Eurovision and the Cain Envy Syndrome

The Eurovision Contest (a competition I don’t watch because I don’t like it) has ended and we witnessed the classic political phenomenon in which Israel-haters attempted to create a boycott to isolate us from the competition. We saw radical left-wing governments displaying excessive hostility in their attempts to silence Israeli participation, such as the current government of Spain led by Pedro Sánchez. Spanish television even interrupted broadcasts to promote rejection of the Jewish state, while maliciously, that same Sánchez government remains silent about actual dictatorships around the world.

Despite all the media hype, the reality was quite different: Israel proudly achieved a 2nd place thanks to the support of real people (including a large part of the Spanish population, which is very different from its government). It was demonstrated, once again, that this Judeophobic attempt to destroy Israel’s legitimacy will always fail. I wonder if perhaps the Spanish government’s anti-Israeli obsession stems from their own tradition of Eurovision failures over the last decade. In other words, where does this need to boycott Israel comes from? Are they afraid of others’ success?

To understand the attitude of the Pedro Sánchez supporters, we must remember the story of Cain and Abel. The Torah tells us that both brothers had to present an offering to God. Abel strove to give his best, and that’s why his offering was accepted successfully. Cain, on the other hand, made a mediocre effort and gave what was left over. The result was not good because, seeing that his brother fared better, Cain felt deep envy, and instead of looking inward accepting his lack of effort, and trying to improve for next time, he chose the destructive path: he decided that the easiest thing to do was to destroy his brother.

This is exactly the mentality we see in these anti-Zionist elites. When an ideological agenda fails time and again, it breeds frustration. Seeing that Israel (even amidst wars) is a country that manages to prosper, create, and succeed triggers the “Cain syndrome” among the failed haters. Envy drives them to want to sabotage because they want to destroy, simply to avoid facing the shame of their own failure.

That’s why, if the world were guided solely by envy, we would be doomed to destruction. But in the face of Cain’s attitude, there is a response in the Hebrew concept of Tikkun (repair). The Torah teaches us that we are in this world to repair it and make it a better place. The envy of others must be met with Tikkun because, despite the hostilities we face, the right path is to continue prospering, continue creating culture, build the economy, and continue contributing to good things. The antidote to hatred is to bring light.

Ultimately, the envy of those who seek to destroy is irrelevant. What remains in history is what we build, and we all have the choice to either stagnate in resentful complaints against those who are moving forward, or choose the path of Tikkun. With God’s help, may we not allow the hatred of others to hold us back, but rather focus on helping this world prosper. We will all benefit when we respond to darkness with more light.

Yaacov Amar Rothstein