B-H
Let me tell you a little bit of my background…
I was born and raised in a country of peculiar history.
Country which lost its independents for long, being taken by several
empires over the time.
A nation which survived only thanks to its literature and preservation of
its once glorious history. People who were designated to be messiah for the
nations by their most important bards, a prophet almost to their natives.
Downtrodden people whose several attempts to regain their independence
were crushed in bloody persecutions and oppression.
Then a miracle happened, it was maybe more a right alignment of
historical context and lobbying activities of the proponents of this new
country than something supernatural; but who can tell me where natural ends and
“super” begins.
Already before it happened the troops began to form, later to become a
regular army.
The fights happened but with the support from the western governments the
country was formed, and its administration formed as well.
A new era began for the once downtrodden nation, the second republic.
Technically democratic country but there were those “others” around. They
were there for a long time, but their language and religion were different from
ours.
The nation was trying to unify, as the people who formed it grew up in
different countries. The obstacle of the “others” around was a thorn in that
attempt.
Some proposed their integration, but others opted for separation. The
second option prevailed, and the “others” soon became second-class citizens, in
the country, in the cities and towns in which they were living for generations.
There was also danger looking from abroad. The countries around were not
friendly and from the very beginning, our nation had to fight the wars for
independence.
We won and extended our territory. Territory came with more of the
“others” and that added to the problem of the enemies from within.
But as all the new nations gained their independence in those times, the
phenomenon was not completely unique but rather… I would say common, the nation
has built a strong army and its identity around the military forces.
Soldier was the best in the nation, elite units of the army its cream of
the cream.
The might of the army was cherished and shown in public.
The media were informing people about the buildup of the army and
patriotic books were written and read.
The military parade was in style in those days. So, the army paraded in
big and small towns.
Soldiers were carrying their polished weapons, rumbling on the pavement
was the shining from oil military heavy equipment in full display for the
masses to admire.
And the masses admired the military and its might, its discipline and
aligned with its movement’s marching troops. The heroes to be, the man able to
defend the land and defeat the enemies.
The military songs were sung by the troops and catchy melodies and
phrases were known to the general public. Even the “others” were using those
melodies in their circles as the music doesn’t recognize the borders.
The spirit of love for the land was uplifted and willingness to spill the
blood for the country for the state for the soil was generated. In fact, it was
cultivated to be the highest value of the nation. G-d Himself ascribed this
parcel of land to be a homeland.
Periodically, the military parade was a major event in the life of the
city or town, an entertainment in the times when mass media were limited to the
written word as the radio was not available yet for the masses. It was besides
the street performer and traveling theater perhaps only visual entertainment
available, in small towns the only entertainment.
You can imagine what kind of impact did it have on the populus,
especially boys of all ages.
All of them wanted to be one day like those mostly admired which they
were watching now holding their fathers by hands.
For those who preferred integrating of the “others” to the general
society, the enlistment of the “others” youth to the army was the greatest toll
to achieve it. Several years of strong discipline and straight nationalistic
brainwash was granting that integration.
For those who opposed integration, for they saw the very existence of the
“others” as the element of disintegration for the nation, they sought all kinds
of obstacles in that process and proposed rather mass emigration of the
strangers. Voluntary emigration of course, as they considered themselves to be
civilized and moral people.
Either way, periodic and quite often military parades were preparatory
tools for achieving national goals.
So Janek (Yanek) and Franek were standing on the sidewalk watching the
marching soldiers while holding their kids by hand. Just above them on the
porches Piotrek and Valenty were watching as well, also with their families.
But “others” were also coming. Moishe with his sons, and Yitschok holding
his offspring.
Not comprehending that the parade has the same impact on their kids as it
has on the kids of his Polish neighbors.
Yeah! If you still didn’t realize which country I was talking about till
now, it was Poland, and if you got a filling that some other place looks like
copy and paste…yeah, perhaps it was copied and pasted.
I was born much later but lived with the people who told me about life in
previous generations.
I spoke to the older Poles as well as interviewed many Polish Jews
describing that reality portrayed by me above. You can make your own work and
find not only written words on the subject but also pictographic material. You
may also find that the spirit of nationalism and militarism was for decades a
dominating philosophy in Europe. Polish military parades were not the first
marching through the streets of Shtetelach.
When Zionist agitators came to cities and the towns, it was now easy for
them to capture attention and raise the imagination of the Jewish youth to
their new nationalist gospel.
They promised not only the land but building it exactly in the model
known to the young generation of Jews in Poland and other central European
countries. Nationalistic society, built around its military and might with the
“others” just being there to be soon treated the same and worse than Jewish
population in Europe just before. Ideology born among many of the same
ideologies where blood and soil were superior to everything else.
It sometimes seems that the Zionist state is a parody of the other
nationalistic country in central Europe. With their constant push for
“Lebensraum”, and their “drang nach osten”, the similarities are staggering. It
would be a parody if it would be somehow diminished to their mighty predecessor
of Nazi Germany, but at this moment it is on the same level or worse, it is
only European fascism which survived longer than any other fascist country
where it originated.
Yes, there are no gas chambers for the Palestinian people, those who
think that Nazism began only after the Wannsee conference, know nothing about
history and quite frankly, they have no heart in their chest.
I don’t care what some of the readers of this essay will say or think
about me.
Beezras Hashem I laid down my beliefs over the years on this blog and
other places.
I proved my faithfulness to Hashem, His Toira and His people in a way
rare in this generation. Whoever knows me closer, knows it.
But I can’t stay silent when my people are going amok and even mad, and
when my people are going mad, we all will pay the price for it. Just read the
Prophets, just read the Sages ZT’L.
I can’t keep quiet now, when the original nationalistic secular ideology,
by design of its originators, is mixed with messianic frenzy, dulling the
conscience formed by thousands of years of study of morality and ethics. When
once more in our history we got lost for putting our hope in something else
than HBH or even worse, using Him as subservient to murderous ideology, turning
Almighty G-d into national getchke.
I joined Children of Yisrael on the promise that as rav S.R. Hirsch puts
it – It is law which gives me citizenship and not citizenship gives me the
rights.
And as a Jew I have this right, to cry when I can’t hold my voice and my
tears longer.
To all those who will use Talmudic statements about the ger who sides
with the enemies only because he feels alliance with them, listen to me.
Way before I became formally a Jew, I came to the conclusion that human
life is a superior value. In fact, it has more value than anything else in this
earthly existence.
More than your prosperity, more than the country and soil. Is it that
radical?
It wasn’t to the Uvois (Avot) it wasn’t to the holy man of our people.
If you want deeper understanding of value of human life according to
Toira, and if commandment not to kill is not enough, please find it in the
essay of rav Dessler on topic of suicide, very good explanation among the other
explanations. Bezras Hashem I will try to come back to this topic, why life is
superior to anything else, in some future too.
I was glad to get out of the poisonous mindset which was forced on my
brain from the time of my childhood. I was happy to break the chains of
patriotic mind where the value lies in killing and sacrificing your life and
your wellbeing for the idea of the country.
If you think that in the Jewish religion, I’m just looking for
confirmation for my preconceived convictions, please mind – Around the same
time in my live I came to conclusion that fundamental powers of human body,
lurking to be used in any circumstances possible, should be limited to the
setup of the family. Namely that our sexual life must happen only between
husband and wife. And yes, I also found it later in The Book and amongst the
people living by this Book. But it was preconceived as well. Why? It is part of
the story of my personal relationship with Boire Oilom.
Despite the most vicious antisemitism of the people which I grew up
among, B-H I was able to clarify what is right and what is wrong. I was able to
sharpen my sense of Tzedakah and Mishpat, pretty much on my own but with
amazing guidance from HBH.
With that Divine guidance I found people who valued life like no other
nation in the world.
People who as per words of Rav Hirsch - didn’t have human blood on their
hands for some eighteen hundred years. Too many times paying for this moral
high with their blood and blood of their children. Using allowed by Law
self-defense only when it was feasible but not waging war against any nation as
it is prohibited and matter of the oath – a covenant with G-d, imposed on the
nation after the last revolt and recorded in the Talmud.
With G-d’s guidance I joined the people who gave the world the Law and
conscience; and even though this Law is calling for capital punishment it was
rarely used already more than two thousand years ago. People of Yisruel, whose
judges made every possible effort to save the life even though it was obvious
to them that the criminal was guilty of crime.
People whose ancient kings were evaluated not by pails of dead bodies but
by their loyalty to the Law. Even the one who inspired mankind in his
everlasting poetry was criticized by the prophet for spilling human blood –
Duvid Hameilech.
It took all of my youth to search and find the people of Tzedakah and
Mishpat and I learned and solidified my conviction in the framework of the
Halacha. Circumstances were not favorable, but I joined the holy people of
Yisruel and was adopted by them. All of them are my people – those in Mea
Sheurim or Monsey and those in Givatayim or Varanasi. All of them are my
beloved brothers and sisters.
It tears my heart apart, I’m bleeding and crying through the sleepless
nights, seeing my people where too many of them are now.
It is not only a matter of stealing other peoples’ belongings in
nationalistic madness, it is not only constant bloodshed and harm to the
wellbeing and dignity of other people to build and maintain the state. It is
also dehumanization of the others; the same what Europeans did to Jews over
millennia culminating in extermination of Holocaust. And as the wise man says -
dehumanization of others dehumanizes us at least equally. Violence just
follows.
Now grotesque and unprecedented violence.
If anyone wants to understand why I use those words and this language I
will send you not far, just read my other essays. It will help to understand my
Mekoros – the sources – the spiritual one.
For most of my life I have been thinking that religion makes a person
better than spiritual indifference.
I will not go into the debate about what caused the wars and bloodshed in
the past as I’m fully aware of how emotional issues of our beliefs can be used
and misused by the rulers and politicians of this world. Not time for it now.
I was in believe that religion brings to life values otherwise not
present in person's conscience. And yes, I’m aware that an agnostic can have
moral convictions putting him sometimes in better position in moral ranking
than someone declaring himself as a religious person.
But I struggle with this notion these days. What if indeed someone
commits crimes from his love to the Supreme or superior values as he or she
understands them.
Toira is clear to me on this matter but obviously not to all my
coreligionists.
Should I tell them - drop your religion if it tells you to kill, to
steal, to mistreat, to make widows and orphans, to treat humans as cattle or
even subjects, to support almost all the atrocities which we experienced in our
history? And then to lie about it in public while the world is watching and
seeing through those lies? Using all kinds of deceit, pressure and machinations
to defend this obvious to all crime? Should I tell them to drop it and rather
become a nonbeliever if it saves a life?
And why is this crime and lies obvious to all? Because besides the
natural, Divinely imprinted sense of justice, we thought them “right and
wrong”.
To those who will come to me with usual lines and talking points, please
don’t gaslight me with “self-defense” and Amalek and all the other rubbish.
Anyone who knows anything about Zionist ideology from its inception, knows that
conquer control and expulsion of indigenous population from Palestine was part
of that ideology. There were few exceptions where some Zionists proposed
peaceful inhabitation and collaboration with indigenous and neighboring people,
like Martin Buber, but ultimately even he, a major European philosopher, was
marginalized and ostracized by Zionist establishment.
There are sources to learn from. Not from late apologists of that
ideology but from its early writers and ideologists of Zionism. Don’t be
afraid. Their writings will not make you worse than now if you already support
any actions of the Zionist state.
If you believe that any of those actions are pleasant to your god, I
think I can say it – leave him and first became human as Rav Hirsch says here:
“Now, had Scripture not told us here that Avraham was
ninety nine old when the covenant of Milah - which is the founding covenant of
Judaism - was established with him, we would have thought that all of Avraham's
virtues, of which we have learned until now, were the result of the covenant
established with him in his youth, and that the whole flowering of this covenant
consisted in these virtues. In fact, however, they all preceded the covenant of
Milah. The full attainment of purely humane virtues preceded the mitzvah stated
here: וֶהְיֵ֥ה תָמִֽים . The covenant of Avraham is a higher perfection of the
humane virtues. The inference is twofold: On the one hand, "Be a mensch, a
decent human being, before you attempt to be a Jew." First acquire all the
humane virtues; only then can you become a Jew. On the other hand, you are not
yet a Jew if you have reached only the level attained by Avraham until this
point. A person who is compassionate, forgiving, and benevolent qualities
demonstrated by Avraham until this point is merely the embodiment of the ideal
Noachide.”
Then you can begin to regain your status as a Jew.
Following this essay, I quote more and at length commentaries from
Hirsch’s Chumash.
Some may say that His opinions are his and there are plenty of
commentaries explaining those issues in different light. It is true that we
have a principle of Ailu Ve Ailu. But in my simple understanding, one Ailu can
usually be reconciled with another Ailu. And then there are opinions which were
never accepted but nevertheless recorded and there are opinions which are
straight ‘outside” - heretical.
Hirsch’s Hashkafa is exceptional in its clarity and fully able to
reconcile with all Divrey Chazal as far as I know.
But for argument’s sake, hypothetically; let’s say that what he writes
below is something out of range, some ideas that can’t be taken seriously,
because other logical constructs based on Scriptures and Divrey Chazal present
to us opposite ideas. For it is true that this Holy Book served dictators and
murderers to justify their atrocities all over history. Some say it is like a
fiddle which you can take and play any melody you wish to. It is true that
pasukim can be taken, twisted, moved around, taken out of context and made into
some scriptural Frankenstein to provide support for every possible sin under
the sun.
Ultimately, how someone uses the Toira, tells more about the person than
Toira itself.
But if anyone, anybody, no matter how big or small will present to me
“logic” opposite to that below, I will rather stay “wrong” with Hirsch than
“right” even if it is with majority.
Genesis chapter 12
“Avraham appears merely as an individual who is told: "Go your own way, dare to be alone." In verse 2- וְאֶֽעֶשְׂךָ֙ לְג֣וֹי גָּד֔וֹל the nation already appears, but not yet in the context of interaction with other nations. Then, verse 3 – וַאֲבָֽרְכָה֙ shows Israel in its relationship with other nations: The blessing of Avraham is made dependent on others blessing him, and there are also those who dare to curse him.
Avraham's task was to isolate himself, to walk
alone with God. The second stage was the creation of a nation out of this
Avraham. It was destined to become apparent that the existence of this nation
is a second act of creation by God in history, and toward this end it was
necessary that Israel become a nation only by way of Golus (exile) and Geirus
(homelessness), without a homeland. Had Israel, from the very beginning,
dwelled in its own land, its creation would not have appeared as אֶצְבַּ֥ע אֱלֹהִֽים or as מעשה ה'
וַאֲגַדְּלָ֖ה שְׁמֶ֑ךָ "And I wish to make
your name great." Scripture does not say: "I will make your name
great." God can bless people and nations, but He can only wish that they
will attain moral virtue and that their deeds will be exemplary, for that
depends on their faithfulness to the Divine Law. Similarly, Scripture does not say והיית ברכה or ותהיה ברכה "And
you will be a blessing" but, rather: " וֶהְיֵ֖ה
בְּרָכָֽה "Become a blessing." These two Hebrew words capsulize the
whole moral mission on whose accomplishment the fulfillment of God's own wish
depends: "I wish to your name great; therefore, you, become a blessing! I
wish to make of you a nation that will be a beacon to the nations, a nation to
which the others need only look in order to become aware of their own tasks.
And the task that is assigned to you as distinct from the aspirations of all
other nations - is: to become a blessing!" Everyone aspires, not להיות
ברכה but להיות ברוכים to be blessed. This is the
aspiration of every person and especially of every nation. Honesty,
humanity, and love are duties incumbent upon the individual, but are regarded
as folly in relations between nations and are viewed as unimportant by
statesmen and politicians. Individuals are imprisoned and hanged for the crimes
of fraud and murder, but countries murder and defraud on a grand scale, and
those who murder and defraud "in the interest of the state" are
decorated and rewarded.
Not like these is the portion of Avraham. The
nation of Avraham is to have no national politics and no national economics.
The One Who guaranteed its national welfare does not need to allocate funds,
form coalitions, or conclude treaties. At His command are rain and sunshine,
strength and life, power and victory. אִם־בְּחֻקֹּתַ֖י תֵּלֵ֑כוּ then all will
go well. In the midst of a world where mankind's stated aim is וְנַֽעֲשֶׂה־לָּ֖נוּ
שֵׁ֑ם and its ambition is to increase its power and extend its domain no matter
what the cost, the nation of Avraham is in private and public life to heed only
one call: to be a Blessing. Its life is to be devoted to the Divine aims of
bringing harmony to mankind and to the world and restoring man to his former
glory.
Then God will grant this nation His blessing for
a life of dynamic action. Its name will become prominent among the nations, so
that they, too, should be educated to these same aspirations: וַאֲבָ֣רֶכְךָ֔
וַאֲגַדְּלָ֖ה שְׁמֶ֑ךָ
This second stage of Jewish history, the
creation of a nation out of Avraham, was to have become a reality in ארץ ישראל.
There, Israel would live apart from the nations. Not only would Israel be
blessed, but blessing would spring from Israel; Israel would become a source of
blessing וַיִּשְׁכֹּן֩ יִשְׂרָאֵ֨ל בֶּ֤טַח בָּדָד֙ עֵ֣ין יַֽעֲקֹ֔ב (Devarim
33:28). Had we been worthy, all the promises to us that are to be fulfilled at
the end of the days, would have been fulfilled thousands of years ago, and the
whole course of human history would have been radically different.
It appears, though, that this first promise to
Avraham (vv. 1-3) alludes to a third stage. We have already noted that the form
וַאֲגַדְּלָ֖ה is expressive of a wish; for the realization of the second stage
does not depend on God alone. Verse 3 appears to allude to a third stage in
which Avraham's people - its blessing or curse are dependent on man, a stage in
which man has the power to bless them or to curse them. This is the stage of גלות which was decreed to befall this people if they would forget
their mission and seek - like the other nations להיות ברוכים instead of להיות ברכה
In the stage of גלות the people of Israel are
subject to the nations and dependent on them, for blessing or curse. Of this
stage Avraham is told: וַאֲבָֽרְכָה֙ מְבָ֣רְכֶ֔יךָ. That is to say, those who
bless you and help you, who value your principles and submit to the service of
your God I those will I bless. “
“Yet
another truth was revealed here to Avraham. He came face to face with a reality
that concerned his people in particular. In the land promised to him as the
future homeland of his people, the first trial he faced was famine, and the
second was war! The land does not, by its very nature, provide material
prosperity and political independence. In both these respects, the land of
Israel is the antithesis of Egypt. The land is dependent on heaven for its
fertility, and its political position is one of dependence; it cannot offer
resistance to a foreign invader. In and of itself, the land of Israel is prone
to famine and political dependence. Since it is situated at the crossroads
where Europe, Asia and Africa meet, all the major wars that have shaken the world
have inflicted severe damage upon it.
But precisely for this reason it was chosen.
Had Israel built a holy life on this land, no foe would have dared to approach
its borders. Three times each year the borders of the land would have been left
undefended and vulnerable, yet no one would have covetingly touched the land
(see Shemos 34:24). All the countries of the world would have fought one another
and passed near Israel's land, but no sword would have entered this most
prosperous yet most defenseless of lands וְנָתַתִּ֤י שָׁלוֹם֙ בָּאָ֔רֶץ וּשְׁכַבְתֶּ֖ם וְאֵ֣ין
מַחֲרִ֑יד וְהִשְׁבַּתִּ֞י חַיָּ֤ה רָעָה֙ מִן־הָאָ֔רֶץ וְחֶ֖רֶב לֹא־תַעֲבֹ֥ר
בְּאַרְצְכֶֽם׃ (Vayikra
26:6). Then all the nations of the world would have seen with their own eyes:
"God is there!" God is the stronghold of Zion; His deliverance
stands in place of wall and bulwark אֱלֹהִ֥ים
בְּאַרְמְנוֹתֶ֗יהָ נוֹדַ֥ע לְמִשְׂגָּֽב׃ (Tehillim 48:4) יְשׁוּעָ֥ה
יָשִׁ֖ית חוֹמ֥וֹת וָחֵֽל׃ (Yeshayahu 26:1). All the prophets' promises
for the future would have been fulfilled thousands of years ago; Zion
would have shone forth as a light unto the nations, and the peoples would have
said: "Let us go with you, for we have seen that God is with you"
(Zecharyah 8:23).”
