While Yishmael possesses spiritual merit, Hashem explicitly promised Avraham that “lo yirash ha’am hazeh, this nation (of Yishmael) will not inherit the Land” — not then, not now, and not ever.
This painful realization on the part of Yishmael has led to them spilling rivers of Yiddishe blood and perpetrating indescribable horrors, but none of that will change the facts on the ground. This Land will never belong to them.
Many years ago, there was a time when Arab terrorists were hijacking planes going to and from Eretz Yisrael and holding Jewish passengers hostage. One such hijacking, in Elul 5730/1970, targeted the rosh yeshivah of Yeshiva Rabbeinu Chaim Berlin, Rav Yitzchok Hutner, along with his family and some students. The hostages were held for several weeks, and the entire Torah world was galvanized to do everything possible to ensure the safe return of Rav Hutner.
At the time, the father of one of my childhood friends and neighbors was not only a very prominent pulpit rabbi in the Bronx, he was also a well-connected person in Washington. In addition, Rabbi Shalom Rubin had been one of the first students of Yeshiva Rabbeinu Chaim Berlin. Rabbi Moshe Sherer z”l, the legendary askan and head of Agudath Israel, led the efforts to save Rav Hutner, who was not in good health at the time. Rabbi Sherer called Rabbi Rubin and authorized him to travel to Washington and reach out to all his contacts, to bring international pressure on the countries responsible for this tragedy and to work for the release of the Rosh Yeshivah.
After several weeks of nonstop shtadlanus at the highest levels, word came that the Rosh Yeshivah and his family and several students had been released and were en route to the United States. Due to his integral role in this effort, Rabbi Rubin was given permission to go onto the tarmac to be one of the first to meet the Rosh Yeshivah. Rabbi Rubin called his son Moshe, who was in my home at the time, and told him to get ready as he would be picking him up to come with him to greet the Rosh Yeshivah — and he invited me to come along.
As we were waiting for the plane to come to a stop at the gate, we saw the door to the terminal open and watched as the gadol hador, Rav Moshe Feinstein ztz”l, took his place as the first to greet Rav Hutner upon his arrival. From my vantage point, I watched the Rosh Yeshivah emerge from the plane in very weakened condition, and I saw Rav Moshe literally run to him. They hugged each other while crying with much emotion and relief. I saw Rav Hutner whisper something to Rav Moshe, who nodded his head in agreement, and then Rav Hutner was escorted to the waiting ambulance.
On the way back home, I asked Rabbi Rubin what Rav Hutner had told Rav Moshe. He answered that Rav Hutner said, “I looked into the eyes of the captors and saw in them the burning anger at the fact that ‘lo yirash ha’am hazeh,’ they will never inherit the Land.”
