The Folly of the Battle for Seniority

Whether it is a war between tribes in Africa or between countries in Europe, every war begins with an ideological dispute, which then translates into a military conflict. The same goes for the current war in eastern Europe.

Civilization is headed toward complementarity, not particularity. Today, those who patronize others will not succeed. It is simply the time in our evolution to correct the family of nations and begin to function like a good and caring family.

The ideological question at the heart of the collision between Russia and Ukraine is far deeper than a territorial dispute; it is a war over establishing “my place in the world.” Russia claims that it was there first and the Ukrainians hardly deserve the title of “nation.” Ukrainians, on the other hand, assert that it is to the contrary, and they are in fact the elder nation. Historians will keep contending over who is right for a long time coming, and they will probably never agree.

We Jews, however, know only one thing for certain: Seniority does not matter. Although we are one of the most ancient peoples on the planet, and although we are the “root” of two religions that have spread throughout the world—Christianity and Islam—and of countless philosophies and teachings, it gives us no preference or favor in the eyes of the world.

In fact, we should be the first to point out the futility of fussing over seniority. Instead, we should stress that the family of nations should be more like a real family. In a family, some children are born earlier and some later, but they are still siblings, not enemies, and there are love and mutual support between them. As in a family, the elder siblings should not feel superior, but rather responsible for the wholeness and well-being of the family.

Seniority should mean a higher level of development. Yet, nothing is more primitive (and foolish) than using seniority to demand prerogatives. The fact that I came first gives me no right to patronize others. On the contrary, it makes me responsible for them.

A military parade showing off tanks and missiles is no more civilized than a war dance with arrows and spears. Both are equally primitive. However, in the case of the war dance, there are no pretensions, while in the case of the military parade, it professes to show progress. In fact, it displays only man’s hyper-developed brutality and egomania.

Instead of warring over superiority, we should understand that we are worthy only when we unite above the differences, just like a family is a good family only when all its members are united and care for one another. The differences between us do not threaten us; they complement our weaknesses and help us achieve what we would be unable to achieve otherwise.

Just as complementarity is the basis of balance in nature, it should be the basis of human society. If we used each other’s qualities for the common good, we would all benefit from our uniqueness. We would value and care for each other precisely because we are so different.

Civilization is headed toward complementarity, not particularity. Today, those who patronize others will not succeed. It is simply the time in our evolution to correct the family of nations and begin to function like a good and caring family.

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Monkeypox – the New Virus in Town?

We have not finished dealing with one virus, and another one comes along. Monkeypox, a usually mild cousin of the deadly smallpox virus, has been around since 1958. However, until now, it was mostly endemic in Africa. Now, like everything these days, it has become a global menace. According to the latest update from the World Health Organization (WHO), “There are now a total of 131 confirmed cases of monkeypox … in 19 countries.” However, the WHO also says, “While the outbreak is unusual, it remains ‘containable.’”

Nature will continue to lash out unexpected blows until we realize that the root of the problem is not in the animal kingdom, but in the social ills of human society. Our alienation and hatred for each other are sickening our bodies, our minds, and the world around us. This is the great lesson that nature is trying to teach us through its plagues.

I am not sure if this is the beginning of a new pandemic, although experts do not think it is. Either way, if not this menace, then another peril will come from nature to heighten our sensitivity to how it treats us.

Nothing is more powerful than nature itself. In that regard, the great 20th century thinker and kabbalist Baal HaSulam writes in his essay “The Peace” that God and nature are synonymous. So, what does God, or nature, want from us? Why is it punishing all of humanity with the same blows at the same time, and why is it happening specifically now?

The answer to these questions comes from our own behavior. The fact that so many people are asking these very serious questions is exactly what nature “wants” to achieve, if you can put it that way. But why is nature imposing all those limitations on us? Why is it making us afraid to approach other people for fear of being infected? It is precisely because when we are not afraid of approaching one another, we do so in order to harm or use one another, or both.

Nature will continue to lash out unexpected blows until we realize that the root of the problem is not in the animal kingdom, but in the social ills of human society. Our alienation and hatred for each other are sickening our bodies, our minds, and the world around us. This is the great lesson that nature is trying to teach us through its plagues.

Because the world is one connected system, everything we do, say, or think affects the entire world. The alienation and aggression that dominate human relationships permeate the rest of nature’s levels and produce negative effects. They produce not only new diseases, but all kinds of natural disasters. Nevertheless, they are actually reflections of our adverse attitude toward each other and toward nature, since they are influenced by the only sick element in the global ecosystem: humankind.

If we want to prevent future plagues from haunting us, we must deal with the root of the problem—the damaging relationships between us, and between us and nature. If we stop harboring such negative thoughts about each other, we will stop emitting negativity into the global ecosystem.

To achieve this, we should not focus on the negativity of our thoughts, but on creating a positive and supportive atmosphere for all people. If we focus on seeing the contribution of each nation and each person to society, and if people use their skills and talents for the common good, we will change the atmosphere around us, which will stop the constant oozing of malevolence into the world. This, in turn, will stop the production of ill-willed products from nature toward humans.

[Photo caption: Test tubes labelled "Monkeypox virus positive and negative" are seen in this illustration taken May 23, 2022. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic]

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The Enemy Within: Antisemitism on Israeli Campus

Once common only at U.S. and European universities, Israeli higher education institutions have now become the site of heightened political confrontation. Images of heated demonstrations—some of them turned violent—in which Palestinian flags are raised in front of Israeli flags, are commonplace on Israeli campuses. Statements of support for terrorists and incitement chants such as, "Death to Israel" resound with increasing frequency. So, what are we waiting for? Either we begin to move toward Jewish unity, or soon there will be no more land in which to weep.  

But to live in the land of Israel, we must earn this right or we had better give up the land. We can triumph over any threat and prevail only when we use the help found in our special Jewish spirit.  

The commemoration of Nakba Day, the day the Arabs call a "catastrophe" marks the day of Israel's independence. Its onset last week initiated widespread protests against Israel's existence. The physical clashes between Jewish and Arab students show that the situation on Israeli territory is deteriorating. At prestigious higher education institutions such as Hebrew University in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv University, there are increasing tensions between demonstrators who support the Palestinian cause and pro-Israel activists. 

Jewish students worry about their safety, they feel threatened and fear that the situation could escalate into terrorist attacks on campus. They see that both the authorities and the administrators of the universities turn a blind eye toward campus antisemitism on the grounds of freedom of expression. 

Everything we do in the context of rapprochement between Jews and Arabs, we do wrong. Nothing we have done has brought any good, nor will it bring any good. Unfortunately, we do not learn from our mistakes. So, we try again and again to bring the Jews and Arabs closer together by all possible means: at universities, in the workplace, and in everything at our disposal. In the end, it becomes clearer that we just prepare live ammunition to shoot ourselves in the feet.  

Radical opinions that hanker to wipe Israel off the map hide beneath the facade of "intellectual" debates. The problem is simply that Jews and Arabs fail to live together in harmony on Israeli territory, period. Judging by the current circumstances, a point may be reached where we will be forbidden as Jews to enter our own capital, Jerusalem, until eventually we will have no place in the Land of Israel to call our own. 

No Arab person who feels that this land belongs to them can support the State of Israel. I understand them. They will use their seats in the Israeli Congress, their ministerial positions in the government, and all other possible means to push us into the sea. I do not think there is any real intention for coexistence, even if such is not openly stated now. We as Jews must begin to open our eyes and realize that we can only rely on ourselves, on our ability to unite to secure our place in Israel.  

The problem is that we are not idealistic enough, and instead only think of how to serve ourselves at the expense of others. We do not rise above the private individual ego. The Arabs realize that this weakens us and they take advantage of it. In contrast, they understand that their success depends on how connected they are, on how strong they are together, and therefore they succeed everywhere. 

Do not get me wrong. I, too, want the Arab population to do well and live a quiet, normal life, but land for peace will never be the solution. Instead, we must create the conditions to divide the population into two peoples and make it clear that the land of Israel belongs to the people of Israel. How long will we continue our endless debates and realize that this is how it has to be? The problem is that by then, it may be too late.  

But to live in the land of Israel, we must earn this right or we had better give up the land. We can triumph over any threat and prevail only when we use the help found in our special Jewish spirit.  

Today, the opposite is the case; we are not carrying out our role. We have a fragmented society with all kinds of groups that come from different countries but without a common vision. This checkerboard approach may work in America which is not existentially threatened, but for Israel it could spell a death sentence. Quite simply, Israel will survive and thrive to the extent that Jews are bound together by good relations, reciprocity, and mutual care. The sooner we move in that direction, the better.