Tachles: A modern Hebrew word of Yiddish origin that means “to the point.”
On election day, in the early hours of the morning, I sat with friends at our usual spot in Jerusalem’s open-air market. The polling stations had just opened and the market was still relatively empty. Around me sat various Jerusalem friends, including a carpenter, a lawyer, a writer, an antiquities dealer, and the former director of the Israel Museum. The topic of debate: Is life in the Promised Land better with or without Benjamin “Bibi” Netanyahu?
Then all of a sudden I saw my longtime friend Daniel Cohen. Until a few years ago, he was Israel’s most famous paparazzi and now works as a tour guide. We hugged and he immediately stumbled into the discussion. “What, you’re all leftists?” he asked rhetorically. “Listen carefully, Bibi will win the election and you all should prepare for the camps. After Bibi’s victory, all leftists will be dragged into camps,” said Daniel. We all burst out laughing because I’ve known Daniel for over 25 years. Sarcastic humor is typical for him, but also for us. Daniel has been photographing for Israel Today for years. A loud discussion ensued, in which no one convinced the other. Daniel said goodbye after 10 minutes and we continued our discussion without him. When shortly afterwards Ido had to leave, he said goodbye, adding: “Shalom and Le’hitraot, friends. See you in the camp.”
This small talk shows how deep the divide is among the people, even if everything was said in jest. Left and right have two different worldviews regarding the Jewish State of Israel. Under the Bennett-Lapid government, right-wing and religious Jews felt lost and endlessly thundered against a coalition that had aligned with Arab supporters of terror. They screamed that their Jewish state was going down the drain. But now Bibi has recaptured the throne in Jerusalem and will set up a nationalist right-wing government in the next few days or weeks. This is a nightmare for the left. Just as the right saw Israel crumbling under left-wing rule, so now the left fears the end of Israel under a religious right-wing coalition.
Jokes aside, some people really are scared that such a government will lead to a Jewish state ruled by Halacha (Jewish religious law). Israelis write on social media about possibly moving away from Israel. A religious member of Knesset, Simcha Rothmann of the Religious Zionism party, called them out for this: “When the left-wing government coalition that included terror supporters ruled the country, we didn’t search Google for a move abroad.” She’s got a point. The right spoke much less of abandoning Israel than the left is now doing in response to Bibi’s forthcoming rule.
For right-wing voters, God has heard their prayer. Benjamin Netanyahu is the Redeemer of Israel. Bibi has finally redeemed her from the left-wing governing coalition. At synagogues a comparison was drawn between Abraham and Bibi as the weekly Torah portion Lech Lecha was read. According to Biblical and Jewish chronology, Abraham was born in Ur of the Chaldeans 1,948 years after the creation of the world, or 1,813 years before the birth of Messiah. Seventy-five years later, Abraham immigrated to God’s promised land of Canaan. Seventy-five years after the founding of the State of Israel in 1948, Netanyahu redeemed the country from the left in this week’s election. For some, Bibi is the true Redeemer of Israel, an anointed man of God. For the others, he’s a criminal. Israel’s newly elected ruler is characterized by the people in the same way that the people of biblical times either criticized or loved their kings.
I wish our new governing coalition God’s blessings and wisdom to truly unite the people. So far no politician or leader, either in modern or ancient times, has succeeded in uniting the people in Zion. We don’t have the luxury of arguing and sending each other to camps. We all have the same enemies and the same God.
True unity will only come when the Lord Jesus Christ rules in Jerusalem following the great tribulation or the time of Jacob’s trouble. Praying earnestly for many in Israel to be saved before that time.
If the religious parties are serious about joining a democratic government they need to recognise that Jews have moved on from the schetel. They no longer believe the rabbinic Jewish leader represents them as fully as he likes to believe he does.
Modern democracy has to take into account both fascist and communist views. Both have been brutal oppressors of the Jews yet they have political support in Israel. The Marxist agenda that makes the state supreme is a challenge particularly among power hungry politicians. Secular humanism promotes the individual over the community and many young people are influenced by it.
Rabbinic Judaism had its day but as the world is about to get its final antichrist the Jewish community needs to smell the coffee that only a messianic Judaism will have an answer to it. Historically rejecting their own scriptures, because the Christians use them, will look foolish. The New Covenant promise of Jeremiah 31:31 has come, the New Covenant is written for all to see. Israel refused to become the kingdom of priests God wanted them to be, “let not God speak with us” Ex 20:19, but some Jews and many gentiles have rejoiced to become a kingdom of priests. They are part of the kingdom of God because they repented, believed and accepted Yeshua (Jesus) as their Lord and Saviour.
The Jewish priesthood needs to be in messiah if it effectively wants to be able to pray for, advise, counsel, and protect the Israeli government from being overcome by the principalities and powers of the world, Eph 6:12. The global agenda is secular in nature, it has already swallowed up empires and nations and made them part of the federation. Religion, morality, the family and democracy are all failing under its pressure. We are praying for you, but will you respond?