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Perspectives: Contemporary Israeli Views on Gentiles and Interfaith Dialogue
Penina Peli
This article was first published in IMANUEL 11 (Fall 1980) pp. 113-128 under the rubric: Contemporary Re¬ligious Life and Thought in Israel. It is reproduced here in condensed form with the kind permission of the author and the editor of Imanuel. Mrs. Peli spoke at length with five Israeli Jewish thinkers; we present her interviews with Prof. Ze'ev Falk and Joseph Emanuel. That of the latter is slightly abridged.
It is in the spirit of potential renewal that some spiritual leaders in Israel have been asked to discuss their ideas on Jewish participation in interfaith meetings and dialogue. Related issues are conversion to Judaism as a renewed possibility and Jewish views on the status of other faiths. "No religion is an island," said Abraham Joshua Heschel in an address given at a Christian theological seminary. "Is it not our duty to help one another in unlocking doors to holiness in time, in opening minds to the challenge of the Hebrew Bible, in seeking to respond to the voice of the prophets?" Some questions have been partially answered here, bringing in their wake countless others.
NECESSITY — NOT IDEAL
"Israel's sojourn among the nations has always borne an overtone of suffering and tragedy ever since Jacob dwelt in a strange land with his father-in-law Laban in the land of Haran." With these words, Prof. Ze'ev Falk who teaches law at the Hebrew University, and is a recognized authority in the field of Jewish family law, opened our discourse. An Orthodox Jew aware of the new vistas that have been opened in recent years since Israel's return to statehood, Prof. Falk is an active participant in interfaith meetings here and abroad. "Our relationship with other peoples," he pointed out, "has to a large measure depended on the way we were treated by them. Under favourable conditions, valuable inter¬change took place and as a result there was mutual
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development. And it is interesting to note how often societies prospered or deteriorated in proportion to their attitude to the Jewish people. We seem to have served as a sort of barometer of the general human predicament, reflecting its ups and downs, its ills and triumphs".
Foundation of the Torah
The Torah of Israel is founded on universalistic principles. This is a feature of our heritage which is almost forgotten due to historical and environmental conditioning according to Prof. Falk, since the Torah was originally meant for everyone. A midrashic com¬mentary has it that when God hewed out the Ten Commandments in stone for Moses to deliver to the children of Israel, the fragments that fell away, as He chiseled, were distributed among all of the seventy nations of the world. The symbolic figure of seventy appears frequently in biblical literature as in the Temple sacrifice dedicated for all the nations on Sukkot (the Feast of Tabernacles). Interestingly, he says, "the highest court of Jewish law, the Sanhedrin, was composed of exactly seventy judges, a quorum which was supposed to represent a complete spectrum of divergent views. This is also an indication of the diversity of characteristics found among people and of the the variety of views possible within the godly scheme of things."
Prof. Falk's orientation to law — a subject so fraught with friction and conflict — is steeped in tradition. This tradition based on divine law is usually considered inflexible "Actually," he says, "nothing could be further from the truth. The halakhic mode is obviously a system built on opposing views expressed among our sages, even its most basic principles. The application of the laws promulgated by the Torah has been subject to astonishing changes, when we come to think of it," he stated. There is no doubt that Prof. Falk is speaking as a strictly observant Jew, walking in the most traditional paths of the development of Jewish halakha. Therefore, the significance of his remarks are well worth serious consideration by Jews as well as non-Jews.
"Unfortunately," he explained, "circumstance bred necessity which in turn became fixed as ideal." This is the crux of the problem as he sees it, not discounting its relevance to Christians as well as to Jews "On our side," he says ruefully, "it may be said to our credit that we have spilled more ink than blood. But even this does not sufficiently justify present stubbornness on the part of many Jews to open the doors of our heritage wide and make it available to the Gentile world. Our ability to do this, he feels, will be decisive in many ways. The monotheistic society established by the people of Israel depended on spiritual inspiration as a guide and model for all other nations, which were expected to set up their own moral order. It is up to us to exploit every avenue of understanding in order to reach the state of universal harmony which should be pursued by those who emulate God's ways of justice, first introduced in the Hebrew scriptures. Compassion, gratitude, and respect should be offered to the Jews whose loyalty to biblical teachings often cost them their lives.
Correct Understanding of Chosenness
It is a mistake, however, says Prof. Falk to see the Jewish people as superior or privileged above others. The fact that certain prerogatives were conferred on them, in line with their special obligations, in no way detracts from the worth of any other human being before God. To support his contention, he quoted many sources, high among whom was Rabbi Akiva, perhaps Judaism's most revered figure besides Moses himself. "Man is beloved for he is created in the image of God," said Rabbi Akiva; there are commentaries which single out the word "man" in his statement in order to point out that the reference is to all men, and not only to the Jews who are tied to a special covenant with God.
Prof. Falk went on to quote a medieval authority known as "Hameiri" who said that while pagan peoples were spurned and to be avoided by the people of Israel, that principle is no longer applied in his time, the thirteenth century, to the Gentile world. Implicit in his statement is that Jews are not allowed to employ different moral standards towards non-Jews. And in modern times, Samson Raphael Hirsch, a nineteenth century German rabbi, postulated the priority of decent human relations over the value of Torah itself. It is possible to claim that subsequent events perpetrated chiefly by the people of Germany proved Hirsch's thesis as tragically wrong. But only a minority of Jews saw this a further justification of withdrawal from hostile environments which they had come to think of as self-imposed, and inherent to Judaism itself.
The deep faith and natural optimism of the Jews who love both life and their Creator, always seeing both as linked, make them as ready as ever to deal with almost everyone. It behooves us more than ever to enable others to become more intimately acquainted with Judaism. "We should also devote much more of our efforts to aiding converts to Judaism by eliminating unnecessary obstacles placed in the way of those who reach out, and seek real acceptance among us. "We simply have no right to isolate ourselves," he said with firm determination." There is a midrashic account of the origins of Amalek, the sworn enemy of the Jews since their exodus from Egypt. Their evil menace to the people of Israel has been said to appear in different faces throughout time. Our rabbis tell us that Amalek came into being as a result of the refusal of Leah (Rachel's sister) to marry Esau, Jacob's twin brother: a strange hypothesis for a people who often saw their inaccessibility as a virtue. "The Torah was given in the wilderness," said Prof. Falk, "so that none could claim exclusive right to it. God loves all of His children equally. There is an abundance of evidence to demon¬strate this in the Hebrew Bible: the prophets of Israel, talmudic sources, midrashic accounts, and in the law as developed by our rabbis over the centuries. The Kabbalah of sixteenth century Safed describes the steps towards full redemption as being the responsibility of all mankind."
How to Live Halakha
Prof. Falk stresses the need to examine and check the administration of the laws, so that we may fulfill the biblical injunction "that you may live by them." Halakha, the laws regulating Jewish life, were never meant to be misused in support of perpetuating harmful dogma. They may not make life easier at times, but they affect the quality of our way of life. We can check ourselves by turning to our sources to get at the heart of the Halakha's intent — to which end aggadic (or midrashic) commentaries are extremely valuable.
In any case, he concludes, the pious or righteous man is loved by God, regardless of nation or race. The Torah gave Israel a special function to perform, and they have played a thankless role in human history. Another midrashic story is pertinent here. The nations of the world were each given the opportunity to receive the Ten Commandments, and each refused because of its inability to abide by one or another of its impositions. When the children of Israel also hesitated, God held Mount Sinai over their heads threateningly, so that seeing the choice offered to them they gave their famous answer, "we shall do (what is written) and obey (what You tell us)." There is certainly no mellow romanticism in Prof. Falk's realistic Jewish attitude. "This realism combined with faith will win us the day," Prof. Falk said smiling.
RELIGION AND BROTHERHOOD
Joseph Emanuel represents a committed Israel view¬point not bound by strict halakhic categories or rabbinic judgment. It is important to bear in mind, however, that the term "non-religious" or "secular" regarding Jews in Israel and the Diaspora holds unusual connotations which shed light on the problems involved in defining Judaism. Disjunct aspects of identity recognized by society at large are misleading when applied to the Jewish people where nationality, religion, peoplehood, political loyalties, social rules of behaviour, etc., are overlapping elements. The Jewish personality emphasizes the community of peoples relating to God, in contrast to the idea of personal grace, or passionate beliefs that cross boundaries of nations and cultures in sweeping movements. The Jew sees the whole person as walking before God, including his family and society which are all involved in the process. Thus, a non-synagogue going Israeli who consciously rejects personal or communal religion in the usual sense may be seen as deeply involved in the destiny of the people of Israel. Conversely, Jews living in remote places may sustain their identity by a greater emphasis on national or religious commitment. A trait may lie dormant when time or circumstance make other aspects of Jewishness more dominant, not because of calculated pragmatism, but rather as a result of temporary spiritual adjustment in accordance with the demands of the hour. A sense of the totality of the calling of the people of Israel is usually maintained, but this does not mean that for the Jews there is only one valid system. There is only one God and all men are brothers; the Torah is to be seen as reflecting God's eternal truth. Each people may best serve God by learning from it, and attaining self-realization, through their own culture, language, national loyalty, etc. It is interesting to note that Christians have also begun encouraging greater local expressions among populations, e.g. in Asia and Africa that accept Christianity. Local language, architecture and music have come to be considered assets rather than as barriers to true religious expression.
The Meaning of Zionism
In this way, one may understand Joseph Emanuel's views on his identity vis-à-vis his fellow Jews and other peoples. "To me," he says, "Zionism means the return to the family of nations. It is the longed-for opportunity of the Jewish people to realize its own potential. The challenge is greater than ever because it has come about in an era marked by advanced technical development which holds in the balance the promise of utopian existence on the one hand, and the threat of global catastrophe on the other. It is impossible to imagine living enclosed in a Jewish or Israeli ghetto. This would be against the original intention of our heritage, Emanuel said. Therefore everyone should welcome Israel's liberation, and not seek ways to stifle its growth in any particular direction. We have arrived at the crucialhour of testing our ability to become a blessing to all nations as Abraham is told at the very start of his being the first Hebrew. In reference to Jewish singularity, the purpose of particularism is to enable us to serve as God's witnesses, which means that the very fulfilment of our selfhood is a matter of the responsibility we carry towards the other. Even while enduring centuries of persecution, there was always an exchange of ideas between us and others. Its effects are evident in our life and thinking. The Jewish contribution to the nations among which they lived is to be found in nearly every field of human endeavour."
"There is no excuse for avoiding confrontations of any kind out of a position of weakness," he stated. Judaism has answers, and it is up to us, more than ever before, to uncover its wisdom and translate its message realistically for our time. We are undermining our great heritage, he feels, by evading difficult issues engendered by the exigences of the present. The growing power of destructive philosophies institutionalized by totalitarian governments calls for an alignment of spiritual forces. We are called upon to prove in tangible ways, the contemporary efficacy of biblical teaching. Whatever the differences, it is wrong to deny the common denominator which Judaism, Christianity and Islam share apart from the affinity of all God-fearing people for each other. Our greatest sages and philosophers have attributed divine significance to the "daughter" religions of Israel. Maimonides and Judah Halevi, Franz Rosenzweig, as well as many rabbis throughout the ages and up to the present have confirmed the special status of monotheistic beliefs in the biblical scheme of events. As far as the State of Israel is concerned, we should be perfectly willing to allow other groups to even co-exist with us in our land. We should implement a policy of equal rights for all citizens who cherish this country, and who wish to enjoy with us the fruits of our love for Zion and Jerusalem. We reserve for ourselves the privilege of shaping our own existence as is justified both by our ancient ties to this land, our centuries of suffering and oppression in other countries (which is still not a thing of the past), and also because of our recla¬mation of the land which was barren and neglected until our return.
There are some Moslem groups which have come to welcome the Zionist enterprise. We must do our utmost to convince all Arabs to drop their "policy of the sword" so as to allow profitable interchange to take place for our mutual benefit.
Regarding Christians, it is difficult to envision marked changes in their Christology which, in a sense, excludes the Jews from enjoying full divine favour. On the other hand, it would be foolish to disregard the transformation that has taken place in Christian attitudes towards studying and deriving inspiration from biblical sources in cooperation with Jews. There is a growing recognition among them of the integrity of Judaism for the Jews themselves. There is new desire for encounters, and a real intent to denounce "soul snatching". While there is still no official recognition of Israel from the Vatican, we should remember that recognition of the traditional link of the Jews with their land played a dominant role in bringing about international endorsement of Zionist aspirations. Judaism has been recognized by many as an organic part of their faith, there are attempts to do away with negative factors, and grapple with Christian responsibility for the persecution of the Jews culminating in the Holocaust of our time.
In conclusion, says Joseph Emanuel, we would do well to eliminate factors on our side which breed resentment. We should explore areas of mutual interest, and together, in a true spirit of brotherly love, seek solutions for some of the problems that plague modern society. There are many insights worth developing together; a genuine "marriage" of the spirit may emerge with great gain for all.
* Mrs. Penina Peli is a writer and a teacher of Judaism living in Jerusalem.
