A Soulful Journey

“To save the world the apostle had to suffer in and for it, appear before the magistrates, subvert empires.   To redeem the Jewish people the rabbi had to enter into, share and reshape the life of the community, deliberately to eschew the politics of nations and patiently to submit to empires.”   - Jacob Neusner Two thousand years of exile and wandering ended in 1948 when finally we could govern ourselves.

A Russian Jew applied for a visa to emigrate to Israel.  He mailed the forms and was later interviewed by the KGB.  The official drew his attention to the reply he had given to the question, “Do you have any relatives abroad?” The Russian Jew answered “No.” However it was well known that he had a brother in Israel.   “Ah,” he replied.  “My brother is at home.  It is I who am abroad.”

“The Egyptians, The Babylonians, and the Persians rose, filled the planet with sound and fury; then faded to dream-stuff and passed away. The Greeks and Romans followed and made a vast noise, and they are gone.   Other peoples have sprung up and held their torch for a time but it burned out, and they sit in twilight now, or have vanished….All things are mortal but the Jew; all other forces pass, but he remains.   What is the secret of his immortality?”   -Mark Twain 1897     Never doubt  the covenant with your ancestors.

“I happened to be in Hungary,” Dr. Schwartz said, “when Mr. Bevin said he would want the Jews to stay in European countries and help to rebuild their economy. The reaction that I noted among Hungarian Jews for something like this: ‘For centuries now we have been building for others. Then, as reward, we have been murdered; we have been shoved into concentration camps; we have been deported; we have been treated as aliens even though we were patriotic.   Now the time has finally come when we must act and live in our interest, when we must build something which will be the future for us, when, if we lose, with people whom we understand, with people whom we love.’     from Behind the Silken Curtain At long last we have a home.

“All who live outside the Land It is as if they practice avodah zarah, idol worship.”  - ketubot 100 There are planes of spiritual of life.  When living in the space where our ancestors tread and God promised the holy covenant there is no comparison to elsewhere. "Living in the Land of Israel is on a higher level than in diaspora, even if the community is a Jewish community.  This teaches that living in Israel outweighs all the mitzvot of the Torah. "   –Tosafot, Avoda Zara 77

Shapiro, we know you have a brother abroad,” said the KGB official. “I do not.” “Don’t lie to us. Shapiro. We even have these letters from him addressed to you and postmarked Jerusalem.” “Ah, but you see, it’s not he who is abroad, it is I.” Israel is our home.   Away from we are strangers.