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TORAT MIZRACHI

Rabbi Ari Rockoff

Building the

Bridge

efore the purchase of Ma’arat relinquish any aspects of his religious spirit and people of Israel. There is so
HaMachpelah, the resting place uniqueness. His was a different faith much Torah and Jewish culture from
Bof our Avot and Imahot, Avraham and he was governed by perceptions, Israel from which we can learn and be
Avinu gives a speech to Bnei Chet: truths, and observances which set inspired, and vice-versa. Through this
ם ֶ כ ָּ מ ִ ע ר ֶ ב ֶ ק תַּז ֻ ח ֲ א י ִ ל ּונ ְּ ת ם ֶ כ ָּ מ ִ ע י ִ כֹנ ָ א ב ׁ ָ שֹות ְ ו רֵּ ג him apart from the larger faith com- connection, through such ties, we will
.יָנ ָ פ ְּ ל ִ מ י ִ ת ֵ מ ה ָ ר ְּ ב ְ ק ֶ א ְ ו munity. In this regard, Avraham and be continuing Avraham Avinu’s legacy
his descendants would always remain of being both רֵּ ג and ב ָ ׁשֹו ּ ת.
“I am a stranger and a resident among ‘strangers.’” 1
you. Grant me a holding for a grave
with you that I may bury my dead This was true in Avraham’s time and 1 Reflections of the Rav, pp. 169–177.
from before me” (Bereishit 23:4). remains true to this day. We live in
America, and believe in contributing
Rav Soloveitchik, coincidentally, a to wider society, being good citizens, Rabbi Ari Rockoff is Executive Vice-President
former RZA–Mizrachi Honorary and also in enjoying the many bless- of Religious Zionists of America–Mizrachi.
President, explains that Avraham ings this country has to offer. But
is making a fundamental statement we also have another identity, one
about what it means to be a Jew. that connects us to our Torah, to all
“Avraham’s definition of his dual Jews around the world, to the Land
status, we believe, describes with pro- of Israel, and to our hopes that next
found accuracy the historical position year we will be in Yerushalayim.
of the Jew who resides in a predom- Throughout our lives, as commit-
inantly non-Jewish society. He was a ted religious Zionist Jews living
resident [ב ָ ׁשֹו ּ ת] like other inhabitants in a modern world, we are
of Canaan, sharing with them a con- constantly trying to balance
cern for the welfare of society, digging these two identities.
wells, and contributing to the progress As the incoming Exec-
of the country in loyalty to its gov- utive Vice-President
ernment and institutions… However, of the RZA, I am
there was another aspect, the spiritual, eager to strengthen
in which Avraham regarded himself as the connection and
a stranger [רֵּ ג]. His identification build the bridge
and solidarity with his fellow between our Amer-
citizens in their secular ican Jewish com-
realm did not imply munity and the State
his readi- of Israel. In our globally
ness to interconnected world, we
have so many new oppor-
tunities to connect with the

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