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ISRAEL AS A JEWISH STATE                 HOLIDAY READING




 Lt. Colonel (res.) Rabbi Yedidya Atlas                                       Rabbi Dr. Kenneth Brander





                       Torat Eretz Yisrael


      and the Vision of a Jewish State





                e are told in the Midrash   for the many in light of our country’s   marking the fall of the Second Com-
                (Bereishit Rabbah 16:4)     religious diversity. We need to remove   monwealth, the letters of the Torah
       Wthat ל ֵ א ָ ר ְ ׂשִי ץ ֶ ר ֶ א ת ַ רֹות ְּ כ ה ָ רֹו ּ ת ןי ֵ א,   2,000 years of dust from the texts that   ascended toward heaven. With sover-
       “there is no Torah like the Torah of the   discuss the moral and religious guide-  eignty lost, elements of the Torah itself
       Land of Israel.” In what sense is the   lines that must inspire our national   became inapplicable, and were sent
       Torah studied and taught within the   policies in areas such as the plight of   into heavenly exile to await our peo-
       confines of the Land of Israel meaning-  asylum seekers, the needs of migrant   ple’s return. Today, Torat Eretz Yisrael
       fully distinct from the Torah of other   workers, and national support for those   is the recognition that only in Medinat
       locales? Did G-d not give one single   who suffer economically. We need to     Yisrael does Torah have the capacity to
       Torah to the entire Jewish people? 1  courageously muster halacha and the   fully engage the private, communal and
       With the birth of the State of Israel   judiciary system on both the local and   global arenas of Jewish life and outlook.
                                                                                 Here in Israel, we have the opportunity
       73 years ago, Torat Eretz Yisrael took   international levels to end the scourge   and ability to restore the Torah to its
       on a whole new meaning, or, better   of the agunah crisis. And as citizens   rightful prominence.
       yet, a renewal of a meaning that had   of a state that is both Jewish and dem-
       been fossilized. As Rav Soloveitchik   ocratic, we must explore the halachic   The Torah is no longer orphaned from
       described in remarks delivered on June   principles that can and should guide us   its engagement with the rest of the
       12, 1967 before the RCA, “In the last   in fairly engaging the minority popula-  global community. Today’s Torat Eretz
       2000 years, the Jewish people played   tions who live among us, particularly   Yisrael has the capacity to be holistic
       no role in the historical arena. Now,   with those who pledge allegiance to this   and visionary, confidently confront-
       the great miracle has happened, that   country and even serve in our armed   ing the needs of Am Yisrael in its own
       our people somehow emerged from the   forces.                             sovereign state. It is a calling to forsake
       shadows, from anonymity, and are now   The purview of Torat Eretz Yisrael is   neither our ancient traditions nor the
       in the center of the universal stage.” The   not limited to what happens within our   ever-changing realities around us, but
       Jewish people finds itself today not as   national borders. With more nations   to find the interconnectivity between
       a small, minority community dispersed   ready to establish bilateral relations   them. This is the Torah of Eretz Yisrael!
       across the earth. Rather, we are now an   with Israel, and with governments and   May we merit to study it, to teach it and
       independent, sovereign nation, bound   regimes the world over committing   to bring it to life.
       together by a shared destiny, and a   atrocities against their own populations
       full-fledged member of the family of   and those of their foes, how will we be
       nations.                             guided by the Torah’s eschatological   1   In addition to the contemporary idea I will be
                                                                                     suggesting, there are many other interpreta-
       What does the return to sovereignty   vision of a lasting, harmonious world   tions of this statement including Rav Yehuda
                                                                                     Aryeh Leib Alter of Gur (Sefat Emet, Beshalach
       mean for Torat Hashem and for the    peace? Perhaps like no other time in     5656) concerning the development of Mitzvot
       observant Jew, as we build not just a   history, we can explore the role the   Hatluyot BaAretz, and others who point out
       state for Jews, but a Jewish State? Torah   Jewish State should play in facilitating   the differences in the paradigmatic construc-
                                                                                     tion of the Jerusalem Talmud vs. Babylonian
       now has a renewed responsibility to   and advancing a more just and equitable   Talmud.
       deal with a government and an army,   world order. These questions and so
       and the repercussions of such power.   many more are what make Torat Eretz
       We need to discuss how Shabbat and   Yisrael unique, rich and expansive. And
       Chagim look in the public sphere –   by engaging in these issues, the Jewish
       how we operate our hospitals, army   people are propelled onto the world
       bases, power plants and recreational   stage, with the opportunity to make a   Rabbi Dr. Kenneth Brander is the Pres-
       spaces. We must ensure that religion   global impact.                     ident  &  Rosh  Yeshiva  of  the  Ohr  Torah
       is not a political tool of the few but a   We are  taught  that  as Rabbi  Akiva   Stone Network and Rabbi Emeritus of the
       portal of ethical and spiritual entry   was martyred, a key moment of defeat   Boca Raton Synagogue.
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