The unshared values that divide the Jewish people

You don’t have to be Jewish to be familiar with the saying “Am Y’Israel Chai,” (the people of Israel live!) also a well-known song.

It embodies both the dream come true of a Jewish homeland as well as the 76-year existence, made possible through the shed blood of so many men and women who were willing to defend the country and put their lives on the line in order to continue that dream.

Writer, Jonathan Lieberman, in his recent article titled, “The New Zealots,” encapsulates the puzzling phenomenon of what it is that is dividing the Jewish people by expressing, “The problem is that the two sides are so far apart in their worldview, that they do not share a common set of values.” 

It’s even more bizarre when you realize that the “common set of values” to which he refers, largely centers around the diminished value of the Jewish homeland and its lack of desire to defend it. As he puts it, Haredim (the ultra-orthodox) consider Israel as “a vehicle for just being in the land that God swore to our forefathers. They have never left exile. For them, learning Torah is their only raison d’etre and the secular state holds no ultimate value.” 

In contrast to that viewpoint, Lieberman says “Non-Haredim are willing to sacrifice everything for the state, the land and the people of Israel. Haredim are willing to sacrifice everything to preserve their exilic world of Torah until the Messiah comes to redeem them.”

It is that expansive gap which explains a lot and provides a glimpse into the efforts expended by the current ultra-religious government coalition, which, since it came into power, has attempted to replace laws with new interpretations that favor this kind of venerating of extreme rabbinic ideology, some of which goes so far as to reject the legitimacy of Israel since, by their way of thinking, it was established by men rather than God, Himself. 

Likewise, certain fringe sects, such as Neturei Karta and the Satmar Hassidim do not hesitate to condemn Israel, often siding with Palestinian extremists in their vocal condemnation of the Jewish state, making very strange bedfellows. The irony is that while many of them live here, they are in no way supportive or loyal citizens of Israel, so their contribution to the state is non-existent while, at the same time, expecting to be financially cared for by the tax dollars of citizens.

But why has the survival of their homeland and their people somehow taken a back seat to the revered study of Torah (the five Biblical books of Moses), making it responsible for pitting the ultra-religious against the mostly secular but traditional population of the Jewish homeland? 

The tragedy, by those who think that way, is that without regard or love for the Jewish homeland and those who inhabit it, there is really no understanding of God’s plan for mankind. While the ultra-religious lament the devastating effects of the Holocaust, which took the lives of six million, acknowledging the near total destruction of our people, they somehow miss the forest through the trees by failing to comprehend the miracle of Israel and our resurrection as a people, once again.

Unquestionably, secular Israelis are held in contempt, by the ultra-Orthodox who view them as apostate and even reprobate individuals who have turned their backs on godly principles and a holier way of life. But if they are truly dedicated to God, why aren’t they motivated, by love, for the “lost,” who they believe will be condemned in the after-life? 

Why would they not do everything within their power to redeem the “unbelievers,” by trying to lovingly bring them into the fold?

And if they were to embark upon such an endeavor, wouldn’t that require them to make sure we stay alive in order to embrace the very things which are so dear to them? But then that would require them to perform military service to ensure that Israelis don’t perish at the hands of their enemies.

The very fact that these ultra-Orthodox are unwilling to lay down their lives for their people, unlike their secular counterparts, actually displays an apathetic disregard for those who come from the same tribe but whom they are unwilling to acknowledge as part of them, worthy of preservation. This, too, attests to unshared values which keep us divided and ununified.

It is sad, because if we cannot agree upon the value of Jewish human life, and its eternal worth, then what godly principles have the religious gleaned from the Torah, the book which they purport to be above all else. In Genesis, the first book of the bible, we read, right from the start, that we were created in God’s image. That, alone, should cause us to understand the great treasure bestowed upon us, having been elevated to a much higher state than the animals.

God intended us to be a mirror image of His likeness and character, something which we failed to achieve, through our own choice of rejecting His instructions. And although Rabbinic Judaism fails to recognize our innate fallen nature, it doesn’t change the fact that each one of us is riddled with that same evil propensity which cannot be redeemed through Torah study. 

It is regrettable that we, as a people, are being held back from the unity and brotherhood which could serve us so well, especially at a time when our enemies seem more united than ever in their quest to eradicate us from the face of the earth. 

But when you fail to appreciate the rebirth of Israel and return of her people, preferring Torah study as the highest achievement, it’s time to evaluate whether or not we understand God’s intention for us. Because, coincidentally, He commands us to value one another as evidenced by Leviticus 19:18 which says, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 

It is that vital instruction which, when obeyed, will bring us the unity that escapes us, helping us to live our intended destiny as one people with one purpose, created to show forth His light to a lost and dying world. 

Without a clear understanding of God’s plan, and how He used circumstances and people to bring it about, we will continue to remain divided with unshared values, and that will only result in much pain and hardship, similar to what happens when a family is torn apart. It is only the Almighty who can heal this divide and restore us as one people whose shared common values will illuminate the world.