Mr. Mandela’s signature accomplishment was to bring democracy to South Africa without a bloodbath. The white regime that ruled South Africa under Apartheid was shamelessly oppressive. Mandela brought about a bloodless revolution that established majority rule in South Africa without a bloody purge of the white oppressors of the majority of South Africans. He established the truth of the oppression of the white regime by permitting individual whites to confess to their acts of oppression without punishing them, and with forgiveness. That is what makes him one of the greatest men in history.
If and when the State of Israel can solve its riddle of recognition of the rights of the Arabs displaced by the State of Israel, and important support of the solution will be Mr. Mandela’s method of implementing Hashem’s mitzvah of forgiveness and kindness.