Talk that makes a difference
By Berel Wein

(November 2) One of the great victims of our current 
television-computer-Internet world is the art of oratory. 
From Moses onwards, the Jewish people have always paid 
attention to the spoken word, and not only to the 
written letters. In fact, all of Jewish tradition is 
built on the Oral Law - the word passed on from the 
lips of a teacher to the ear of a student. The system 
of Torah learning employed throughout the yeshivot of 
the world is built on students studying, discussing 
and debating the issues raised in the Torah, one with 
another, orally. 

But in general society, the spoken word has lost much of 
its influence. The 20- or 30-second sound bite on the 
nightly television news is the current inadequate 
substitute for the inspiration, direction and influence 
that a well-prepared and well-delivered speech used 
to accomplish. 

The American Civil War and all of American history was 
affected by the speech that Abraham Lincoln delivered in 
1863 at the dedication of the battlefield cemetery at 
Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. There, in a few sparse and 
eternal sentences, Lincoln explained the moral, political, 
and historical significance of that terrible, bloody 
conflict. He inspired the North to greater sacrifice 
and steadfastness. He explained the broader implications 
of the war and promised that "this nation under God 
will have a new rebirth of freedom... and that this 
government of the people, by the people, and for the 
people, will not perish from the face of the earth." 

It would not be an exaggeration to say that Lincoln's 
speech sealed the fate of the South by exposing the 
immorality of its cause. 

Winston Churchill rallied the British Empire in the 
dark days of 1940 by words. As England stood alone 
against a Germany standing astride most of Europe and 
seemingly invincible, Churchill spoke in the House of 
Commons. He stated that "we will fight them on the 
beaches, on the landing places, on the farms and in 
the cities. We will never surrender." He promised the 
British people only "blood, tears and sweat" but he 
also promised them eventual victory. 

He thus placed the situation in its moral context. Hitler's 
evil empire was not to be treated as a respectable foe, 
entitled to moral equality with England's defense of 
democracy. In fact, Churchill's oratory was one of the 
main weapons that defeated Hitler in the Battle of 
Britain. His speeches strengthened the British backbone 
during the aerial blitz and turned despair into bulldog 
determination. 

ISRAEL HAS never been blessed with inspirational speeches 
from its leaders, perhaps with the exception of Menachem 
Begin and Abba Eban. Levi Eshkol was forced into a national 
unity government in 1967 because of his ineffective and 
uninspired speech to the nation during that crisis. 
Israel's morale is low today because no one has articulated 
our case effectively to the Israeli public, let alone to 
the world. It would be a great weapon in our arsenal if 
our prime minister, president, or other political leader 
would deliver an inspirational speech to the country to 
rally our spirits and articulate our goals. 

If I were asked to write that speech for delivery, I would 
state as follows: 

"Our generation here in Israel is now being tried by the 
same fires of enmity that the Jewish people have faced over 
and over during its long and glorious existence. We live in 
a time when the words of King David resonate in our ears: 
'When I speak of peace, they pursue war.' 

"I refuse to give moral equivalency to our cause and to the 
Palestinian uprising. Israel has always stood ready to make 
peace and to make painful and generous - perhaps even 
overly generous - concessions in order to achieve peace 
with the Arabs. Yet we have endured a century of Arab 
violence initiated against us. It made no difference what 
government was in power in Israel; the Arab propaganda, 
terrorism and hatred against us never stopped. 

"Our rights in this land are as old as human history. They 
are recognized by all of the major religions of the world, 
including Islam. We will never surrender those rights. 
We are not leaving, and we are not going to be defeated by 
intifadas, no matter how long they last. 

"The Palestinian people can have a better life for themselves, 
but should not be lulled by the siren song that this will be 
achieved by our destruction. 

"We will have to answer, bullet for bullet. The world media 
and opinion shapers, which long have held little love for us, 
will not deter us either. We will live here as a free people, 
within secure borders, in the land of Zion and Jerusalem. 
We will not forfeit the dream of the Jewish ages because of 
weakness of will or self-hatred. 

"We will not be ?even-handed' in assessing the situation. 
We will survive and win, build and flourish here in Israel. 
Eventually, we will achieve peace with our neighbors as well. 
But never at the expense of our own rights and survival. 

"And the Lord of Israel will be in our stead and strengthen us." 

I would like to hear such a speech. It would make a great 
difference.