Peace: With Arabs or Jews? (12:11)

The overwhelming majority of G-d’s commandments are addressed to the individual. There is no collective mitzvah to put on Tefillin, eat kosher, light Shabbat candles or affix a mezuzah. Exceptions exist, (especially in this week’s Biblical reading) which include the three laws that devolve upon the Jewish people after they enter the land of Israel. Number one was for the nation as a whole to anoint a king; number two, to destroy the tribes of Amalek, and finally to build together one Holy Temple.
The Sages in the Talmud wondered whether these mitzvohs could be done in any random order or if there is a chronology that must be followed. In the Rabbis’ own words, “Rabbi Yose said, ‘Three commandments were given to Israel…and I do not know which of them come first. But from a particular verse… we can infer that they first had to appoint a king. Yet I still do not know which of the remaining two come first? But from the fact that the Torah first states, ‘He will give you rest from all your enemies and you will dwell securely,’ and only afterwards the Bible says, ‘It shall be that the place that Hashem will choose to rest His name, it can be inferred that the extermination of Amalek comes first.’”

It seems odd that a people so eager to establish a spiritual center in the holy city of Jerusalem should place lowest priority on the construction of the Beit Hamikdosh. One can easily explain this apparent oddity with simple pragmatism. Unless you are united under a ruler who can rid you of those who have promised to annihilate your people, (this being the avowed objective of Amalek), you cannot truly occupy yourself with spiritual matters. Thus, first comes the appointment of a king; second, the obligation to clear the land from all enemies, and third, to erect the Temple.
This answer based on realpolotik is too simplistic, since the primary goal of Torah is to teach us theological and moral lessons for life, not self-evident practicalities. Perhaps then, this is the religious truth being taught.
Man can be united in one of two ways: Either through a common enemy or through a common cause. Unity out of fear caused by an implacable foe is negative, temporary, shallow and often meaningless. Unity, however, brought on by shared values is positive, lasting, deep and meaningful.

The Sanctuary the Jews were ordered to build was conceived as G-d’s chosen house. Even more, it was by implication to be the unanimous choice of a harmonious people merging their lives in the knowledge that their destinies were intertwined.
Acceptance of such a principle is considerably easier obtained when the nation finds itself threatened by the encroaching Amalekites. But treaties of cooperation during times of war cannot be the foundation upon which spiritual edifices are built. Only when the threat has been erased, can be the people discover if they have forged a united community strong enough to help each other construct a permanent abode for the Eternal.

After 50 years of Jewish self-rule in Israel, we must ask ourselves if the State is ready for a Bet Habchira, a House of Common Choice? If peace with the enemy becomes reality, can we truly unite? Or has our national posturing of togetherness under the auspices of a “Unity Government” only been due to external pressures?

The final blessing conferred by the priests in the festival prayers is,  - V’yosaim l’cha Sholom - Grant you Peace.” The Hebrew word  also has a gematria, numerical value that coincidentally equals 50. Maybe the lesson is that after 50 years we should not only have peace with the Arabs, but with our fellow Jews.