From: arens@ISI.EDU (Yigal Arens)
Newsgroups: talk.politics.mideast,soc.culture.jewish
Subject: The Messiah of Transfer
Date: 18 Nov 92 02:11:27 GMT
Distribution: world
Organization: USC/Information Sciences Institute

Ha'aretz, November 1, 1992.
By Shachar Ilan


THE MESSIAH OF TRANSFER

In an article that appeared in a special issue of the magazine "Kfar
Chabad" celebrating the improvement in the health of the Lubavicher
Rebbe, Member of Knesset Rabbi Yossef Ba-Gad of the "Moledet" party
reports that he was part of a special ten-member rabbinical court that
convened over the Simchat Torah holiday and commanded the ADMOR
[esteemed leader, teacher, and rabbi -- the Lubavicher Rabbi] "to
return to full health and lead the Jewish People as King and Messiah".

This is what took place, according to Ba-Gad: At 12:20pm members of the
rabbinical court entered the prayer room constructed for the ADMOR
when he fell ill.  They reminded him of his admonishments on numerous
occasions that "The Chassidim [his followers] must demand of their
Rabbi to be healthy and to instruct them in the faith", and concluded
with the cry "Long live the ADMOR, King and Messiah for ever and ever".

"There is a saying that when a Tzadik [exceptionally pious man]
commands, [god] fulfills", Ba-Gad explains the convening of the special
court.  "We decided, ten people, to command that he be healthy".  As a
rule, rabbis would rather not put this saying to the test, fearing
that if their command is not obeyed they will be shown not to be truly
pious.  Ba-Gad denies, however, the report that the court had commanded
the ADMOR to make himself known as the Messiah.  According to him, "We
only ordered him to lead the Jewish people towards the King and
Messiah."

During the holidays there was an improvement in the condition of the
91 year old ADMOR, who eight months ago experienced a stroke that left
him paralyzed in his left arm, incapable of speech, and unable to
walk.  In the course of the Simchat Torah celebrations the Rabbi took
part in the ceremonial parading of the Torah scroll: he remained
seated in his chair, but acted as conductor of the affair by motioning
with his right hand and with his head.  During the parade the crowd
three times called out "Long live our Master, Teacher, and Rabbi, the
King, the Messiah for ever and ever."  "After the third time," the
magazine "Kfar Chabad" describes, "The Rabbi, may he live a long and
enjoyable life, suddenly began to encourage the cries with very strong
and enthusiastic motions of his head in all directions."

Ba-Gad is known as very close to the Chabad Chassidic movement; a
desire to attract Chabad voters to the Moledet party was one of the
reasons for including him among the party's candidates.  He concedes
that one of the main reasons for his switch from being a Lithuanian
[opponent of Chassidism] to a Lubavicher Chassid was the Rabbi's
prophetic ability.  He "prophesied the immigration from Russia and
foretold that nothing would happen in the Gulf War, and indeed nothing
happened to any person."  Nevertheless, it appears that what really
made it easy for Ba-Gad to choose the Rabbi as an ideological leader
was the ADMOR's call in 1968 for a transfer [of Arabs out of Israel],
a very interesting and until now little known document that Ba-Gad is
extremely proud of.  "They made a mistake," the Rabbi wrote then, "in
not sending away the Arabs.  They should have said to each and every
one of the Arabs: You deserve death, because you are rebellious, but
anyway, take one hundred Israeli Pounds and your bag, and go."  Ba-Gad
adds: "We believe in voluntary transfer, and this is voluntary
transfer."  It is not exactly clear what Ba-Gad bases this observation
on, since a right to refuse is not so much as mentioned in the ADMOR's
words.  In the Lubavicher Rebbe's opinion, if the transfer he proposed
had been carried out, "Then upon arriving in Egypt and speaking to
people there, or in Syria, they would have told all the good about
Israel, that they really had deserved death, but that the Jews are as
merciful as people can be and that is why they let them live."

"When I return to Israel to continue my duties as the head of the
Nechalim Yeshiva and a Member of Knesset," Ba-Gad writes in "Kfar
Chabad", "I will try with all my might to convey to my students and
the other members of Knesset the sense that a Leader for the Jews
exists."  In fact, he fulfilled his promise even before actually
returning to the country.  Aboard his El-Al plane he demanded that the
crew screen a video cassette of one of the Rabbi's most recent
appearances before his followers.  The crew was not enthusiastic, but
finally relented.  Next Monday, Ba-Gad will describe what he terms
"the miracle of the Rabbi's healing" from the Knesset podium.
--
Yigal Arens
USC/ISI                                                TV made me do it!
arens@isi.edu