The Ancient Art of Interpretation: Yom HaAtzmaut 5785
Current Events in Ancient Categories: The Rav’s Famous 1956 Address on the State of Israel and the Jewish People
In 1956, Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik delivered a now famous address about the significance of the development of the State of Israel in a religious framework. This was outstanding for a number of reasons (beyond the scope of the this brief treatment), especially given the attitude toward zionism in many religious circles at the time. His address exemplifies his approach to interpreting current events in biblical, historical, and religious categories.
Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik - Counting Time
As a matter of fact, Jewish homiletics is based upon the same principle. How is a sermon constructed? We take current events and interpret them in Biblical categories, or we place our experiences within the frame of reference of the Biblical drama, thus demonstrating that the Bible narrates the perennial story of the Jew. Of course, some details have changed, the places are different, the names are not the same, yet the fabula is the same, the dramatic structural patterns are identical. Joseph, Moses, and David are not mythical figures enveloped in the mist of a distant dawn, but real, living people with whom we rejoice on happy occasions and share grief when confronted with tragedy. In a word, the Jew is involved in his past.
…What are we supposed to study in order to attain and develop this particular, unique time-awareness? The answer is the Bible, particularly the Humash. But it should be studied well, with the classical commentaries, focusing one's attention upon the spiritual message relevant to us, interpreting ancient events in modern categories and recent events in ancient categories. What is most important is to see the Bible as the mirror in which human destiny in general, and Jewish destiny in particular, are reflected, and thereby to discern what is the wisest course of action to take.
One can find oneself in the Bible, but this ability cannot be developed overnight. Painstakingly hard study and sensitivity to spiritual values are indispensable. I try to do so in my shiurim on the weekly parashah. My objective is to point out to the participants the relevance to us of each syllable in the Torah, and to highlight the fact that the Biblical stories always have a double meaning or a twofold truth–recorded events that really happened, and the eternal meaning of these events. They are symbols of human destiny, cutting through the millennia.
Regretfully, the modern Jew lacks this kind of sensitivity. He does not respond to the beauty and magnificence of the Bible. We read mechanically the words addressed to us by the ancient wise men who were God's messengers and who had God's doctrine on their lips. We treat these words as if they mean nothing to us. Quite often, I feel envious of the non-Jew who displays so much understanding of the Biblical word. (p.176-9)
The Rav highlighted 6 historical developments which warrant attention. These represent shifts in the landscape for the Jewish people. Each provides greater opportunity for the Jewish to pursue their ultimate mission. Using terminology from the Song of Songs (Shir HaShirim), he describes these developments as 6 “knocks”, a euphemism for the Almighty, the Beloved, knocking on the door of the Jewish people, the lover. A full excerpt of his description of the 6 knocks is included as an appendix to this essay. A brief summary follows:
1) Political
“the State of Israel, in a political sense, was an almost supernatural occurrence”
The Rav definitively interprets the establishment of the modern State of Israel as an act of Divine Providence, orchestrated by the “true Chairman” with a capital C, executed through the chairman of the United Nations.
2) Military
“on the battlefield. The tiny defense forces of [the State of] Israel defeated the mighty Arab armies. The miracle of “the many delivered into the hands of the few” materialized before our eyes, and an even greater miracle happened!”
The Rav goes on to compare the military victory in 1948 to the Jewish people’s victory over the Egyptians at the Red Sea. The Jews departed Egypt in a Divinely orchestrated manner leading to the the destruction of the Egyptian army. Similarly, the Arab states rejected the partition plan and sent their armies to destroy the small Jewish state. The Israel Defense Forces rallied increasing the size of the small state and profoundly strengthened their position in the region.
3) Theology
“the theological arguments of Christian theologians to the effect that the Holy One has taken away from the Community of Israel its rights to the Land of Israel, and that all of the biblical promises relating to Zion and Jerusalem now refer in an allegorical sense to Christianity and the Christian Church, were all publicly shown to be false, baseless contentions by the establishment of the State of Israel”
The theological landscaped shifted due to the establishment of the State of Israel by the Jewish people. Many of the historical arguments lodged against the Jewish people, attempting to undermine their mission and future trajectory, were completely undermined. The Rav explained the satisfaction he feels upon hearing the secular or Christian press refer to the State of Israel.
4) Sociology
“Many who were once alienated are now bound to the Jewish State with ties of pride in its mighty accomplishments. Many American Jews who were partially assimilated find themselves beset by hidden fear and concern for any crisis that the State of Israel is at the time passing through, and they pray for its well-being and welfare even though they are far from being totally committed to it.”
From a sociological perspective, the dynamics of assimilation were reshaped. Jews who may have limited connection to Judaism in practice nonetheless experience a connection to the State. Israel became a conduit for a connection to the Jewish people. This is apparent both in Israel and abroad.
5) Self-Defense
“For the first time in the annals of our exile, Divine Providence has amazed our enemies with the astounding discovery that Jewish blood is not cheap!… Public and private honor is dependent upon the possibility of defending one’s life and one’s honor. A people that cannot defend its freedom and tranquillity is neither free nor independent. The third of the phrases of Divine redemption is ‘And I shall redeem you with an outstretched hand and with great judgments’ (Exodus 6:6).Thank God we have lived to see the day when, with the help of God, Jews have it within their power to defend themselves.”
For millennia, Jews were second-class citizens, dependent on the largess or kindness of others to access their inalienable human rights. The establishment of the State of Israel gave the Jewish people the tools to achieve, maintain, and defend their basic human dignity. This has far reaching consequences.
A poignant failure in this area is the tragedy of the 1972 Munich olympics, where the Israeli olympic team was murdered while the world watched. The rescuing of hostages from Entebbe in 1976 is an expression of this ideal, demonstrating that the State of Israel protects Jews across the world. Another expression is the symbolic action of the Israeli Air Force flying over Auschwitz in 2003. Former Israeli General Amir Eshel stated, “We pilots of the Air Force, flying in the skies above the camp of horrors, arose from the ashes of the millions of victims and shoulder their silent cries, salute their courage and promise to be the shield of the Jewish people and its nation Israel.”
6) A Jewish Homeland
“A Jew escaping from an enemy’s land now knows that he can find refuge in the land of his forefathers. This is a new phenomenon in the annals of our history.”
Jewish history is sadly filled with the tragic exile of the Jewish people from their land and subsequent lack of sovereignty. Since the fall of the Second Commonwealth Jews had found themselves without a home. From the Babylonian exile through the inquisition to the modern era, Jews were often banished and all too often slaughtered without any alternative or refuge. The modern State of Israel provides an ongoing safe haven for Jews across the world. It has continued to meet this moral imperative for Jews from Ethiopia, Yemen, Russia, and beyond.
רמב"ם תעניות
(ב) ודבר זה מדרכי התשובה הוא, שבזמן שתבוא צרה ויזעקו לה ויריעו, ידעו הכל שבגלל מעשיהם הרעים הורע להם, ככתוב "עוונותיכם הטו אלה" (ירמיהו ה':כ"ה), וזה הוא שיגרום להם להסיר הצרה מעליהם:
(ג) אבל אם לא יזעקו ולא יריעו, אלא יאמרו, דבר זה ממנהג העולם אירע לנו, וצרה זו נקרה נקראת, הרי זו דרך אכזריות, וגורמת להן להידבק במעשיהן הרעים, ותוסיף הצרה וצרות אחרות. הוא שכתוב בתורה "והלכתם עמי בקרי, והלכתי עמכם בחמת קרי" (ויקרא כ"ו:כ"ז-כ"ח), כלומר, כשאביא עליכם צרה כדי שתשובו, אם תאמרו שהוא קרי, אוסיף לכם חמת אותו קרי:
Rambam – Laws of Fast Days 1
(2) This practice is one of the paths of repentance, for when a difficulty arises, and the people cry out [to God] and sound the trumpets, everyone will realize that [the difficulty] occurred because of their evil conduct, as [Jeremiah 5:25] states: "Your sins have turned away [the rains and the harvest climate]." This [realization] will cause the removal of this difficulty.
(3) Conversely, should the people fail to cry out [to God] and sound the trumpets, and instead say, "What has happened to us is merely a natural phenomenon and this difficulty is merely a chance occurrence," this is a cruel conception of things, which causes them to remain attached to their wicked deeds. Thus, this time of distress will lead to further distresses.
The Rav highlights the positive developments in recent Jewish history requiring our recognition and gratitude, hopefully inspiring us not to miss the opportunity we have been granted. However, we are also required to follow a similar approach to our struggles and challenges. The Rambam is clear that when we are confronted with tragedy we respond by examining our errors and correcting them. The Rav’s methodology of interpreting current events in historical and religious categories cuts both ways. Both our successes and challenges should prompt us to zoom out and interpret our circumstances in our historical context as a nation, with an eye toward our unique relationship with the Almighty. This will help us better understand our present, fully appreciate our past, and most effectively chart our future.
Also see Rabbi Pruzansky’s Six Additional Knocks:
https://mizrachi.org/hamizrachi/six-additional-knocks/
References
Maimonides, M., Touger, E., Kaplan, B., Abramson, Z., & Silverstein, S. (2007). Mishneh Torah. New York: Moznaim Pub. Retrieved from: https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/682956/jewish/Mishneh-Torah.htm
Milstein, A. (2016, July 5). Israel Air Force F-15 Eagles over Auschwitz. The Jerusalem Post. https://www.jpost.com/opinion/israel-air-force-f-15-eagles-over-auschwitz-459691
Soloveitchik, J. D. (2006). Festival of freedom: Essays on Pesah and the Haggadah. New York: KTAV Publ. House.
Soloveitchik, J. D., Gordon, D. Z., & Woolf, J. R. (2006). Kol dodi dofek = Listen, my beloved knocks. Yeshiva University.
Appendix: Kol Dodi Dofek, Chapter 4 from Soloveitchik, J. D., Gordon, D. Z., & Woolf, J. R. (2006). Kol dodi dofek = Listen, my beloved knocks. Yeshiva University.
Eight years ago, in the midst of a night of the terrors of Majdanek, Treblinka, and Buchenwald; in a night of gas chambers and crematoria; in a night of total divine self-concealment; in a night ruled by the devil of doubt and destruction who sought to sweep the Lover from her own tent into the Catholic Church; in a night of continuous searching for the Beloved — on that very night the Beloved appeared. The Almighty, who was hiding in His splendid sanctum, suddenly appeared and began to beckon at the tent of the Lover, who tossed and turned on her bed beset by convulsions and the agonies of hell. Because of the beating and knocking at the door of the mournful Lover, the State of Israel was born.
How many times did the Beloved knock on the door of the Lover? It appears to me that we can count at least six knocks.
First, the knock of the Beloved was heard in the political arena. From the point of view of international relations, no one will deny that the rebirth of the State of Israel, in a political sense, was an almost supernatural occurrence. Both Russia and the Western nations supported the establishment of the State of Israel. This was perhaps the one resolution on which East and West concurred [during the Cold War era]. I am inclined to believe that the United Nations was especially created for this end — for the sake of fulfilling the mission that Divine Providence had placed upon it. It appears to me that one cannot point to any other concrete accomplishment on the part of the United Nations. Our Rabbis of blessed memory already expressed this view: At times rain falls on account of one individual and for one blade of grass (Breishit Rabbah 66:2). I do not know who the representatives of the press, with their human eyes, saw to be the chairman in that fateful session of the General Assembly in which the creation of the State of Israel was decided, but he who looked carefully with his spiritual eye saw the true Chairman who conducted the proceedings — the Beloved. He knocked with his gavel on the lectern. Do we not interpret the passage “On that night the king could not sleep” (Esther 6:1) as meaning that the King of the Universe could not sleep? If Ahasuerus alone had been sleepless, the matter would not have been at all important and salvation would not have arisen on that night. If, however, the King, the Master of the Universe, could not sleep, as it were, redemption would be born. If just anyone were to have opened the session of the United Nations, the State of Israel would not have been born. But it was the Beloved who rapped on the Chairman’s lectern, and the miracle materialized. Listen! My Beloved Knocks!
Second, the knock of the Beloved was heard on the battlefield. The tiny defense forces of [the State of] Israel defeated the mighty Arab armies. The miracle of “the many delivered into the hands of the few” materialized before our eyes, and an even greater miracle happened! God hardened the heart of Ishmael and commanded him to go into battle against the State of Israel. Had the Arabs not declared war on Israel and instead supported the Partition Plan, the State of Israel would have remained without Jerusalem, without a major portion of the Galilee, and without some areas of the Negev. If thousands of years ago Pharaoh had allowed the children of Israel to leave immediately, as Moses had originally requested, Moses would have been bound by his word to return in three days. Pharaoh, however, hardened his heart and did not listen to Moses. “The Holy One then took Israel out with a mighty hand and by an outstretched arm” (Deuteronomy 4:34). Consequently, the force of the promise [that the children of Israel would return to Egypt] was vitiated. No contract that is based upon mutuality of promise binds one side if the other party refuses to fulfill its obligations. Listen! My Beloved Knocks!
Third, the Beloved also began to knock on the door of the tent of theology, and possibly this is the strongest beckoning. I have, on several occasions, emphasized in my remarks concerning the Land of Israel that the theological arguments of Christian theologians to the effect that the Holy One has taken away from the Community of Israel its rights to the Land of Israel, and that all of the biblical promises relating to Zion and Jerusalem now refer in an allegorical sense to Christianity and the Christian Church, were all publicly shown to be false, baseless contentions by the establishment of the State of Israel. One must have a broad familiarity with theological literature from the time of Justin Martyr down to the theologians of our own day to comprehend the full extent of this marvel by which the central axiom of Christian theology was shattered. We should pay careful attention to the learned explanation of our Secretary of State, Mr. Dulles (who served as the deacon of an Episcopalian Church), to a Committee of the United States Senate that the Arabs hate the Jews because they killed the founder of their religion. This “explanation” possesses hidden and deep symbolic significance. I am not a psychiatrist and surely not a psychoanalyst, but I know how to study Talmud, and I remember well what our Rabbis of blessed memory said about Balaam: “from his blessings … you may learn what was in his heart” (TB Sanhedrin 105b). Sometimes, when a person speaks too much, something of the truth slips out. When one of the Senators asked the Secretary of State, “Why do the Arabs hate the Jews?” he really wanted to answer, “Personally, I too, as a Christian, have no great love for them, because they killed our messiah and consequently forfeited their portion of Abraham’s heritage.” An angel sat in the throat of the Secretary, or a hook was put into it (as in the exegesis of the Rabbis of blessed memory on the phrase “and God put a word in Balaam’s mouth” [Numbers 23:5, TB Sotah 10a], “[i.e.] he put a hook in his mouth”), and instead of saying, “Our Lord” and “for myself,” he let other words slip out, the “Arabs” and “Mohammed.” In his subconscious he was terrified of the “awful” fact that the Community of Israel rules over Zion and Jerusalem. I find satisfaction in reading about the State of Israel in the Catholic and Protestant newspapers. Despite themselves they must mention the name of Israel when they report the news of Zion and Jerusalem, which we possess. I always have a special sense of satisfaction when I read in the paper that Israel’s reaction is not as yet known because today is Saturday and government offices are closed or when I read, on the eve of Passover, an item from the United Press that “Jews will sit down tonight to the seder table in the hope that the miracles of Egypt will return and recur today.” Listen! My Beloved Knocks!
Fourth, the Beloved knocks in the heart of the youth which is assimilated and perplexed. The period of hester panim in the 1940’s brought confusion among the Jewish masses and especially Jewish youth. Assimilation increased, and the urge to flee from Judaism and the Jewish people reached its apex. Fear, despair, and ignorance caused many to forsake the Jewish community and “climb aboard the ship,” to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord (Jonah 1:3), just as Jonah sought to flee God’s presence. A seemingly unstoppable tidal wave stood over us and threatened to destroy us. Suddenly, the Beloved began to beckon to the hearts of the perplexed, and His beckoning, the establishment of the State of Israel, at least slowed the process of flight. Many who were once alienated are now bound to the Jewish State with ties of pride in its mighty accomplishments. Many American Jews who were partially assimilated find themselves beset by hidden fear and concern for any crisis that the State of Israel is at the time passing through, and they pray for its well-being and welfare even though they are far from being totally committed to it. Even Jews who are hostile to the State of Israel must defend themselves from the strange charge of dual-loyalty and proclaim daily and declare that they have no stake in the Holy Land. It is good for a Jew when he cannot ignore his Jewishness and is obliged to perpetually answer the questions “Who are you?” and “What is your occupation?” (Jonah 1:8), even when extraordinary fear grips him and he does not have the strength or fortitude to answer with true pride, “I am a Jew, and I fear the Lord, the God of heaven” (Jonah 1:9). The unrelenting question of, “Who are you?” ties him to the Jewish people.
The very mention of the name Israel is a reminder to the fleeing Jew that he cannot escape from the community of Israel in whose midst he has been enmeshed from birth. Everywhere we turn we hear the name “Israel.” When we listen to a radio station, when we open a paper, when we participate in a debate on current events, we encounter the question of Israel; it is always a topic of public concern.
This phenomenon is extremely important for Jews who are afflicted with self-hatred and want to turn away from Judaism and run for their lives. They hide, like Jonah in his day, in the recesses of the ship (Jonah 1:5) and seek to “slumber” (Jonah 1:5). The Captain, however, does not permit them to ignore their fate. The shadow of Israel continuously chases after them. Random thoughts and paradoxical reflections arise from the subconscious of even the most confirmed assimilationist. And when a Jew begins to think, to reflect, when he is unable to sleep, it is impossible to know where his thoughts will take him and how his doubts will be expressed. Listen! My Beloved Knocks!
The fifth knock of the Beloved is perhaps the most important. For the first time in the annals of our exile, Divine Providence has amazed our enemies with the astounding discovery that Jewish blood is not cheap! If the antisemites describe this phenomenon as being “an eye for an eye,” we will agree with them. If we want to courageously defend our continued national and historical existence, we must, from time to time, interpret the verse of an “eye for an eye” literally. So many “eyes” were lost in the course of our bitter exile because we did not repay hurt for hurt. The time has come for us to fulfill the simple meaning of “an eye for an eye.” (Exodus 21:24) Of course, I am sure everyone recognizes that I am an adherent of the Oral Law, and from my perspective there is no doubt that the verse refers to monetary restitution, as defined by halakhah. However, with respect to the Mufti and Nasser I would demand that we interpret the verse in accordance with its literal meaning — the taking of an actual eye! Pay no attention to the saccharine suggestions of known assimilationists and of some Jewish socialists who stand pat in their rebelliousness and think they are still living in Bialystok, Brest-Litovsk, and Minsk of the year 1905, and openly declare that revenge is forbidden to the Jewish people in any place, at any time, and under all circumstances. “Vanity of vanities!” (Ecclesiastes 1:2) Revenge is forbidden when it is pointless, but if one is aroused thereby to self-defense, it is the most elementary right of man to take his revenge.
The Torah has always taught that a man is permitted, indeed, has a sacred obligation, to defend himself. With the verse, “If a burglar is caught in the act of breaking in” (Exodus 22:1), the Torah establishes the halakhah that one may defend not only one’s life but his property as well.7 If the thief who comes to take the property of the householder is capable of killing the householder (should the householder not comply with his demands), the householder may rise up against the criminal and kill him. For good reason the Torah relates that two of its great heroes, Abraham and Moses, took sword in hand to defend their brethren: “And when Abraham heard that his kinsman was taken captive, he led forth his retainers” (Genesis 14:14). “And when Moses saw the Egyptian smite a Jew … he struck down the Egyptian” (Exodus 2:11–12). This behavior does not contradict the principle of loving-kindness and compassion. On the contrary, a passive position, without self-defense, may sometimes lead to the most awesome brutality. “And I will gain honor from Pharaoh, and all his hosts, his chariots, and his horsemen. And the Egyptians will know that I am the Lord” (Exodus 14:17–18). God did not seek honor and recognition. He wanted Pharaoh, Moses’ contemporary, to know that he must pay a high price for his edict that “Every male child born shall be cast into the river” (Exodus 1:22). His present desire is that the blood of Jewish children who were slain as they recited the eighteen benedictions of the daily [Amidah] prayer shall also be avenged. When God smote the Egyptians, He sought to demonstrate that there will always be accountability for the spilling of Jewish blood. At present, it is necessary not only to convince the dictator of Egypt [Nasser], but the self-righteous Nehru, the Foreign Office in London, and the sanctimonious members of the United Nations, that Jewish blood is not cheap. Therefore, how laughable it is when they try to persuade us to rely on the declaration of the three Great Powers guaranteeing the status quo. We all know from experience what value can be attached to the pronouncements of the British Foreign Office and the so-called friendship of certain officials in our State Department. In general, how absurd is the request that an entire people be dependent on the kindnesses of others and remain without the ability to defend itself. Public and private honor is dependent upon the possibility of defending one’s life and one’s honor. A people that cannot defend its freedom and tranquillity is neither free nor independent. The third of the phrases of Divine redemption is “And I shall redeem you with an outstretched hand and with great judgments” (Exodus 6:6).Thank God we have lived to see the day when, with the help of God, Jews have it within their power to defend themselves.
Let us not forget that the poison of Hitlerite anti-Semitism (which made Jews fair game to all) still permeates this generation, which looked with equanimity upon the horrible scene of the suffocation of millions in gas chambers as a normal event that need not be challenged. The antidote for this venom that poisoned minds and dulled hearts is the readiness of the State of Israel to defend the lives of its citizens. Listen! My Beloved Knocks!
The sixth beckoning, of which we should also not lose sight, was heard at the time of the opening of the gates of the Land of Israel. A Jew escaping from an enemy’s land now knows that he can find refuge in the land of his forefathers. This is a new phenomenon in the annals of our history. Up to now, when a Jewish population was uprooted, it wandered in the wilderness of the nations without finding shelter and habitation. The shutting of the gates in the face of the exiled caused total destruction for much of the Jewish people. Now the situation has changed. When any nation expels its Jewish minority, the exiled now direct their steps to Zion, and she, as a compassionate mother, absorbs them. We are all witnesses to the settlement of Oriental Jewry in Israel over the last several years. Who knows what would have been in store for these brothers of ours in the lands of their origin if not for the State of Israel, which brought them to her in planes and ships? Had Israel been born before the Hitlerian Holocaust, hundreds of thousands of Jews could have been saved from the gas chambers and the crematoria. The miracle of the State tarried somewhat, and in the wake of its delay, thousands and tens of thousands of Jews were taken to the slaughter. Now that the hour of hester panim has passed, however, the possibility exists for Jews who are pried from their homes to take root in the Holy Land. This should not be taken lightly. Listen! My Beloved Knocks!