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In this week's Torah portion, Vayishlach, we are told a story that is difficult to understand:
-And Jacob was left alone; and there a man wrestled with him until daybreak.
-And when [the man] saw that he did not prevail against [Jacob], he touched the hollow of
[Jacob's] thigh, which went out of joint, as he wrestled with him.
-And [the man] said, Let me go, for the day breaks.
-And [Jacob] said, I will not let you go, unless you bless me.
-And [the man] said to [Jacob], What is your name? And [Jacob] said, Jacob.
-And [the man] said, Lo Yaakov ye-amer 'od shimcha, ki im Yisrael -- Your name shall
no longer be Jacob, but Israel; ki sarita 'im Elokim ve'im anashim, vatuchal
-- for you have struggled with God and with men, and have prevailed.
[Gen. 32:25-29.]
What do we make of this mysterious story? First, Israel means "He who struggles with
God". So the shadowy man represented God. The rabbis tell us that he was an angel, that
is, an emissary of God, a robot programmed with a mission, as all angels are in Jewish
tradition. They have no independent will. The Midrash tells us that that angel was the
guardian angel of Esau. Esau was Jacob's estranged twin brother, from whom Jacob was fleeing
[Genesis Rabbah 77.3, 78:3]. The Talmud says that the angel's name was Sama-el, "Venom
of God" [Sotah 10b]. Our tradition tells us that every person, good or bad, has a guardian
angel sent by God to look after his interests.
This was not just a family feud. For the rabbis, Esau was the very embodiment of all evil,
of all the antisemites who ever tried to destroy the Jews, of all the philosophies that contradict
the Torah and its precepts.
So the message is that antisemites can hurt us physically, as was done to Jacob, but cannot
obliterate us, because Jacob emerged whole and even went on to greatness. Nevertheless,
all we have left in every generation is a remnant. Shearith Yisrael: a remnant of Israel.
Some congregations are even called that, Shearith Yisrael. But this remnant is always there!
The phenomenon of Jewish survival against all odds, what our enemies call the SCANDAL
of Jewish survival, has never ceased to amaze. Some even see in it a proof of the existence
of God.
End of Part One, the part we all like to hear. Part Two, none of us wants to hear. But here
it is anyway.
What is absolutely mind-boggling is not so much that we survived against external enemies
who wanted to destroy us, but that we survived against apathy and hostility within our own
ranks. Our numbers are so small today, not primarily because of the physical destruction
of millions of Jews, but because of the self-inflicted spiritual destruction of even more millions
of Jews.
You see, in every generation, only a small minority within the Jewish fold ensured the
survival of Judaism. The majority did not care, or did not care enough. Many even actively
supported putting "Paid" to the Jewish experience and moving on to the fad of their day. If
we have survived against all odds, it’s no thanks to most of us. God Almighty can
ensure some of us survive physical assaults, but what can even God do if we willingly abandon
Judaism? He gave us free will.
Let us review some Jewish history together.
The Jews were slaves to Pharaoh in Egypt. But the Midrash [Mechilta, Tanchuma, Beshallach
1] tells us that only twenty percent followed Moses in the Exodus to the promised land.
The rest, 80%, had gotten used to their lot in Egypt, assimilated and perished. Whether
one believes that story or not is not the point. The point is that the Sages of the
Talmud already knew and taught the point I am making: Only a small minority ensured survival.
And, once out of Egypt, even that small minority complained nonstop and started worshipping
a Golden Calf even as Moses was on Mount Sinai receiving the Torah. Moses taught them Judaism,
but it was rough going. Tales of Torah rejection abound in the Bible. The Book of Judges tells
us that in the many centuries of the Judges, "every man did what was right in his own eyes"
[Judges 17:6]. Periodic lapses were sometimes followed by minor religious revivals, such
as during the reigns of King Hezekiah or King Josiah, but the losses during the lapses were
generally permanent.
The Assyrians destroyed the Northern Kingdom and deported its people, and ten out of twelve
tribes of Israel assimilated and vanished. Ten out of twelve tribes, consigned to the
dustbin of history. The two surviving tribes of Judah and Benjamin held on a little longer
in the South, but the Babylonians came, destroyed the Temple in 587 BCE, and carried the Jews
in captivity. The Talmud tells us this happened because in those days the people were guilty
of the three cardinal sins of Judaism: Idolatry, adultery and *** [Yoma 9b].
The psalmist tells us that the Jews wept bitterly by the rivers of Babylon as they remembered
Zion [Ps 137:1]. "How can we sing the songs of the Lord in a foreign land?", they wondered
[Ps 137:4]. But to their credit, they did, unlike the other ten tribes. Then, seventy
years later, the Babylonians were conquered by the Persians and King Cyrus told the Jews,
"Good news! You may go back home!" But the vast majority, born in exile, did not want
to go. They had built comfortable lives for themselves and did not want to move. A small
group of Jews returned, but did not make a mark. Years later, a second expedition, led
by capable, strong-willed, visionary Ezra the Scribe, was more successful. Together
with Nehemiah, Ezra rebuilt Judaism on a strong foundation and created the Great Assembly
to make central decisions for all. But, all told, no more than twenty percent of the Jews
went back home.
Then the Greeks came and won the hearts of millions of Jews with their philosophy. We
are told that one million Alexandrian Greek Jews assimilated and vanished into history.
That's in only one city. Then the Romans came, and many Jews adopted their ways. Why not
side with the mighty superpower? The Romans drowned two Jewish revolts in blood, destroyed
the Second Temple, and forbade the practice of Judaism. It looked like this was the end
of the road, but one man, octogenarian Rabbi Yohanan ben Zakkai, reorganized the remnant
of Jewry around prayer, the rabbis, and the Oral Law, and the adventure continued against
all odds.
The centuries marched on, each one bringing its own challenges and siren songs that drew
large numbers of Jews away: Gnosticism, Christianity, Islam, Karaism, Sabbateanism, Frankism...
The Jews may have enjoyed a Golden Age in Spain, but the truth is that when the Jews
were expelled from Spain in 1492, only one third remained Jews and left, among them my
own ancestors. Another third converted, and the last third had already converted. So the
majority crumbled under pressure. It not only crumbled, but produced Torquemada, the sadistic
and murderous Grand Inquisitor, a grandson of Jews. Romantic stories abound about the
marranos, who practiced Judaism in secret while pretending to be Christians, but the
reality is that that was at best a one-generation affair. The next generations were simply Christians,
and the overwhelming majority had no intention of changing.
Then the Emancipation came. And long before the Holocaust, in the 19th century, a tidal
wave of conversion and assimilation swept European Jewry. Conversion was the ticket
to acceptance, to opportunities, to universities, to guilds, to jobs, to high society, to coveted
positions, and large numbers of Jews willingly and eagerly paid that price.
Then Zionism came, the movement to return to the ancient homeland. Most Orthodox Jews
said, "This is anathema. Only the Messiah can rebuild the Jewish state!", and some still
say that. The powerful Reform in America said, "Not interested. We are past nationalism.
Our job is to stay among the nations to spread the ethical values of Judaism." When all was
said and done, only five percent of POST-Holocaust Jewry was in Israel in 1948 to start the state:
600,000 Jews out of 12 million worldwide. The rest were mostly supportive, although
many were indifferent, and some were downright hostile, but they were not there. Even with
the Holocaust at their backs, 95% of the surviving Jews were too comfortable to physically join
in this epic rebirth.
Then communism came and took its millions of Jews along with it, blinded by the promise
of a utopian society. It is largely gone now, but most of the losses are irreversible.
And in the last few decades, what has been going on? In the West, lax observance, assimilation
and loss of identity are progressing at a rapid pace, as in the Greek and Roman worlds
of old. The result is a steady decline in numbers. Tens of thousands of Jews are eager
and willing to explore every "ism" under the sun, except Judaism. The many cults that have
sprung up in the 60s and 70s -- the Hare Krishna and the Moonies and the Scientologists and
what have you -- have huge numbers of Jews in their ranks. Professional estimates place
Jewish membership in American cults at 30%. Thirty percent from a group that is only 2.5%
of the population. More than half the Buddhists in the United States *today* are Jews. Jews
for Jesus and Hebrew Christians and Messianic Jews are actively proselytizing. They bombard
us with the message that "Christianity is the only way to finally become a completed
Jew". Holocaust survivors have covered their Jewish tracks and raised non-Jewish families
that are ignorant of their Jewish roots, because they could not bear the consequences of being
Jewish.
Every "ism" seems good to explore, jump into, and even lead, except Judaism. Secular Jewish
thinkers write books where they dazzle their readers with their vast knowledge by quoting
from every culture the Earth has produced, but don't look there for a quote from the
Talmud. They don't have time for it, by studious avoidance no doubt. When Jews reach positions
of prominence, many quickly bend over backwards to prove they are not partial to Jews or Judaism,
and end up hurting Jews in the process. The phenomenon of Jewish self-hatred rears its
ugly head, frequently manifesting itself in relentless criticism of the State of Israel,
coupled with hostile activism, unbalanced by any praise or approval, let alone expression
of love or, yes, gratitude.
Some people may say, "That's good. Survival of the fittest. LET the faint-hearted leave
our ranks. The rest of us will only be stronger. Let them give up their birthright. Let them
weed themselves out if they wish." There is only one thing wrong with this logic. As one
Orthodox rabbi put it to me with great emotion some 25 years ago: "I don't want my children
to be weeded out!"
Yes, in every generation, only a small minority of Jews has quietly ensured the survival of
Judaism. The miracle is that this tiny minority is always there, in every generation. If it
skips even one generation, the light goes out.
Some may believe that this tiny minority has the burning faith that God will not allow
the remnant of Israel to perish. I take the opposite point of view. If you are convinced
that God will take care of Jewish survival, then logically you should kick up your shoes,
sit back and relax. You don't have to do anything and you shouldn't worry. It is precisely those
who are NOT so convinced who will work hardest to ensure that survival, because they are
haunted every day with the specter of the demise of Judaism. THEY are the ones who constitute
that tiny minority. Presumptuously, they feel deep within their souls that the survival
of Judaism depends on them personally.
Would that we were ALL this presumptuous.
The siddur, the prayerbook, says: Shomer Yisrael, sh’mor sh’erit Yisrael,
V’al yovad Yisrael, ha-om’rim Sh’ma Yisrael
O Guardian of Israel, protect the remnant of Israel,
And do not allow the death of Israel, of those who say “Hear, O Israel!” [Siddur]
Shabbat shalom.