9953 —המשך שירות צבאי, אחריות לאומית, וחשיבות התפילין

B"H, 18 Menachem Av, 5730.

Brooklyn, NY.

Shalom u'Vrachah!

Mr. Arie Sharon. Shalom u'Vrachah!

With thanks I acknowledge receipt of your letter from August 16th. Due to the importance and urgency of the matter, I am responding quickly, especially regarding the end of your letter.

As we discussed here, in my opinion your place is in the IDF and there with G‑d's help you succeed and will continue to succeed. Of course this is in addition to benefiting the many—I mean the people of Israel, the holy nation dwelling in Eretz Yisrael, the Holy Land—whom G‑d has blessed and whom you have succeeded in protecting through your talents, diligence, energy, etc.

Therefore—and as I spoke with you when you were here—certainly and absolutely you must continue in your position and most responsible role. My strong hope is that even if there is someone whose relationship with you needs improvement or correction for whatever reason, ultimately he too will recognize your seriousness, sense of responsibility and devotion to your role—even to the point that it is part of who you are.

Accordingly it is also clear to me that there is no logic whatsoever for you to leave for another field—and all the more so not for a political arena including a ministerial post or similar positions—which are not your calling nor where your talents and knowledge will be best utilized; on the contrary.

In this context: I wish Mr. Ezer Weizman had not left the army either. Even though according to reports he was insulted or promises were not kept etc., there is no logic in saying that because someone wronged him he should harm himself. His resignation from the army harmed himself as well as caused a loss to the army by not utilizing his knowledge and talents. This applies even if he had remained in government; how much more so given how things developed afterward.

I do not intend to interfere with military procedures etc., but generally it is strange that if a simple soldier—who received only a few months' training—wants to leave the army it is rightly considered a serious offense; yet specifically a general or similar rank who received top-level training and much investment—if he wants to leave it's left up to his personal discretion even if his reasons are purely personal and even when it's clear this will cause loss to the army and thus national security overall! This is just an aside.

But regarding you—as written above—I have no doubt whatsoever that your role and success are specifically in the army—especially now that you hold a high and vital rank concerning security throughout the country. What does it matter if this involves some discomfort or friction compared to benefiting and protecting many?

This all applies even under current circumstances. Though I am not generally pessimistic, one cannot ignore reality: if things continue naturally as they are now, then the other side's position across from the Suez Canal will only strengthen daily—the enemy exploits every day to increase their power with ever more effective weapons etc.—and certainly America will not go to war with Russia over this.

As for complaints about broken promises (which no one believed anyway would prevent them from using a ceasefire to fortify their position—as General Chaim Herzog said publicly—even fools can no longer be deceived; certainly neither Israeli nor American nor Russian officials believed otherwise), these arguments will be dragged out as long as possible until finally a status quo will be decided at negotiations' end.

This means that by any peace negotiation after such entrenchment—the Israeli side will be at a disadvantage since security conditions have changed drastically from ceasefire day until negotiations conclude.

I hesitate to say—and perhaps it's actually a kind of hope—that just as at the start of the Six-Day War perhaps the other side will make a foolish move forcing cancellation of ceasefire; then G‑d will again perform miracles so that shortly after resuming defense—the only way being attack—all forces will act fully (not half-heartedly), true defense will occur, then there is hope for lasting ceasefire leading finally to peace—not like now where things lead straight back into war but under much worse conditions than at ceasefire day.

I have written at length because you wrote that what I previously wrote about "the canal" etc. has already become outdated; but I fear that before long this issue may again become relevant—and may I be proven wrong in my assessment though by natural trends it does not seem so.

I was pleased to hear from our friend Mr. S.M. that all is well with your family and yourself. May we soon hear news of true peace in Eretz Yisrael—which certainly cannot come through signs of weakness or readiness for far-reaching concessions as currently spoken about everywhere; rather on the contrary—as is well known: if one truly wants peace one must show readiness also for its opposite with full strength under good conditions.

With honor and blessings for success and good news.

P.S.: I did not want to mention this during our conversation when you visited here but on second thought I see no reason not at least now: My strong hope is that you are meticulous about putting on tefillin every weekday—for you this is not just fulfilling an individual mitzvah but also something affecting public benefit. Even though your many preoccupations related to security etc. are known—on the contrary these concerns provide additional reason for utmost care in fulfilling this mitzvah: tefillin shel yad (of arm) and tefillin shel rosh (of head). Please forgive me for writing this.

Summary

The Rebbe encourages Arie Sharon's continued military service as vital for Israel's security rather than entering politics or resigning due to difficulties. He highlights how personal mitzvah observance like tefillin has communal impact—especially during challenging times.