Devar/5769/Chukat
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And Moses sent messengers from Kadesh unto the king of Edom… (Num 20:14)
And Edom said unto him: 'Thou shalt not pass through me, lest I come out with the sword against thee.' (ibid 18)
On the way to the holy Land, the Children of Israel had to pass through various lands, among them the land of Edom. Moshe our Teacher shows us the polite manner of requesting permission to pass through foreign lands. He requests permission from the local ruler to pass through his land. And he opens with "so says your brother Israel", to remind them that they are cousins. And he continues with "our forefathers descended to Egypt" to remind them the history of the Children of Israel, and that they have no desire whatsoever to conquer the land of Edom.
But the Edomites did not give permission to pass through their land -- even after the Children of Israel promised not to ruin the roads, and to pay for their drinking water. It wasn't enough for the Edomites to refuse them passage -- they even came after them in battle. And this story repeats itself with Sichon the king of the Emorites -- and in both instances, the Israelites beat their unexpected enemies.
And so through the generations. The nations of the world don't need a good reason to wage war against us and to try to obliterate us, or to impede us. Sufficient for them their ongoing hatred -- towards God and towards His people Israel. It is the height of folly from our side to give in to the nations of the world even over as insignificant an item as a shoelace. We have the Torah, and we have a task to fulfill in this world -- to be a holy nation, and sons to God may He be blessed.
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