By Rabbi Leonard Rosenthal
SAN DIEGO–On Wednesday evening I was among 1,000 Jewish men who were privileged to hear former Israeli Ambassador to the United States, Michael Oren, speak at the annual UJF Men’s Event.
Among other comments, Ambassador Oren said that today there are two great centers of Jewish life: Israel and North America. His remarks paralleled those of Rabbi Donniel Hartman, the Director of Israel’s Shalom Hartman Institute, which were heard at my Monday night “Engaging Israel” class.
I pointed out to my class that Rabbi Hartman’s comments are a radical rethinking of the relationship between Israel and everywhere else. Traditionally, Israel is seen as the apex of Jewish life and we have been told that it is impossible to live fully as a Jew anywhere else.
Rabbi Hartman countered that belief and stated unequivocally that Jews living outside of Israel should no longer be considered as living in galut, in exile. Jews who live outside of Israel, for the most part, live lives of freedom, have first-class citizenship, and if they choose, can celebrate rich Jewish involvements. Ambassador Oren noted that this is the first time in Jewish history that almost every Jew is free to live as a Jew, no matter where they live.
Just how radical this belief is can be demonstrated by a commentary I found in this week’s parasha. Parashat Va-yeishev begins: “Now Jacob was settled in the land where his father had sojourned, the land of Canaan.” (Gen. 37:1)
The question was asked: why does the Torah need to include the phrase “the land of Canaan” when everyone knows that Jacob’s father, Isaac, had lived there? Isn’t the phrase “the land of Canaan” redundant?
Absolutely not! The reason that the phrase “the land of Canaan” was added is to teach us that there is no greater mitzvah than living in the land of Israel. A person should not say, “I would rather live in the golah (outside of Israel) in a place where Torah is studied than live in Israel, a land where “Canaanism” and secularism run rampant. Our sages already said in the Talmud, “It is preferable for a Jew to live in Israel, even in a city filled with idolaters, than to live outside of Israel. Those who live in Israel can be compared to a Godly human being. Those who live outside are comparable to the god-less.”
The Torah tells us that Jacob dwelt in “the land where his father sojourned,” even though it was filled with idolatrous Canaanites, in order to teach us the importance of living in Israel. Only in Israel is it possible for a Jew to live fully as a Jew and to know God.
Contrast this midrash to the words of Rabbi Hartman and Ambassador Oren. They disagree with its conclusion and believe that the traditional thinking about Jews living in Israel and outside Israel is now obsolete. One of the major themes of my Engaging Israel class is exploring new models that can take its place.
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Rabbi Rosenthal is spiritual leader of Tifereth Israel Synagogue. He may be contacted via leonard.rosenthal@sdjewishworld.com