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to choose between good and evil, healing The result was that Jews found them- sins” (Kohelet 7:20). But today’s Israel has
and harm. selves, time and again, in the front line of been doing what Jews have been charged
the defense of humanity. Where there is to do since the days of Abraham and
The Torah tells us early on how human- freedom without order – anarchy – every-
ity failed. They did so in two ways. They one is a potential victim. Jews played no Moses, to create freedom without anarchy
and order without tyranny. If that puts
created freedom without order or order special part in this history. But where Israel on the front line yet again, there is
without freedom. That is still the human there is order without freedom – impe-
tragedy. no nobler cause in which to be so.
rialism in all its guises – Jews have often
Freedom without order was the world been the primary targets because they Moshe’s words ring out today with as
much power as they did thirty-three cen-
before the Flood, a state of anarchy and are the people who more than any other turies ago: “Choose life so that you and
chaos that Thomas Hobbes famously have consistently refused to bow down
described as “the war of every man against to tyrants. your children may live.” If Hamas were
to do that one thing, the Palestinians of
every man,” in which life is “nasty, brut- Gaza would have peace. Innocent lives
ish and short.” That is the world today
in Syria, Iraq, Nigeria, Somalia, Mali, the would not be lost. Palestinian children
would have a future. Because Israel did
Central African Republic, and other con- make that choice, it has created a society
flict zones elsewhere, a world of failed and
failing states and societies wracked and Jews throughout history have of order and freedom while all around it
rage the godless fires of chaos and terror.
wrecked by lawlessness. That is freedom recognised tyranny for what it is,
without order, what the Torah calls a and have refused to be intimidated Although yet again we will shed tears this
“world filled with violence” that made G-d by power, threat, terror and fear. Tisha B’Av, let us thank G-d for the cour-
“regret that He had made man on earth, age and greatness of the people of Israel.
and it grieved Him to His very heart.” For, knowing what we know of history,
That is why they were attacked by the we would surely rather have the State of
But the alternative was a world of order
without freedom, epitomized in the Torah empires of the ancient world, Egypt, Israel and the condemnation of the world
than, G-d forbid, no State of Israel and the
by the Tower of Babel and Egypt of the Assyria and Babylon; of classical antiq- sympathy of the world.
uity, Greece and Rome; the Christian and
Pharaohs, civilisations that achieved
greatness at the cost of turning the mass Muslim theocratic empires of the Middle “Hashiveinu Hashem eilecha v’nashuva chadesh
Ages; and the two greatest tyrannies of the
of humanity into slaves. That too is an modern world, Nazi Germany and Stalin- yameinu kekedem. You brought us back, O
affront to human dignity, because each ist Russia. The face of tyranny today is G-d, and we returned. Help us to renew
of us, not just some of us, are in the image radical political Islam in the form of Al our days as of old,” in peace, speedily in
of G-d. our days. Amen.
Qaeda, ISIS, Boko Haram, Islamic Jihad,
Having seen these two kinds of failure, Hizb at-Takrir, Hezbollah, and Hamas
G-d called on one man, Abraham, and that are creating havoc and destruction
one woman, Sarah, and said: I want you throughout the Middle East, Sub-Saharan
to be different. I want you and those who Africa and parts of Asia. They constitute
follow you to create, out of a tiny people a real and present danger to the liberal
in a tiny land, a nation that will show the democracies of Europe also. And though
world what it is to sustain both order and Israel is an almost microscopic element in
freedom; what it is to build a society on the this global disturbance, it is once again in
threefold imperative of love of G-d “with the front line.
all your heart, with all your soul and all Why? Because Jews throughout history
your strength,” love of our neighbour “as have recognised tyranny for what it is,
yourself,” and love of the stranger, a com- and have refused to be intimidated by
mand reiterated in the Torah, according power, threat, terror and fear. Somehow,
to the Sages, 36 times. in the most dangerous region of the world,
I want you to become the people who Israel has created a society of freedom and
keep the laws of tzedek and mishpat (jus- order: a free press, free elections and an The Rabbi Sacks Legacy
tice and law), chessed and rachamim (grace independent judiciary on the one hand, perpetuates the timeless and universal
and mercy), not because of the coercive and constant innovation in the arts and wisdom of Rabbi Lord Jonathan
power of the state but because you have sciences, agriculture, medicine, and tech- Sacks as a teacher of Torah, a leader
taught your children to hear the voice of nology on the other. of leaders and a moral voice. Explore
G-d within the human heart. I want you Israel is not perfect. We believe – the the digital archive, containing much
of Rabbi Sacks’ writings, broadcasts
to show the world how to create freedom Hebrew Bible is the most self-critical and speeches, at www.rabbisacks.org,
without anarchy and order without tyr- national literature in all of history – that and follow The Rabbi Sacks Legacy
anny. That has been the Jewish mission “There is no one on earth who is so righ- on social media @RabbiSacks.
for the better part of 4,000 years. teous that he does only right and never

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