September 24, 2011 | 25 Elul 5771 | Deuteronomy 29:9-30:14

My colleague and classmate, Rabbi Jack Moline, a long-suffering Chicago Cubs fan, likes to tell a familiar story with a twist. A man is walking along a beach when he stumbles over a metal container. He picks it up and discovers that it is a genie’s lantern. He rubs it and…poof, out comes the genie. “Do I get three wishes?,” the man excitedly asks. “Of course you get three wishes,” the genie responds.  “But don’t be selfish.”

“Ok, I’m a Cubs fan, and they haven’t won the World Series forever.  My wish is that they beat the Yankees in the Series this year.” The genie thinks for a moment and says, “Are you kidding?  They’re terrible.  Even a genie can’t make that one happen. Try another wish.”

The man was deeply disappointed, but decided to call upon his higher self.

“Ok, the Israeli-Palestinian issue has gone on far too long.  My wish is that you bring them together, and they negotiate a successful peace deal for both sides.” To which the genie responds, “Do you want the Cubs to win in seven or to sweep the Yankees?!”

The story works because it’s funny. It feels very true, too. Given the complexities of the Middle East and the Israeli-Palestinian dynamic, in particular, it seems much more likely that the Cubs will finally win the World Series long before the Israelis and Palestinians negotiate a successful agreement.

What Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas did yesterday at the United Nations by submitting an application for full membership for a Palestinian state reinforces the truth of the genie story. Rather than negotiate directly with the Israelis, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has chosen to “rub the genie’s lantern.”

Unfortunately, for him and for average Palestinians who desire a state, this strategy will be no more effective than making three wishes.

Unfortunately, for Israel and for all who care about its welfare, this action may lead to more troubles.

The greatest concern regards the reaction of the Palestinian street where an overwhelming eventual General Assembly vote in favor of a Palestinian state will be viewed as a triumphant moment…and will then be followed by absolutely no change.

How long will Palestinians remain calm? How long will it take before frustration and rage lead to more terrorist activity?

We don’t know.

If the General Assembly upgrades the status of the present Palestinian entity to something just below full membership, it may provide the PA with new legal power. How long will it take for the Palestinian Authority to pursue legal claims against Israel as President Abbas said it would do according to a New York Times op-ed he wrote this summer?

We don’t know.

But this we do know. This latest action of the United Nations serves only to further isolate Israel, and that’s not a good place for Israel to be.

Last week our guest speaker, Rabbi Amy Eilberg, projected a side of our tradition that we must own and grab hold of. It is the side of our tradition that insists we must be among the disciples of Aaron – not only loving peace but doing the tough work of pursuing it.

That tradition is my tradition. That tradition is your tradition. And yes, that tradition is and must always remain the tradition of the State of Israel.

Whenever Israel’s leaders have recognized Arab peacemakers as they did in President Anwar Sadat and King Hussein, they have pursued peace and taken risks for it. Quite frankly, as the 2005 evacuation of Gaza reflected, some Israeli leaders have been prepared to pursue peace and take risks even when they lacked partners.

We must always support Israel’s pursuit of peace. But right now there is a sober reality to confront.

We must act to support Israel and, yes, to protect it.

The end of our first Torah portion today, Nitzavim, speaks of life and blessing, death and curse. Blessing will come in the wake of following Adonai’s ways. Curse will come in the wake of following other gods’ ways.

But it is the Torah’s description of the curse that is chilling today—You will not live long in the land on the other side of the Jordan that you are about to enter.

Today those words are unthinkable as a divine curse. But they are no longer so unthinkable in the world we live as a result of human action taken against Israel.

Yes, Israel is strong, but Israel is also threatened.

A nuclear Iran, Hezbollah and Hamas in a position to fire progressively more sophisticated rockets and an Egyptian public no longer held back from violently expressing its disgust for Israel – it’s frightening. Growing isolation of Israel only exacerbates this picture.

Yes, we must always recognize in Israel an unceasing pursuit of peace. But right now the emphasis needs to be placed on protecting Israel’s well-being.

There are three things I want you to know, be committed to and do, if called upon.

First:  Know and be able to tell someone that the present Palestinian initiative in the U.N. is totally contrary to the internationally-accepted principle of direct negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians.  

Peace in the Middle East is possible only through direct negotiations. Know and be able to tell someone that the likeliest outcome of this U.N. initiative will be frustration on the part of the Palestinian people when nothing changes on the ground.

Two:  Accept the creation of a Palestinian state that the majority of Israelis are ready to accept, one that will recognize the Jewish State of Israel.

Finally – Three, and perhaps most important in the long run:  Know Israel’s narrative and be able to share it with others! Know what Israel has done in the pursuit of peace. Know what Israel means to the world today.

In November and December our congregation will join with other Atlanta-area congregations and other Jewish institutions in a program called “Step Up for Israel.”

It will help many of you to better understand Israel and the justice of its cause.

Details will follow soon, but know that our congregation will host the community kick-off of the program on November 1st, and radio talk show host and author Dennis Prager will be the guest speaker.

Yes, hope does spring eternal. But even so, I doubt the Cubs will be beating the Yankees in the World Series any time soon.

I’m even more certain that no genie will help them to achieve such a monumental feat. And I am even more certain that no genie and no magic will bring peace to the Middle East.

It will be possible only when the Palestinians and the world fully accept that direct negotiations with Israel are the only way.

In the meantime, our confident knowledge and forthright support for Israel is absolutely necessary now in this precarious moment.

I pray that we will not delay.