Anxiety Brought Us Together
Disaster is the parent of opportunity. When the normal and routine are shaken, when calm and confidence is shattered, the patterns of life are altered and new opportunities are born.
It remains to us to convert these opportunities into reality. It remains to us to grasp that, if we permit it, even dark clouds can bear a sliver lining.
In May of 1967, the worldwide Jewish community joined in unprecedented unity to face the grave danger that threatened the land of Israel. Long-standing fissures that had splintered our community were, for the moment, summarily dismissed. The enemy did not discriminate; he threatened the entire community and this brought us together.
Personal animosities and parochial differences were set aside. Jews, who never visited Israel before, traveled en masse to volunteer their help. Jews, secure in distant countries, contributed their life's savings in defense of the land. At that moment, our unity was complete.
The impending crisis brought to the surface a devotion we never knew we possessed. An otherwise fragmented people was forced by a common enemy to find a common ground. The threat of incredible disaster gave rise to an incredible opportunity for unity and love.
Fertile, But Foreign Lands
As our ancestors approached the promised land, two tribes requested permission to settle in the fertile, but foreign, lands outside of Israel. Rather than encourage them to join their brethren in the Holy Land, Moses quickly acquiesced, with only one stipulation. He asked that they join the Jewish army in times of war.(1)
Moses' response is perplexing. Were these tribes an integral part of the nation in war, but not in peace? Were these tribes dispensable to the nation as long as its military strength was not affected ?
I would like to offer a different perspective. Moses sought to divine the mindset of those who were prepared to break with their brethren in pursuit of material gain. Did they still see themselves as members of the Jewish nation, or did the promise of bounty on the Jordan's East Bank cause them to sever their ties with the Jewish nation?
The only litmus test that could prove their loyalty was their behavior in time of war. With their families safely ensconced in distant lands, would they identify with their brethren in time of war? Would they risk life and limb to come to the aid of their brethren? If they would draft an army and fight alongside their brethren, then they would pass the litmus test and demonstrate their true Jewish identity.
Why Do We Wait?
Though they viewed themselves as a common people, their commonality did not emerge until it was threatened by war. In times of peace, they were content to pursue their selfish dreams, far from the rest of their family. That Jewish unity would suffer did not concern them as much as their own well-being.(2)
This is, unfortunately, the other side of the coin. It is true that disasters parent opportunities for unity and hope, but it is frustrating that it takes a disaster to bring us together. Why can't we appreciate each other in peace as we do in war? Why can't we stand together at all times? Why must we wait for a crisis to show our unity and common identity?
Once again, our people face a crisis in the land of Israel, with a two-front war in Gaza and Lebanon. Once again, a sentiment of unity and support has gripped our nation. This is an opportunity. An opportunity to perpetuate the positive energy and goodwill that the crisis has brought forth.
Let's grasp this energy of goodwill and preserve it for the future. Let's use it to bridge the gaps in our lines. Let's look past our differences and remember our brotherhood. This crisis will pass, as have all others, but even as the dangers recede, our support and love for each other must not.
Today, this goal, noble is as it is, seems almost unreachable. Indeed, there will come a time when the astounding unity, currently reserved for times of danger, will become the norm.
Noah and the Messianic Age
The prophet Isiah promised that in the Messianic age, animals of prey will set their aggression aside. "The wolf shall lie down with the lamb and the leopard with the goat, the calf, the cub and the ox will sit together and a child will lead them. The cow and the bear will graze together, the lion and the cattle will both eat straw."(3)
This particular miracle had already occurred once before in history. In Noah's ark, during the deluge, the animals tamed their aggression and got along. The lion did not prey on the sheep and the tiger did not stalk the lamb.
The former Chief Rabbi of Israel, Rabbi Yisrael Meir Lau, posed the following question: If this miracle did not herald the Messianic age when it occurred in the ark, then why was Isaiah convinced that it would herald the Messianic age the next time it occurred?(4)
In response, Rabbi Lau suggested that a great distinction can be drawn between that which occurred in Noah's ark and the miracles of the Messianic age.
In Noah's ark, the animals banded together against a common enemy, the flood. They needed each other to fight the common enemy. They had to survive together, or not at all. They were in the ark on Noah's sufferance and he would not have hesitated to eject them if they had quarreled. Their goodwill was intended to serve their own needs, not those of their prey.
In the Messianic age, there will not be a common enemy. There will be no precipitating reason for the docile nature of aggressive animals. Peace and security will arise not of necessity, but out of desire. Not out of tragedy, but out of goodwill. The animals will choose to become peaceful.
This is a phenomenon not extant today. As Isaiah correctly prophesied, when we witness this astounding miracle we will know with certainty that the Messianic age has arrived.
This will be a silver lining without the cloud. A time of true and total peace.(5)
Footnotes
1) Numbers 22.
2) This is why these tribes were the first Jews to be exiled from their land. Bamidbar Rabbah, 22:7. For a deeper perspective, see Likutei Sichos, v. XIII pp. 189-191.
3) Isaiah, 11:6-7.
4) The Chief Rabbi's remarks were delivered at a fund raiser in Toronto on Monday, June 5, 2006.
5) If we emulate that way of life today, then we will hasten the arrival of the Messianic age.
Disaster is the parent of opportunity. When the normal and routine are shaken, when calm and confidence is shattered, the patterns of life are altered and new opportunities are born.
It remains to us to convert these opportunities into reality. It remains to us to grasp that, if we permit it, even dark clouds can bear a sliver lining.
In May of 1967, the worldwide Jewish community joined in unprecedented unity to face the grave danger that threatened the land of Israel. Long-standing fissures that had splintered our community were, for the moment, summarily dismissed. The enemy did not discriminate; he threatened the entire community and this brought us together.
Personal animosities and parochial differences were set aside. Jews, who never visited Israel before, traveled en masse to volunteer their help. Jews, secure in distant countries, contributed their life's savings in defense of the land. At that moment, our unity was complete.
The impending crisis brought to the surface a devotion we never knew we possessed. An otherwise fragmented people was forced by a common enemy to find a common ground. The threat of incredible disaster gave rise to an incredible opportunity for unity and love.
Fertile, But Foreign Lands
As our ancestors approached the promised land, two tribes requested permission to settle in the fertile, but foreign, lands outside of Israel. Rather than encourage them to join their brethren in the Holy Land, Moses quickly acquiesced, with only one stipulation. He asked that they join the Jewish army in times of war.(1)
Moses' response is perplexing. Were these tribes an integral part of the nation in war, but not in peace? Were these tribes dispensable to the nation as long as its military strength was not affected ?
I would like to offer a different perspective. Moses sought to divine the mindset of those who were prepared to break with their brethren in pursuit of material gain. Did they still see themselves as members of the Jewish nation, or did the promise of bounty on the Jordan's East Bank cause them to sever their ties with the Jewish nation?
The only litmus test that could prove their loyalty was their behavior in time of war. With their families safely ensconced in distant lands, would they identify with their brethren in time of war? Would they risk life and limb to come to the aid of their brethren? If they would draft an army and fight alongside their brethren, then they would pass the litmus test and demonstrate their true Jewish identity.
Why Do We Wait?
Though they viewed themselves as a common people, their commonality did not emerge until it was threatened by war. In times of peace, they were content to pursue their selfish dreams, far from the rest of their family. That Jewish unity would suffer did not concern them as much as their own well-being.(2)
This is, unfortunately, the other side of the coin. It is true that disasters parent opportunities for unity and hope, but it is frustrating that it takes a disaster to bring us together. Why can't we appreciate each other in peace as we do in war? Why can't we stand together at all times? Why must we wait for a crisis to show our unity and common identity?
Once again, our people face a crisis in the land of Israel, with a two-front war in Gaza and Lebanon. Once again, a sentiment of unity and support has gripped our nation. This is an opportunity. An opportunity to perpetuate the positive energy and goodwill that the crisis has brought forth.
Let's grasp this energy of goodwill and preserve it for the future. Let's use it to bridge the gaps in our lines. Let's look past our differences and remember our brotherhood. This crisis will pass, as have all others, but even as the dangers recede, our support and love for each other must not.
Today, this goal, noble is as it is, seems almost unreachable. Indeed, there will come a time when the astounding unity, currently reserved for times of danger, will become the norm.
Noah and the Messianic Age
The prophet Isiah promised that in the Messianic age, animals of prey will set their aggression aside. "The wolf shall lie down with the lamb and the leopard with the goat, the calf, the cub and the ox will sit together and a child will lead them. The cow and the bear will graze together, the lion and the cattle will both eat straw."(3)
This particular miracle had already occurred once before in history. In Noah's ark, during the deluge, the animals tamed their aggression and got along. The lion did not prey on the sheep and the tiger did not stalk the lamb.
The former Chief Rabbi of Israel, Rabbi Yisrael Meir Lau, posed the following question: If this miracle did not herald the Messianic age when it occurred in the ark, then why was Isaiah convinced that it would herald the Messianic age the next time it occurred?(4)
In response, Rabbi Lau suggested that a great distinction can be drawn between that which occurred in Noah's ark and the miracles of the Messianic age.
In Noah's ark, the animals banded together against a common enemy, the flood. They needed each other to fight the common enemy. They had to survive together, or not at all. They were in the ark on Noah's sufferance and he would not have hesitated to eject them if they had quarreled. Their goodwill was intended to serve their own needs, not those of their prey.
In the Messianic age, there will not be a common enemy. There will be no precipitating reason for the docile nature of aggressive animals. Peace and security will arise not of necessity, but out of desire. Not out of tragedy, but out of goodwill. The animals will choose to become peaceful.
This is a phenomenon not extant today. As Isaiah correctly prophesied, when we witness this astounding miracle we will know with certainty that the Messianic age has arrived.
This will be a silver lining without the cloud. A time of true and total peace.(5)
Footnotes
1) Numbers 22.
2) This is why these tribes were the first Jews to be exiled from their land. Bamidbar Rabbah, 22:7. For a deeper perspective, see Likutei Sichos, v. XIII pp. 189-191.
3) Isaiah, 11:6-7.
4) The Chief Rabbi's remarks were delivered at a fund raiser in Toronto on Monday, June 5, 2006.
5) If we emulate that way of life today, then we will hasten the arrival of the Messianic age.