Festivals | Tishrei
The Jewish People - A Unique Nation?
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Description
The uniqueness of Israel also finds its expression in modern terms.
But this does not come to deny our legitimate, historic right
to national existence. If anything a modern interpretation lightens
the burden of having to explain ourselves to the nations of the
world and to alienated and disenchanted Jews who have sought after
normality and universalism.
The emergence of nations in our day has led scholars to ask what
brings a person to a state of preparedness to die for his people
or his or her birthplace? This question was especially relevant
after the publication of Marx and Engel's call to the workers
of the world to unite.
Despite all the fiery resolutions of our stormy age, the workers
of the world did not unite. That which divided was stronger than
that which united. National feeling is so deep in normal human
beings that the time has come to examine the forces that underwrite
this behaviour among different peoples in different times.
It is clear that the spirit that pervades one particular nation
is not identical to that which typifies another. "Zar lo Yavin"
- the "foreigner will not understand" - the idiosyncracies that
are the source of so many tragic misunderstandings. These are
what we call their uniqueness, the human experience that is unrepeatable,
that is a one-time affair. And that is why it is important that
nations are willing to learn from each other, as is the human
mode to learn from society. If a nation is not closed, it contributes
from its experience and from its genius and learns from others.
Despite its naitional consciousness it does not cancel itself
in the eyes of others; otherwise it decrees its death as a national
entity, despite the "give and take" in the international arena.
Each nation and its own peculiarity. And so, like 'all the peoples',
the People of Israel must maintain their special character or
peculiarity. But we cannot deny any other nation that has the
feeling of being 'Am Segulah' - a 'unique people' - the same perogative;
nor they us.
Questions
- Is it possible to think of the chosenness of the Jewish people
without God?
- What is the difference between justice and righteousness?
Is righteousness the perogative of the Jewish people alone?
- Is it valid to evaluate the Jewish people by the product
of their spiritual message without considering the source
of the message?
- In what way is there a similarity between the early history
of the Jewish people - between slavery and nationhood - and
the contemporary rebirth of Israel?
- Is the State of Israel a closed society or an open society?
Is it possible to reconcile Elon's views with Rabbi Epstein's
interpretation?
- Can you detect a specific relationship between the people
of Israel, the Land of Israel and the Torah of Israel running
through these texts?
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Acknowledgments
Editors, Menachem Persoff, Zehava Albert, "SUKKOT", Youth & Hechalutz
Dept., WZO (Education Department of the Jewish Agency for Israel),
Jerusalem. Revised Edition.