We Ourselves Turn Emma Watson, Sally Rooney, and Others against Us
Emma Watson, Sally Rooney, and Roger Waters are only three of a long list of actors, musicians, authors, and artists of every kind and creed rooting for the Palestinians and calling for the boycott of Israel. How come they are all blaming us, Israel? Have we not stretched out our hand to them in peace countless times? Have we not offered to retreat from all the territories occupied in the 1967 Six Day War? Indeed we have. Did it help? No, it didn’t. Would it help if we gave up the land in its entirety? No, it wouldn’t. After all, they butchered Jews in 1921, 1929, 1936, and whenever they could before, in between, and after those dates of riots. What’s more, the Palestinians’ “best friend” was Adolf Hitler.
If we look into ourselves, we will find that the problem truly lies within us: It is the hatred among us. We cannot be in brotherhood with the Palestinians, and they will not want to be in brotherhood with us, until we are in brotherhood with one another. But once we are as brothers, the rest of the world will relate to us accordingly.
So why does the world care for the Palestinians and not for us? The answer is simple, yet counterintuitive: The world cares for them and not for us because we don’t care for one another. The world will care about the Jews when the Jews care about each other, and not a moment sooner.
We say that we want peace with the Palestinians, we sing about peace and pray for it, but we are not taking one step closer toward each other. Among ourselves, we are at each other’s throats, fighting for superiority and imbued with a sense of entitlement and righteous indignation against our brethren.
As just stated, we have tried every kind of peace offer possible, yet we have been turned down every time. Therefore, despite our inner divisions, it is time we examine what we are doing wrong toward each other instead of blaming the other side for not accepting our generous offers.
If we look into ourselves, we will find that the problem truly lies within us: It is the hatred among us. We cannot be in brotherhood with the Palestinians, and they will not want to be in brotherhood with us, until we are in brotherhood with one another. But once we are as brothers, the rest of the world will relate to us accordingly.
I realize that it may seem as though their sole wish is to drive us out of here, and I realize that they, too, feel that this is their true wish, but the Jewish people are unwanted everywhere they go not because they are trespassers, but because they are not true to their calling. The sole purpose of our existence is to serve as a model nation—a nation whose people rise above their rifts and form a union that transcends all divisions. When we achieve this, and there were times in our past when we did, we are the world’s darlings. When we fail to achieve it, and we usually fail, we are the world’s pariahs.
Therefore, we should not even try to break a crack through the world’s wall of hatred for the Jews; we will not succeed. Our efforts should focus solely on fostering good connections among ourselves. If we succeed, we will crack open every wall in the heart of every person in the world.
We can stop trying to “explain” our position, to prove that we are right, to claim that we, too, have a right to a sovereign country. No one is listening. But when we bond with each other, we will not need to explain anything to anyone; our merit will grant us everything we are currently demanding to have. What’s more, we will not need to explain it; it will be obvious to everyone, and everyone will befriend us.
Our books, our history, and our sages from every generation tell us that our only hope is unity. It is time we listened.
For more information on the merits of Jewish unity, look up my book The Jewish Choice: Unity or Anti-Semitism.
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When It Is Bad in the World, It Is Bad for Israel
When something bad happens in the world, no matter what, Jews can prepare to take the blame for it. In the end it somehow always comes, so there's nothing to be surprised about every time. Just a few days ago, the founder of a Utah tech company emailed a number of colleagues and political leaders claiming that the Covid-19 vaccine was part of a plan by "the Jews" for the "systematic extermination of billions of people."
On the part of the great natural system, the good force in our world remains unrevealed, it stays hidden. Only through the Israeli nation can it be revealed, for we are by definition responsible for the world’s development and peace. As the Midrash Rabbah writes, “Israel bring light to the world.” (Song of Songs)
The CEO of the Utah tech firm Entrata, David Bateman, had to resign his position after his conspiracy theory about the pandemic as part of a Jewish plot to “consolidate all the countries in the world under a single flag with totalitarian rule” triggered condemnation.
If we examine history, we see that the Jews have always been at the epicenter of the storm when the world was busy recovering from a blow. Even though it is not politically correct to say so out loud, the prevailing opinion in humanity is that the Jews run the world and its governments with all the money they have. And when it benefits them, Jews provoke wars and organize crises all over the world—all in their own self-interest, always pulling the strings and compelling others to work for them. At times when something seems to be beyond Jewish control, it is only because they have decided to give others the deceptive feeling, the little break. Even people who have never seen Jews feel that this is how the world is run.
Our own sources explain the origin of this perception: "No calamity comes to the world but for Israel," our sages noted long ago. They made a direct connection between the quality of relations between Jews and world peace. As it is written, "We are commanded at each generation to strengthen the unity among us so our enemies do not rule over us." (The Book of Consciousness)
We Jews should be united, connecting with each other according to the great rule, "Love your neighbor as yourself." Since this almost never happens, a blockage is created that hinders the flow of beneficial power into the world. At the same time, the power of evil constantly increases, and selfishness spreads. This negative balance is the cause of many problems, and much suffering is inflicted on humanity.
On the part of the great natural system, the good force in our world remains unrevealed, it stays hidden. Only through the Israeli nation can it be revealed, for we are by definition responsible for the world’s development and peace. As the Midrash Rabbah writes, “Israel bring light to the world.” (Song of Songs)
In Abraham’s time when we were properly connected, well-being flowed through us to the world, but since unfounded hatred destroyed our unity, this path has been blocked. This is why the world perceives us as the cause of all evil. Even if one does not understand how the system is structured, and even if the connection between the Jews and the resulting bad phenomena is not visible, it is instinctively clear to people that the Jews are to blame for every problem, from the life of the individual to the whole of humanity.
When will it stop? Never, unless we take action and change the quality of our relations. This is a law of nature. The negative attitude towards us will only increase until we treat each other with love and become like one man in one heart. Only in this state will the pipe that we are obstructing open its bounty, a positive force will come into the world and balance all evil. Humanity will begin to feel harmony, tranquility and serenity, and will enjoy a good life in reciprocity and reconciliation.
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A Purposeless Life Is No Life At All
“He who has a why to live for can bear almost any how,” said Friedrich Nietzsche.
A student of mine watched the film Life Overtakes Me, which tells the story of refugee children in Sweden who withdraw into a coma-like illness called “resignation syndrome” because of the uncertainties of their legal status. The student wondered how come children seem to “choose” death over life, although fear of death is purportedly the deepest, most primordial feeling.
The feeling that we have no purpose in life is a powerful engine. It makes us question everything. Humanity’s greatest discoveries were made when people sought answers to life.
This is where I think my student got it wrong: The fear of death is not the most fundamental fear, but rather the fear of life, or more correctly, the fear of life without a purpose!
The minute we live without a reason to live that is higher than life itself, we descend into a state that is below life. Animals have no such questions; they simply exist because they follow their instincts. Therefore, for them, existence is life.
Humans, on the other hand, need to know why they do what they do. Otherwise, they have no motivation to act, and all kinds of regressive phenomena occur, from substance abuse to depression, to resignation syndrome, and to suicide. The reason why suicide and other self-injurious behaviors are so common among humans and so rare among animals is that humans need a goal, a purpose in life, while animals do not. An aimless life is worse than death, so people prefer death to aimlessness.
Nevertheless, the feeling that we have no purpose in life is a powerful engine. It makes us question everything. Humanity’s greatest discoveries were made when people sought answers to life.
Today, people seem to have everything they need to lead a great life, but they have no reason to live. Therefore, they wonder what life is for.
This is why today, sociologists and psychologists are discovering that the key to happiness is the quality of our social ties. Only when we have positive social ties, when each of us realizes his or her potential for the benefit of the entire human ecosystem, only then are we truly happy and at the same time contribute to our communities, our countries, and the world.
This question is the most essential question one can ask, since the answer is not within us, but between us. The reason for our existence is our value in the network that comprises humanity. Each of us is a unique part in this network, and no one can fill the cavity created when one of us is missing. The greater our contribution to the strength of the net, the greater our value as individuals.
This is why today, sociologists and psychologists are discovering that the key to happiness is the quality of our social ties. Only when we have positive social ties, when each of us realizes his or her potential for the benefit of the entire human ecosystem, only then are we truly happy and at the same time contribute to our communities, our countries, and the world.
We can establish a balanced society, whose members are content and happy, yet do not exploit other people or the environment, only when each of us cares for others and we find our happiness in our connection with others, where we can realize our personal potential for the benefit of society and the entire world.