Two Conditions of Exile
Exile for the Jewish people consists of two dynamics: oppression from without and erosion from within. The former might be more painful, but the latter is more lethal. Hence, the first and emblematic Jewish leader, Moses, as he is growing into his position, is immediately confronted with these two problems that would define the Jewish condition in exile.
On the first and most basic level, Jewish exile, from Egypt till today, has been defined by the “Egyptian man striking a Hebrew man.” Persecution, abuse, oppression, expulsion, random torture and murders, even genocide, have been the fate of the Jewish people from Pharaoh to Hitler. In almost every generation, the Jew needed to reckon with the tragedy of baseless Jewish hatred that never ceased to claim innocent lives. The Jew turns this way and that way and sees “that there is no man” who cares enough. The world—the UN—will remain silent.
Yet with all of its crude and incomprehensible brutality, Moses finds a solution to this crisis. “He struck down the Egyptian and hid him in the sand.” Moses taught us that there are times when we have no choice but to take up arms and strike the enemy in order to protect innocent lives. The use of moral violence must always be the last resort, but when all other attempts fail, righteous might is the only response to immoral violence.
THE SECOND DAY
On the second day, after Moses rescued his fellow Jew from the external enemy, he was confronted with a new challenge: a Jew fighting a Jew. One would think that the solution to this problem would be easier than the former one. After all, this is only a quarrel between Jews themselves. Yet, astoundingly, in this incident, Moses fails. His attempt to create reconciliation gets thrown back at him. In a typical Jewish response, Moses is asked: “Who appointed you as a prince and leader over us?” Who do you think you are to tell me how to behave?
Anti-Semitism is dangerous, very dangerous, and we need much determination and courage to combat it wherever and whenever it rears its ugly head. Yet since the enemy is clearly defined, we have no problem identifying the target and eliminating it, either through peaceful methods or through justified conflict. However, discord within the Jewish people – the strife and mistrust between communities as well as the animosity within communities and families – is a silent disease that eats away at our core and does not allow us to experience liberation. At first it does not seem so destructive; its negative potency shows up only in time, especially in moments of crisis when we need each other most, but the trust has been eroded.
There have been only three periods of Jewish political sovereignty in four thousand years. Two ended in, and because of, internal dissension. The third age of sovereignty began in 1948, and already, Israeli society is dangerously fragmented. The democratic process alone does not guarantee the existence of the body politic; it needs also some shared culture and identity—a shared sense of purpose and destiny. Israel at war is defined by its enemies. Israel in pursuit of peace is less easily defined and may erode from within.
When Moses, more than three millennia ago, observed the Jew fighting the Jew, he grew frightened. Moses knew that as long as unity prevailed among his people, no force from without could crush them. But the moment they became fragmented within, their future was dim.
Today, we are still in exile, and we suffer from both problems. There are the people who wish to strike us down, and there is conflict within our own ranks. And, just as it was with Moses, it seems at times that the former challenge is easier to address than the latter. It is easier to gain a Jewish consensus concerning Iran and Hamas than it is to create peace in a family and community. Will we, at least this time around, have the courage to dull our egos, open our hearts, and embrace each of our brothers and sisters with unconditional love?
RABBI YY JACOBSON
