Joey Rosenfeld speaks about redemptive qualities that are experienced in the establishment of the modern State of Israel. Here are two texts that point to additional redemptive qualities.
Our father in Shamayim (Heaven),
Rock-fortress and redeemer of Yisra’el —
bless the State of Israel,
the initial sprouting of our redemption.
Shield her beneath the wings of your lovingkindness;
spread over her your Sukkah of peace;[1]
send your light and your truth
to its leaders, officers, and counselors,
and correct them with your good counsel.
Strengthen the defenders of our Holy Land;
grant them, our elo’ah, salvation,
and crown them with victory.
Establish peace in the land,
and everlasting joy for her inhabitants.
“The establishment of the State of Israel must not be regarded as a messianic event. It imposes upon us not redemption but responsibility.”
Martin Buber, Israel and the World: Essays in a Time of Crisis (Translated by Maurice Friedman) Schocken Books, New York, 1963
Designed to help learners articulate meaning, challenge assumptions, and relate mystical ideas to their own lives.
1. Joey Rosenfeld named the redemptive qualities of the modern state of Israel including, What are other redemptive qualities that you could name? (e.g. prayer, chesed, tzedakah).
2. When you “zoom out” and consider your experience with the history of the State of Israel today, what are parts of history that you would name as redemptive?
3. When Buber adds “responsibility” as the demand of a modern Jewish state, what do you think we are responsible for?
Because transformation happens through practice, each activity invites personal and communal action.
Consider two lenses through which you can understand the modern state of Israel - one may be about redemption and the second may be about responsibility. The next time you listen to the news, write a post, speak to a friend about Israel or travel to the land, notice the ways that you are engaging with the redemptive (miraculous, unity, sense of ‘home’) and in which ways you are feeling responsible for it (by contributing to a cause you believe in, or taking responsibility in some other way.)
