There is a prayer that we Jews recite three times a day. First we thank God for introducing knowledge (de’ah) to the world. We then thank the Almighty for helping us to understand and interpret this knowledge (bina). But in recognition that knowledge and understanding can go only so far in helping us make sense of our lives, we conclude this supplication with an appreciative nod that God has also invited us, above all, to activate some insight (heskal), which is based on the Hebrew root, sechel – common sense. In Israel, this Divine wisdom has given way to jazz musician Mose Allison’s song for his spouse: “Your mind is on vacation, but your mouth is working overtime!”

Allison’s adage relates to the all too many intelligence breakdowns that preceded our two-front war. The Arganat Commission that investigated the mechdal (failure) of the Yom Kippur War concluded that one of the reasons for our lack of preparedness for the Syrian and Egyptian assault was that our stored military equipment was not maintained from the end of the War of Attrition in 1969. As my army unit crossed the Lebanese border in the 1982 war, five out of the twelve artillery howitzers malfunctioned because they too were not maintained while in storage.

Fast forward to today. For two months Palestinians are burrowing a tunnel between Gaza and Israel, and succeed in kidnapping Gilad Shalit. Immediately, another one of the dozens of commissions of inquiry is established; and we are told that the army knows and understands the lessons to be learned. . . so well that two weeks later Ehud Goldwasser and Eldad Regev are kidnapped on the northern border.

How ironic that the public longs for that alleged military genius, Ariel Sharon, whose mythic knowledge and understanding would surely lead us to victory today. Alas, it was his very knowledge and understanding that created Hizboullah in the first place with his Lebanese adventure in 1982; and it was his knowledge and understanding that held us back from dismantling Hizboullah’s incredible arsenal of missiles that were amassed the moment we withdrew our troops from Lebanon in 2000. Common sense was never his strong card; and, it most certainly does not seem to be the ace-in-the-hole of all our “talking-head” generals upon whose knowledge and understanding we rely.

One would have hoped that a civilian leadership, both in the prime ministership and defense ministry, would counteract our military luminaries. But no, instead Ehud Olmert and Amir Peretz are overwhelmed by our all-knowing and all-understanding army and intelligence chiefs. But, one need not be a rocket scientist to figure out that to strike back at Hamas and Hizboullah with exaggerated force, to partly compensate for our military failures, would lead to a conflagration that would be devastating to both Arabs and Israelis.

I would suggest that our government and military leadership internalize that thrice recited daily prayer and apply it to our present reality. We should step back from the brink; and declare a unilateral cease fire. As part of that cease fire, we should release all prisoners without blood on their hands. We should announce a provisional halt to targeted assassinations, mass arrests, home demolitions, land expropriations, collective punishments, saturation bombings and a land operation in south Lebanon, which, as 18 years of history and common sense tells us, provides target practice for Hizboullah.

Once proclaiming the cease fire, we should demand an immediate return of our missing soldiers, along with information about Zachary Baumel, Tzvi Feldman, Yehuda Katz, Ron Arad, and Guy Hever; and, an end to katyusha missiles and kassam rockets. We should call for an American peace team, like the one that safeguards the international border between Egypt and us, to govern the border crossing between Egypt and Gaza and a multi-national force in south Lebanon.

Would this be considered a sign of weakness? To the Arabs – yes. But, for us, who value human life as the most precious of God’s gifts, it is a sign of strength, not to mention moral integrity. We must try a novel approach in order to stop the present insanity before today’s lunacy becomes tomorrow’s routine.

Such a shocking declaration would be a tremendous public relations coup. And, if it fails, well, common sense might dictate that we go back to the least reasonable of choices – all out war, which will lead us down a death-weary, albeit sadly necessary path.

One should not be naive. A cease-fire might only provide a short reprieve until the next round of fighting, for what is happening in both the north and the south of the country is occurring at the behest of Iran, whose ultimate goal is not only the destruction of the Jewish state, but the establishment of an Islamic nation in the entire Middle East. This means that after a cease-fire, intensified negotiations to dismantle Iran’s proxies, Hizboullah and Hamas, must begin. At that point, the free world will have to contend with Iran’s nuclear aspirations, which are a mortal threat not just to Israel, but to the entire globe.

“A man with no [common] sense deserves no pity”
(Talmud Sanhedrin 92a).

Simply, we need to think before we talk, understand before we act. But ultimately, to secure the possibility of a safe future, we need to use our sechel – our good old common sense.

Recent Articles by Rabbi David Forman

• Counterpoint: A letter to a Jewish leader from abroad - July 3rd, 2008
• Counterpoint: What does the religious Right want? - June 19th, 2008
• Counterpoint: Forsaking both soldiers and the downtrodden - June 5th, 2008
• Counterpoint: A liberal's lament - July 19th, 2007
• Truth and Hypocrisy - June 22nd, 2007
• Politics Make Strange Bedfellows - April 20th, 2007
• Feed the Hungry - March 2nd, 2007
• Trafficking in Women: A Blight on Jewish Decency - December 29th, 2006
• Rabbis for Human Rights receives Raphael Lemkin Human Rights Award - December 11th, 2006
• Succot has Universal Meaning - October 4th, 2006
• The Binding of Isaac - September 20th, 2006
• Try a Little Common Sense - July 25th, 2006
• Prisoners are no Asset - July 16th, 2006
• End the Degradation: An appeal to Israel's new defense minister - May 18th, 2006
• Yes, Birthright journey cheapens the message of Judaism - May 5th, 2006
• Getting beyond name-calling - March 29th, 2006
• Settlers, hands off the olive trees - December 26th, 2005
• MIAs - a failure of political will - December 11th, 2005
• Let's not turn to anti-Arab racism - November 14th, 2005
• To obey orders, or not - July 24th, 2005
• Forgotten in captivity - February 3rd, 2003
• Let PR constrain policy - August 7th, 2002
• Could the Right be right? - October 16th, 2001
• New intifada breeds depression, with no end in sight - April 13th, 2001
• Rabbi David Forman - May 16th, 2000

Categories: Perspectives
Tags: Bo, ease, fen, human rights, ISM, order, palestinians, peace, rest, settlers