09 Jul ANCIENT BATTLES, MODERN WARS: THE STORY OF YIFTACH AND ISRAEL’S RIGHTFUL LAND

This week’s Haftara
(Chukat) feels like it
could be taken from
a modern-day
newspaper, as it
addresses the Jewish
people’s right to the
land of Israel, particularly in relation to
Ishmael. It discusses the impending war of the
nation of Ammon against the Jewish nation
and the appointment of Yiftach as their leader
and general.
Let’s first introduce the nation of Ammon. We
find Ammon in the Torah in the prophecy of
Bilaam regarding the end of days before
Mashiach comes, where he prophesies about a
nation called Keini (Bamidbar 24, 21). Rabenu
Bechayei writes that Keini are the descendants
of Ishmael. The Chizkuni points out that the
Keini nation is the same as Ammon, proving
this from the event of the Brit Ben HaBetarim,
where Hashem promises Avraham the land of
ten nations but gives him only the land of
seven. Rashi (Bereshit 15, 19) explains that
the remaining three lands will be given to us at
the end of time. These three lands are Edom,
Moav, and Ammon, which is referred to as
Keini. We can see that the story of Yiftach
involves the nation of Ishmael, and upon

closer study, we observe that history repeats
itself in an exact duplicate.
I urge everyone to open Sefer Shoftim (chapter
11 with the Malbim) and read what I’m about
to write, as this is exactly what it says there.
Then, compare it with recent events. In the
story of Yiftach, when he is appointed leader
and sees that Ammon is preparing to declare
war against Israel, he first sends messengers to
the king of Ammon, asking why he is coming
to fight. The king of Ammon replies that Israel
has conquered territory belonging to Ammon,
and if Israel does not return the occupied
territory and withdraw the settlers, he will
proceed with the war until Ammon’s land is
free from the river to the sea (Jordan River by
the Yabok River to the Salt Sea, bordering the
Arnon River).
Claim #1: Israel mind their own business
Upon hearing this, Yiftach sends back
messengers to tell the king of Ammon that he
is wrong, as that land belongs to Israel. The
Malbim draws from the psukim that Yiftach
used four different logical arguments to
support his case. The first claim he made was
that when Israel came to the borders of the
land of Canaan, they avoided the settled areas.
Even when they asked Edom for permission to

pass through their land and were denied, Israel
respected this and made a detour to avoid
them. Therefore, Israel never sought to
conquer anyone.
Claim #2: Losing Wars, Losing Land
The second claim Yiftach made was that when
Sichon, the king of the Emori, saw that Israel
was coming to the area, he went out to fight a
war with them. Unfortunately for him, he lost
that war and also lost territory. When you
initiate a war against others and lose, you
can’t complain about the consequences, as
that is the risk you take when you declare war
against another nation.
Claim #3: Hashem’s Deed Over the Land
Thirdly, Yiftach argued that the fact that a
single nation, which had emerged from
oppressive slavery and was few in number,
weak, and tired from travel in the desert, with
little armament, was attacked by all the nations
who were many, strong, and well-armed, and
still emerged victorious, is a clear sign and
indication that Hashem was fighting their
battles. Since Hashem granted the Jewish
people the land of Israel, this divine gift
cannot be denied.
Claim #4: presumption of ownership
Finally, Yiftach told him that until now, when
Ammon decided they wanted the land, no one
had denied that it belonged to the Jewish
nation, and no one had tried to take it from
them. This creates what we call in Halacha a
“chazaka.” Chazaka means that if someone
settles on land without anyone challenging
their right to hold it, it indicates that the land
belongs to them.
All of Yiftach’s claims fell on deaf ears, and
Ammon started a war, which they lost to
Yiftach’s brave army.
Today’s Battle Over the Land of Israel
Let’s now move forward in time and see if the
above story rings some bells from recent
events. When the Jewish people returned from
a long and bitter exile, having faced much
persecution, they were granted parts of the
land of Israel in areas that were not settled by
any Arab villages.
The establishment of the State of Israel in
1948 was a result of the United Nations
Partition Plan for the land, which was
approved by the UN General Assembly on
November 29, 1947. The plan proposed to
divide the British Mandate of Palestine into
Jewish and Arab states. Following the
withdrawal of British forces, the Jewish
community declared the independence of the
State of Israel on May 14, 1948. This
declaration was supported by the United
Nations and subsequently recognized by
many countries.
The areas given to the Jewish people were not
occupied by any Arab villages, and they could

have lived happily as neighbors side by side if
the Arabs had agreed to the UN partition plan.
However, the very next day after Israel
declared Independence, all surrounding Arab
nations declared war, leading to what is known
as the War of Independence. This aligns with
the first claim of Yiftach, that the Jews did not
intend to take any neighboring land but rather
to settle in empty areas.
The second claim of Yiftach is that if you
declare war and lose, you shouldn’t complain
because you took the risk and played your
cards poorly. Arab nations have declared war
on Israel several times, and each time they
lost, resulting in land being taken by the young
Jewish country.
Thirdly, Yiftach argued that even if you don’t
agree with the previous two claims, you can’t
deny that the victory of the Jewish people
defies logic and reason. This can only be
explained as a divinely granted gift. Since
Hashem is the owner of the universe and holds
the deed to the land of Israel, He decided to
give it to the Jewish people (see first Rashi on
Bereshit).
Finally, the land of Israel was known to be
Jewish land for 2,000 years, and no other
nation established a state there during this
long period. This proves that it is Jewish land
with chazaka (a presumption of ownership).
But just as Ammon, the nation of Ishmael,
didn’t accept any logic and went to fight an
unjust war against the Jewish nation, so too
does their nature remain unchanged today.
They defy any logic, claiming the land as
theirs. The truth is that their own claim to the
land is the biggest proof that it is Jewish land.
They argue that Israel occupies their land
because they were there first, and the passage
of time doesn’t change that, as the right of first
settlers doesn’t expire. By that same logic, the
Jewish people settled in the land before the
Arab tribes, and our ancient right to it doesn’t
expire either.