What kind of world would we want to see?

Many of these thoughts were written before 7 October 2023. I’m not sure I would change anything. They’re even more relevant now.

The Shabbat before Tisha B’Av is called Shabbat Chazon — Vision/ to see. On this Shabbat, say the Chassidic masters, we are granted a vision of the Third Temple. The questions to contemplate are:

• Can the state of Israel be viewed as a modern-day equivalent of the Third Temple?
• Do we need a temple to carry out the vision?
• The more profound question is, what is this vision for Israel?
• What kind of world would we want to see?

In the opening words of Deuteronomy, Moses declares:

“Behold, I have set the land before you; go in and possess the land which the Lord swore to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give to them and their seed after them.”

ראה נתתי לפניכם את־הארץ באו ורשו את־הארץ אשר נשבע יהוה לאבתיכם לאברהם ליצחק וליעקב לתת להם ולזרעם אחריהם׃

Deuteronomy 1:8

So, after all these years, we do not fully possess the Land. Yet, we have the State of Israel, which is incomplete regarding final redemption. We recognise in the prayer for the state — Reishit Tzemichat geulateinu — the sprouting of our redemption.

Although the Second Temple was incomplete, like Israel today, it has revived the Jewish spirit and led to a surge in spirituality and religious observation.

Moses’s words are unambiguous. He speaks with clarity and conviction, reflecting God’s direct command and promise. We are to possess this Land. We are the owners of this Land. So, today, we need to be clear to ourselves and to the world.

We need to shout with our hearts from the rooftops and social media pages. This is our Land. This is our Land from eternity. This is our story. This is the history of the world, Religion, and facts, and the return of the Jews to their historical homeland is the greatest miracle and story of survival and resilience the world has ever known.

However, Israel’s right to exist as a country and to live in peace is attacked with virulent lies and historical distortions accepted as truths. We have been accused of being colonisers, occupiers,  massacres, ethnic cleansing, and practising apartheid. (and now Genocide, war crimes, deliberating causing famine and have been the scapegoat, the gaslighting of much of the world).

It is just 80 years since the Germans, with the help of many European people, actively burned Torahs, and Jewish books, killed, maimed, raped, put people into inhuman cattle trucks, and ethnically cleansed Jews. Just 80 Years. Just 80 years.

It is despicable that they even have the chutzpa to criticise us or even open their mouths to support a people who never had a state here with historical revision and lies.

The War of Midian and Its Lessons

This is an opportunity to contemplate the state of Israel and the world today.

To do this, I want to backtrack to last week’s Torah reading of Matot, where we encounter ancient Israel’s complex and often uncomfortable narrative in the  War of Midian. This story challenges our modern sensibilities and prompts deep reflection on the nature of divine commands, war, and the sanctity of land.

The Torah reading of Matot recounts the War of Midian, a conflict marked by divine command and brutal practices. God commanded the Israelites to kill every adult male and every woman who had known a man while taking the spoils of war, including many sheep, cattle and  36,000 women as captives. This narrative is difficult to reconcile with contemporary peace and human rights values.

I posed a question—how do we explain this war on Midian to a wise man, Lou, who wisely said, “We don’t understand God’s ways.” This acknowledgement of the mystery of the divine will underscores the tension between ancient texts and modern ethics. We must recognise that thousands of years of historical, cultural, and religious evolution shape our understanding of these events.

Reformation and Adaptation in Religious Thought

Throughout history, the prophets and sages have emphasised, reinterpreted and reformed religious teachings to promote peace,  social justice and ethical behaviour.

However, it’s notable that the Muslim world, which shares many foundational texts and traditions with Judaism, has not universally undergone the same level of reformation. Some interpretations of Islamic teachings still reflect ancient evil practices. This can see clearly in the way they killed, sexually mutilated and raped innocent civilians on October 7th. This difference highlights the varying trajectories of society and religious development and adaptation.

The Sanctity of Land and Tribal Loyalty

Let’s now return to the Land. After all, is this war not about the land of Israel? The division of land and loyalty among tribes, as described in the Torah, also resonates in contemporary Middle Eastern politics. The sanctity of the land and the principle of captured land remaining under control are deeply embedded in both Jewish and Arab cultures, as is Tribalism. This notion of land as a sacred inheritance continues to drive regional conflicts and political ambitions.

As we approach Tisha B’Av, a day of mourning for the destruction of the Temples in Jerusalem, we must reflect on the sanctity of land and the impact of war. Judaism envisions the rebuilt Temple as a house for all nations, an inclusive vision of unity and peace. In contrast, some interpretations in the Arab world emphasise domination and control.

Yearning for The Temple

Recently, Batsheva Sadan posted a story on social media about her conversation with her precious son, a soldier fighting in Gaza. She asked him what the first thing he would do when he returned home would be.

He replied, “I will hang a picture of our Holy Temple, the Bet Hamikdash, on the wall. He said there was a picture of the al-Aqsa mosque in every building he went into in Gaza, whether it was a home, a school, or a municipal office.

He could see the priority and vision of Gazans. He wanted to return home and see the picture of the Holy Temple to remind himself what the Jewish people were yearning for.

He isn’t the only soldier to have come back home saying this. This soldier reminds us that those who wish to destroy us have reminded us of what is and should be the most important to us as a people: the centrality of Yerushalayim and the yearning for Hashem’s presence.

What kind of world would we want to see?

On Tisha B’Av, we don’t learn Torah, eat, or drink—not because we are sad. , but because we don’t want to be part of a world like this.

Reb Shlomo Carlebach explains that we don’t want to be part of a world like this.

If the Torah that we are learning can cause people to insult and shame others in the name of the Torah, If the Torah that we are learning can cause us to feel that we are better than other Jews- then this Torah is not for us.

We don’t eat or drink because we don’t want to live in a world where one of the holiest places for the Jewish people has become a battleground between Jews and people.

 The Beit Hamikdash we are all waiting for is not only a beautiful structure that will be built for all the nations to come and pray together to Hashem, but it will also be a mindset; it will be genuinely understanding that the entire nation of Israel, with all its different parts, will be one body working together to make the world a better place.”

Sourced from https://torahmitzion.org/learn/shabbat-chazon-5776/

I heard a beautiful thought from Rabbi  Shlomo Katz, who said that Beit Hamikdash is where we meet God – A meeting place. Not only that but the  Beit and Hamikdash are where we meet our fellow Jews. It is a place where we meet ourselves. It is a house of worship, a place of peace and meditation for all peoples, people of different beliefs and cultures.  A house of Peace.

Unfortunately, we live in a fractured world, and Israel is fractured. There is a battle of the Jewish Soul. We have the anti-judicial, change anti-Bibi, anti-religion, and anti-religious extremism movements and demonstrations. Democracy is being challenged by ugly rhetoric and social unrest.

The real problems, such as poverty, cost of living, housing, Arab terror and peace, are being ignored. These are areas worthy of demonstration.

What is the Soul of Israel?

How do we combat this? We must address the divisions in Israeli society and Israel’s image and rights to live in peace in its historical homeland. We have miraculously returned to Jerusalem, fulfilling 2000 years of dreams, prayers, and longing. We, as a country, have birth and growing pains. Our society is not yet perfect. We hear a lot about Israel’s vision going forward. What will the country look like? What needs to change?

Asked differently, what is the vision for Israel? What does the soul of Israel look like? These simple words from Micah encapsulate this:

הִגִּ֥יד לְךָ֛ אָדָ֖ם מַה־טּ֑וֹב וּמָה־יְהֹוָ֞ה דּוֹרֵ֣שׁ מִמְּךָ֗ כִּ֣י אִם־עֲשׂ֚וֹת מִשְׁפָּט֙ וְאַ֣הֲבַת חֶ֔סֶד וְהַצְנֵ֥עַ לֶ֖כֶת עִם־אֱלֹהֶֽיךָ:

He has told you, O man, what is good, and what the Lord demands of you; but to do justice, to love loving-kindness, and to walk discreetly with your God.

Michah (Micah) Chapter 5.  6.8

In other words, this is a society, community, country, and world based on Justice, Kindness, and Modesty.

This verse is a cornerstone for the vision of Israel’s purpose and identity.

This simple sentence is the foundation of Upgrading the World Towards a Fairer, a More Sustainable World.

October the 7th was a direct attack on these principles. Don’t be fooled by the bias and anti-Israelism in the media, the UN, and society. This is a war that Israel and the world are fighting.

 It is a War of Good (God) vs Evil.

Images sourced on social media.