remaining Jews, and then worry about the Holy Land for Jews
   -Rabbi Elchonon Wasserman

2. Now with all that being said, I am very grateful and will always remember the fallen soldiers who sacrificed everything for Kol Yosrael

3. In the course of time nationalism begot an offspring and named it Religious Nationalism. The choice of name seems to indicate that they are not satisfied with the adjective religious; they must supplement it with another ideology, nationalism. It is stated that the Torah of the L-rd is perfect, and we have been admonished ?You shall not add,? and whosoever adds detracts. Indeed Religious Nationalism has confused our camp. Until now only these observing the Torah were considered Jews. Whosoever denied the Torah was by law an apostate, and had no connection with us. Now a new ideology contends that even a heretic belongs to us, as long as he possesses a national consciousness. The Torah warns us ?It is forbidden to join with the wicked even to perform a mitzvah ? but they argue that by associating with the wicked we will influence them to mind their ways. They consider themselves wiser then the Torah. In fact, combining with the wicked has resulted in what the Torah foresaw. Instead of improving the wicked, those who joined them became loyal followers and the free-thinkers, and now direct all their energy and power against the Torah leadership. This is how the bridge between the religious and the free-thinkers was constructed. Generally speaking, people come and go on a bridge. On this bridge people only go, we see no one coming back?

   -Rebbe Elchonon Wasserman (somewhere between the late 1930?s-early 1940?s)