Our Political Situation

by: Rav Avraham Brandwein, Dean
Yeshiva Kol Yehuda Zvi
POB 14056
Jerusalem, Israel
fax: 972-2-5823276 


B"H

This is my take on the situation. As is known, the Jewish People has a mission and, as long as it isn't fulfilled, we won't be able to rest in peace. For example, a person with a potential to be educated won't find satisfaction in working as a housekeeper.

There were a number of attempts to solve the Jewish problem and none have succeeded to this day.

Over 100 years ago, Herzl thought about how to solve the Jewish problem and why the Jews are always persecuted by the nations of the world. At first, he thought that assimilation might be the best solution and thus there would be no such thing as the "Jewish Nation." Then, came along the Dreyfus Affair showing that assimilation wouldn't work. As is known, Dreyfus was an assimilated Jew and a loyal officer in the French army.

Then, Herzl realized that every nation has its own country, except for the Jews who were always at the mercy of foreign rulers. Thus he thought of purchasing land in Argentina for a Jewish country and, later, he preferred Uganda. After he understood that it would be difficult to convince Diaspora Jews to leave their comfortable homes for an African wasteland, he thought that the land of Israel would constitute more of an attraction. Then the Zionist idea was born.

What we learn from this is that there is no connection between the Zionist ideal and the spiritual heritage of the Jewish People since this was only a tactical strategy. Thus we have, here, as it were, two solutions to the Jewish problem.

The third solution was Hitler's, the physical destruction of the Jewish People that also didn't succeed.

Here in Israel, we have arrived at a new kind of solution, to be in the land and keep a superficial version of our heritage as if the land of Israel were the purpose and not just the means to accomplishing the mission of the Jewish People. Thus we have not been able to be at rest until this day.

Israel, instead of relying upon spiritual development put its confidence in military force and, since 1970, began a period in which military force failed to provide a solution. Thus the problems will continue until we understand that we need to fulfill the mission of the Jewish People.

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© Copyright 5756, Rabbi Avraham Brandwein, Jerusalem. Translation by Avraham Sutton.
Questions welcome.
Please address all inquiries to:
Rabbi Avraham Brandwein, P.O.B. 14056, Jerusalem Israel.
fax: 972-2-582-3276
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