Embracing the Goodness of Israel

There is a growing concern in Israel that we have lost our way as a people. The pain and suffering of the past two years combined with misguided leadership has created the context for internal strife and external vulnerability. People are angry and scared. The ongoing hostage crisis, the loss of soldiers in Gaza, the recent bombardment from Iran, and the anti-Israel sentiment against us in the international community have worn us down. Evil is swirling around us, trying to choke us. We are stressed, and we wonder how long this nightmare will continue.

While I have moments of concern, I believe that Israel has not wandered away from its sacred pathway. Rather, there is a core goodness in Israel that continues to shine throughout the times of darkness, guiding us and reminding us of who we are. That goodness is evident in everyday life, and I have seen many examples of this since I moved to Israel six years ago. Below are just a few recent instances.

A soldier on a train sees me struggling to carry my heavy suitcase off the train when I am at the airport. He doesn’t say a word, but he quickly jumps into action, grabs the suitcase out of my hand, and helps me off the train. Before I can thank him, he is gone, quickly heading back on the train and off to war. I am on the tram in Jerusalem, heading down Jaffa Street, and it is so crowded that I am unable to use my Rav Kav bus pass. Complete strangers pass my card forward to the one standing closest to the scanner. A young lady wearing jeans passes the Rav Kav to a lady wearing a hijab, who passes it to a man wearing a black hat. My Rav Kav is scanned, and the card is passed back. An elderly man has an injury, and he is struggling to step up onto a bus. Suddenly, a young man steps off the bus, grasps the elderly man’s arm, and helps him onto the bus. A middle-aged lady attempts to cross a busy street at a place with no crosswalk. In her haste, she slips and falls and is unable to get up as cars speed toward her. Out of nowhere, a man comes running. He rushes to her side, placing himself between the lady and the cars. Then he helps her to get up and to cross the street safely to the other side.

I could go on and on concerning the goodness I have seen and experienced since I moved to Israel. Strangers help strangers in various places and situations all the time in Israel, and it is not by accident that these acts of kindness occur. It is because as a whole Israel has taken seriously the commandment to love one’s neighbor.[i] We see someone in need, and we care for that person in need. This level of care is so common in Israel we do not realize how extraordinary it is, particularly given how horribly we have been treated by others throughout our history.

Yet despite the goodness generated in Israel every day, there are those among us who are very dissatisfied with our nation. They tear at the fabric of our society by undermining our judicial system, by refusing to send their children to defend our nation, or by claiming that we are insufficient in the amount of land that we control. My response to the agitators among us is to ask them to consider the nation of Israel within the wider context of our historical existence. If we could go back into time and show a video of modern Israel to our ancestors who lived 100 years ago, 500 years ago, 1000 years ago, or 2000 years ago, would they not look at us with wide eyes and declare that we have finally arrived at our destination? Would they not weep for joy knowing that their suffering was not in vain but that their survival in the worst of times made it possible for us to exist here and now in Israel? Would they not rejoice seeing our obedience to the teachings of the Torah? From Tzfat in the north to Eilat in the south, we worship only One G-d. We love our neighbors. We live in the Promised Land. Is this not what the prophets foretold would happen? On some level, are we not living in the Messianic age right now?

Instead of following leaders who plant seeds of discord and disharmony, we must choose leaders who seek the common good, care for each other, and are grateful for our wonderful nation as it is. Then we can build upon the amazing foundation of the goodness that G-d has placed within us. We can develop a blueprint for safeguarding and promoting the goodness of Israel. This blueprint should include the following components:

First, we need to uphold the standard of one law for everyone in our society. There cannot be exceptions for certain subsets and expect that the sense of fairness will not be eroded. For example, our leaders cannot be exempt from upholding the law. If they violate the law, they should resign and submit to the legal process. Also, we cannot say to one Israeli family that their child must go to war while another family is given an exception due to political deals. Moreover, we cannot uphold the commandment “You shall not commit murder” in Tel Aviv, if we ignore murder that occurs in the West Bank or in Nazareth. If there is no justice, there can be no peace. Overtime, this will erode the goodness of Israel. We cannot let this happen.

Second, we need to have an economic plan which takes into consideration all the citizens of Israel within the context of changing job opportunities, climate change issues, and the well-being of our society. While people should be encouraged to work hard  and progress financially within the context of a capitalistic society, we can also develop a citizens dividend, that draws from funds generated by the mining of natural resources in Israel and which is paid out based on a graduated scale that takes into consideration both economic need as well as contributions to society such as military service. The dividend would not cover all living expenses, but it would ease the economic pressure Israelis feel and help them to care for their families.

Third, home ownership needs to be encouraged by the development of fair housing practices as well as no-interest home mortgages that will help young people to begin to develop equity in property. Families need a place to grow where they are not dependent upon a landlord who refuses to pay for repairs or who decides to increase their rent. Goodness can be deepened by giving people a sense of security which comes with home ownership.

Fourth, we need to develop border security based on a review of the failures of the past as well as best practices moving forward. Our goodness should not be eroded by fear that we are unsafe within our own land. We have the resources and the ability to build better walls, install the latest in security devices, assign soldiers to patrol the border, and create de-militarized zones in areas of particular concern. The attack of October 7 did not have to occur, and such an attack should never occur again. But that means changes must occur, including changes in leadership.

Fifth, while we need to maintain our alliance with the USA, we need to be much more independent politically, economically, and militarily. Recent experience reveals the winds of change that are stirring in American politics. We cannot be beholden to America when it comes to how we conduct our internal processes (such as holding politicians accountable for fraud), nor should the USA be instructing us on how to conduct our foreign affairs. Rather, when making key decisions that impact the nation of Israel, we need to be led by our sense of goodness, by our wise teachers, by our academic researchers, by our military advisors, and most importantly by the teachings of our Torah.

We have a sacred mandate given to us by G-d that requires us to be distinct from others. Before Moses received the Ten Commandments, he was given the following instruction concerning Israel’s position in the world:

^“’Now, if you will indeed hear My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be to Me a treasure more than all the peoples, for to Me is all the earth. And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words that you shall speak to the children of Israel.”[ii]

Regardless of what other countries might think about us, we have an obligation that requires we promote goodness and care for our neighbor. Even within the context of warfare, we are “a kingdom of priests” and “a holy nation”. When we attack an area, we do not target civilians, but rather we warn them. Furthermore, we do not kill babies, nor do we starve civilian populations. Our goodness extends even to those who would seek to harm us, because we are the chosen people. We are called to a higher standard.

As we seek to make the right decisions about how to address the current crisis in Gaza, let us remember who we are at our core. Let us embrace the goodness and wonder of Israel as we find a way to bring our hostages home, protect our soldiers, and create a context for a lasting peace.

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[i] Leviticus 19:18.

[ii] Exodus 19:5-6.